Rigor/Relevance
Framework
LESSON PLAN
Lesson Title: Introduction to Carbon Dioxide Cars
No. Periods:
___1-2____________
Knowledge
Area and/or Course: Agricultural Mechanics / Woodshop
6
5
4
3
2
1
Teacher Goal(s):
1. For students to understand the importance of
following instructions and having a neat notebook.
2. For students to begin brainstorming what type of
car they might create.
C
D
Assimilation
Adaptation
A
B
Acquisition
___ X____
Application
1
2
3
4
Application
Objectives:
The student will be able to (TSWBT). (Oregon Skill Set numbers in parentheses at the
end of the objective statement.)
1. Develop record keeping techniques and practices for unit notebook.
(AGPG01.02.01.02)
2. Identify materials used and different cars that can be created following specifications.
(AGPD03.03.01.01)
3. Introduction Carbon Dioxide (CO2) unit terminology. (AGS02.01)
State Standards met by Objectives:
Category
Subject
Common
Curr. Goal
Benchmark
& Number
1.
CRLS
Personnel Manag.
Work Ethic
Criteria 2, 3, &4
2.
CRLS
Problem Solving
Communication
Criteria 1 & 6
3.
English
Writing
Communication
Materials, Equipment, Audio-Visual Aids:
1. CO2 car race track, CO2 cartridges, 2 CO2
PASS
References:
http://co2.technologyeducator.com
Cars, and a stopwatch.
2. PowerPoint Projector
3. Copies of handout (Weaver #1, 1A, 1B, &
Unit Vocabulary)
Knowledge: 1=awareness; 2=comprehension; 3=application; 4=analysis; 5=synthesis; 6=evaluation
Application: 1=knowledge in one discipline; 2=apply knowledge in one discipline; 3=apply knowledge across disciplines; 4=apply knowledge to real-world predictable situations; 5=apply
knowledge to real-world unpredictable situations
5
Anticipatory Set/Introduction/Motivation/Interest Approach:
Review Yesterday’s Lesson:
(New Unit: Introduction to CO2 Cars).
Set: (Preparation time 15-20 minutes before class)
Activity: (10-15 minutes)
Set-up the CO2 Car track and demonstrate the cars they are going to build. When
students see this they will be excited and ready to work hard to build and race their own
cars.
The teacher needs a starting gate and a stopping pad, and two fishing lines that stretch
65 feet. These lines tie to the starting and stopping points and serve as the guide for the
dragsters. It would be a good idea to have a few CO2 cartridges to place in the cars and
a stop watch as well. Let a student time and watch their eyes when they realize that the
cars go 65 feet in less than a second. They will get really excited and yell out the time.
Allowing the students to visualize what they will be creating during next couple weeks
lets them buy into the project. (The winner of the race in the end is guaranteed an “A,”
regardless of how they did on all the other assignments).
Transition (Use Objective):
Today we will be getting acquainted with Carbon Dioxide Cars. First we are going to
discuss all the criteria everyone will meet before racing (The winner of the race in the end
is guaranteed an “A,” regardless of how they did on all the other assignments). Once
expectations are discussed we will take a look at last years top three cars. Then we will
start discussing different terms we will need to understand to have an awesome race car.
1. Develop record keeping techniques and practices for unit notebook.
2. Identify materials used and different cars that can be created following specifications.
3. Introduction Carbon Dioxide (CO2) unit terminology.
Strategy – Includes Teacher Activity,
Student Activity, Questions/Answers
and Objectives
Objective 1:
Teacher: Give students handouts
(Weaver #1, 1A, & 1B).
Student: Need a 3-ring binder that has
notebook paper in it and can stay in the
classroom until the end of the project.
NOTEBOOK ORGANIZATION:
Place your assessment sheet in the front
of your notebook. Follow the order of the
Assessment Sheet when organizing your
notebook. Notebooks will need to be
completed for students to participate in
the race. (Don’t lose them because no
assignments will be graded until the end.)
Objective 2 & 3:
Teacher: Walk through PowerPoint of
the process of building a CO2 Car. Once
you talk through the slides (last slide has
last years top three cars), read handout 1A
as a class. Call on students to read a
paragraph at a time.
Students: Read along and take notes.
Q: Why are specifications important?
A: All students who design and build CO2
cars should follow design specifications.
This helps to keep the cars on an even
playing field, as well as maintains a
margin of safety. By following the
regulations, you are forced to work your
ideas into a shape the meets real world
expectations, fostering critical thinking in
the process. This also allows the class to
see who had the best design, because
everyone had the same materials.
Q: Does aerodynamics really matter?
A: Yes, because these cars are so small,
the least amount of resistance slows these
cars down.
Subject Matter Outline/Problem and Solution
(Application Points Lace in Throughout Lesson)
(Modeling, Guided Practice, and Content)
What is Carbon Dioxide?
A colorless odorless gas naturally present in our
atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is produced by
respiration (breathing) and is consumed by plants
during photosynthesis. Large quantities of solid
carbon dioxide ( in the form of dry ice) are used in
processes requiring large scale refrigeration. Carbon
Dioxide is also used in fire extinguishers and in
carbonated drinks.
Introduction: In this project, you will design,
construct, and test an aerodynamically sound
vehicle. The car you will be building is like a
miniature rocket powered dragster. As you build
your dragster, take your time. It will have a better
chance of looking good and going fast if you build
it with patience and care. One major mistake can
ruin the whole dragster and disqualify you from
racing. Take pride in your work and try to make
the best dragster in the class.
An important consideration in designing a vehicle is
aerodynamics. Aerodynamics is the effect of air
flow and the forces involved when an object moves
through the air or when air moves past an object.
