Sustaining a Green Collar Workforce:
An Interdisciplinary Approach
Green Application Projects (GreenApps) Title: Cars and Fuel Efficiency: What’s the Difference? Authors: Shea Ryan Date: August 2011 Interdisciplinary Classification: Middle school physical science, math, environmental studies, social studies Materials Required: Computers, handouts, class data table Estimated Time: ~ 60 minutes Description: In this lesson, students will learn about fuel efficiency and its impact on the amount of money spent on gasoline. (It would be appropriate to discuss the effects of burning fossil fuels beforehand so students make a connection to environmental health.) They will research and compare the fuel efficiency of various vehicles. They will also read a passage outlining recent legislation surrounding our nation’s fuel standards and decide what they would mandate if they were the President. Lesson details: 1. Warm Up – In a few years, you will be able to get a Colorado driver’s license. Which of the following factors will be most important for you when buying a car? RAP your answer. _____ price _____ color/paint job _____ engine size / speed / power _____ stereo _____ money spent of fuel _____ make/type of car _____ dependability/safety 2. Introduce the concept of fuel efficiency and the unit of miles per gallon (MPG). Discuss city versus highway MPG. Show how the amount of gasoline can be calculated if the distance and MPG are known. Do some practice problems. 3. Assign each pair of students a different model of car/truck. They will use the Internet to research that model’s average number of highway miles per gallon. With this information, the pairs will calculate the number of gallons needed to drive to a certain destination as well as the cost of gas for the trip based on current national average fuel prices. Groups will have to find the distance to the destination with Google Maps. The class as a whole will make a data table to make comparing models easier. Ask for reactions/comments to start a brief discussion. 4. Show the class a table comparing the annual and total lifetime cost of three cars – Vehicle A, Vehicle B, and Vehicle C. The data displays the information for a Toyota Tundra, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Prius. Ask students to infer which information corresponds to which vehicle. Attach/reveal labels showing the corresponding matches. 5. Read the following excerpt of an article detailing President Obama’s recent mandate for more efficient fuel standards. “Obama's deal with car manufacturers, which he unveiled Friday at a conference of
automakers in Washington, is the most ambitious effort on fuel economy in America yet.
It mandates increases in manufacturers' average fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon
by 2025. That's more than double the current average of 27 miles per gallon. The plan
would do it gradually by raising efficiency on most vehicles by 5 percent annually.
There's an exception for light trucks, which will require a 3.5 percent annual increase
through 2021. "This agreement on fuel standards represents the single most important
step we've ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," said Obama
in his speech to the automakers.
To Obama's credit, the new standards appear to be a genuine deal between
manufacturers, who have fought heartily against significant increases to fuel economy
standards in the past, and environmentalists and consumer advocates, who had wanted
the 2025 standards to range between 56 and 62 miles per gallon, according to
AutoWeek.”
From “Deal to Double Fuel Economy Standards a Bright Spot for Obama”
July 29, 2011
http://www.usnews.com/
Give students time in pairs to discuss the following questions with their partner: a. What are some positive impacts that could result from the President’s mandate? b. What are some negative impacts that could result from the President’s mandate? 6. Exit Slip: What sort of mandate, if any, would you required for cars and trucks in America if you were the President? RAP your answer. Helpful websites: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ Outcomes: This topic exposes students to a real life application of energy transformation and Newton’s Second Law of Motion. This lesson may help students become more aware of the environmental and economic impacts of consumer choice. They will also gain experience in outlining the pros and cons of a policy and deciding where their opinion falls. Support for this work was provided by; the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program under Award No. 0903055. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.