Aerodynamics has taken on new importance since
the need for more fuel efficient vehicles. A poorly
designed vehicle uses more fuel.
The aerodynamics of a vehicle can be tested with
the aid of a wind tunnel. In a wind tunnel, we can
observe and measure the effects of the airstream on
the vehicle. The flow of air moving around a vehicle
is called streamline. A body with an overall
rounded or square shape will cause air to break
away from the streamline into swirls of air. This
uneven or turbulent air movement that will slow the
vehicle down is called drag. Vehicles have less
resistance if they are rounded in the front and
tapered off to a point in the rear (teardrop shape).
Everyone wants to design a CO2 car that
will scream down the track and leave
their classmates in the dust, right? Well,
designing a CO2 car is like any other
design challenge. In order to do well, you
have to know what you’re doing, and this
requires some homework. Before you start
whining “why can't he just tell me what to
do,” remember: It's your car. If you don't
care about any of this, then you just won't
do very well, giving your classmates the
power to crush your car come race day.
Q: What is Newton’s Third Law?
A: "For every action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction." This is the driving
principle behind these cars.
Q: How does that law apply to racing a
CO2 car?
A: You see, it works like this: when the
CO2 cartridge is punctured in the starting
gate, the CO2 escapes with a great deal of
force towards the rear of the car. And just
as good Sir Newton would have predicted,
the CO2 car reacts in the opposite
direction with equal force rocketing down
the track. Unlike a dragster engine that
converts fuel into energy to drive a set of
wheels, our CO2 race car is basically
pushed by the CO2 cartridge.
Q: Would spoilers help my car go
faster, because I think they look cool,
and real race cars use them?
A: spoilers, although cool looking, just
add drag, which slows your car down.
Moral of the story:
When one looks at the similarities
between a CO2 race car and a land speed
record vehicles (LSRVs), then throw in
knowledge of Newton's Third Law, it
becomes clear that designs for CO2 race
cars should be styled after an LSRV, not
as a dragster.
Read, learn, and crush the opposition!
Making a super fast car involves learning about the
principles behind CO2 cars, the engineering factors
involved, and specifications the project must remain
within.
Most people will refer to CO2 cars as dragsters.
This invites the comparison to top fuel dragsters the
likes of which are often seen (and heard) screaming
down a drag strip at incredible speeds. And yes it's
true that CO2 cars are run two at a time in a race
down a track just as those big thunderous top fuel
dragsters are. But that's where the comparison ends.
The Principle:
CO2 powered cars run on the same principle that
propels rocket or jet powered land speed record
vehicles. One of these vehicles, Thrust SSC of the
Thrust SSC team from England, recently broke the
land-speed record as well as the sound barrier (over
760 MPH).
Differences: CO2 Dragster vs. Real Dragster
Although, many features of a dragster will work
against a CO2 race car. For example, spoilers are
used to force a dragster's wheels into the ground in
an effort to increase traction so that the entire
engine's energy can be transformed into forward
motion. Thanks to Newton's Third Law, the CO2
cartridge pushing our cars takes care of forward
motion for us. Dragster engines burn enormous
amounts of fuel which requires large air intakes and
exhaust pipes to suck air into the engine and shoot
hot exhaust gasses out of the engine. Our CO2 race
cars have no engine and burn no fuel, so air intakes
and exhaust pipes only act like parachutes to slow
them down.
Engineering is like a balancing act. When you do
one thing to overcome a problem, often you create
another totally different problem (hopefully, only
one). Many times a solution is the midpoint between
the two problems, never solving either entirely. It's
a game of give and take. And in CO2 design, it is no
different.
Closure/Summary/Conclusion (Tie in Objectives)
Today you were acquainted with Carbon Dioxide (CO2) cars. You discovered the proper record
keeping technique for a neat and organized CO2 car unit notebook. You also took a look at what
materials will be used, as well as, specifications that will be required to follow while designing
and building your car. You gathered ideas from examples of other cars that have been built in
the past. The last thing we discussed as a class was CO2 car terminology. We began to
understand what processes were taking place and how we could make a really fast CO2 car.
Evaluation: (Authentic forms of Evaluation, Quizzes, or Written Exam)
1. There will be a quiz next class period over today’s objectives.
Assignments: (Student Activities Involved in Lesson/Designed to Meet Objectives)
1. Students will write a reflection in response to handout 1A (stating three goals for this unit
and two things that they learned today). Students will research Newton’s Third Law in
more depth and write a paragraph of what they discovered with in the paper. The paper
will need to be 1-2 pages in length.
2. Vocabulary Sheet should be kept in your notebook and needs to be completed by the
end the last class of the CO2 car unit. Students can research them or get them during
lecture. We discuss each one and students will be responsible for several of these words
on quizzes and tests.
Lesson Reflection
The lesson went well. I simply laid out expectations for the unit and discussed CO2 Cars
broadly to get them introduced to the unit. We spent a great deal of time on notebook
organization and the importance of not losing anything that they do in this class. We also took a
look at cars students have done in the past. My main purpose of the class was to get them
excited and thinking about type of car they will design and build.
After finishing this class period, I realized that it would have been a great idea to demonstrate the
CO2 cars the students would race. This is why I added it to the lesson as the anticipatory set.
After watching students race their cars at the end of the unit, I realized that if I had demonstrated
two cars racing in the beginning of the unit they would have been more excited and followed
instructions better, which would have allowed them to race earlier. The students loved racing
their cars and took pride in them. I know this would have helped cast the vision more clearly had
I demonstrated the final product at the beginning.