Energy, Power, and Transportation Syllabus

Course Description

This semester long course is an elective class that is designed to promote problem

solving and critical thinking skills within the technological world while enhancing

student skills in language arts, science, mathematics, social studies, and technology.

Students will gain an understanding of energy and power systems by hands-on

activities including: mousetrap powered vehicles, CO2 dragsters, and model rockets.

Students will also experiment with various types of energy converters and

mechanisms, using them to design and create their own inventions in friendly

competition.

Pre-requisite Courses

None

Instructional Philosophy

Although this class is an elective, it is sure to enhance the knowledge and skills

needed in most any other classes. Language arts and social studies skills are

enhanced by conducting online research and writing about technological issues and

their impact on society. Mathematics and science skills are applied by identifying

critical forces that affect performance and calculating the results of several projects.

Communication, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and decision making are

all put to the test as students are guided through the engineering design process in

order to solve unique problems.

Course Goals

• Students develop an understanding of technology, its characteristics, scope, core concepts, and relationships between technologies and other fields.

• Students learn the operations of technology through the usage of technology and productivity tools.

• Students apply a number of problem-solving strategies demonstrating the nature of design, the role of engineering and the role of assessment.

• Explain the movement of objects by applying Newton’s three laws of motion. • Explain how energy may change form or be redistributed but the total

quantity of energy is conserved. • Explain the ways in which the processes of technological design respond to

the needs of society. • Solve problem situations involving derived measurements. • Convert rates within the same measurement system; e.g., miles per hour to

feet per second.

Major Projects and Assessments

Assessment methods will include: at least one written test, several projects, in-class work, and homework. The majority of the assessments will be project based, but these projects often require background information that is attained through in-class work and occasional(less than weekly) homework.

CO2 Dragsters:

During this 3-4 week unit, students will be researching force and motion in an effort

to guide them while they design and build a CO2 dragster. Students will then

compete in a class tournament for the chance to race in the Annual May Madness

Dragster Tournament.

Mousetrap Cars:

During this 3-4 week project, students will be researching, designing, and building

a vehicle that is to travel a minimum of 50 feet and be powered by nothing but a

single mousetrap. Instructor will supply mousetrap, but other materials will need to

be supplied by students

Solid Fuel Rockets:

This 2-3 week project gives students the ability to learn many principles that apply to

one of mankind’s greatest achievements: rocketry. Throughout this unit students will

learn about types of rockets, uses of rockets, rocket principles, forces that apply to

rockets, and the Race to Space during the Cold War.

Rube Goldburg Challenge:

This 2-3 week project is an ultimate test of comprehension that requires the

application of forces, motion, forms of energy, and simple machines in order to

create a complex machine designed to achieve a simple task.

Alternative Energy Research:

During this weeklong assignment, students will be using a class wiki to research

several different areas of alternative energy and their impact on society. If more time

is needed, the students are expected to complete the assignment outside of class.

Grading:

The grade for this class will be a combination of homework, tests, and projects. Each project will include grades for research, design, craftsmanship, work grade, and performance. The following is an example of a grading rubric used for the mousetrap car project:

Work Grade -Score will reflect students’ effort toward all aspects of the project including: bringing in materials, lab etiquette, and completion of appropriate paperwork.

_____/40 points

Research Pages - Score will reflect students’ ability to accurately and thoughtfully respond to all aspects of every question based on information provided in the packet.

_____/30 points

Design Page - Score will reflect students’ ability to accurately respond to all aspects of every question, and design a car that reflects the knowledge gained throughout the research.

_____/10 points

Test Run Page - Score will reflect students’ ability to provide accurate calculations and thoughtful responses.

_____/20 points

Final Run Page - Score will reflect students’ ability to provide accurate calculations and thoughtful responses.

_____/10 points

How well was this student’s car constructed? - This score will reflect the sturdiness, creativity, ingenuity, and quality of construction used.

_____/10 points

How far did the mousetrap car travel? - To earn 10 points the car must travel 50 ft. - From there 1 pt will be deducted in 5 ft increments - For example: a distance of 29 feet will earn 5 pts.

_____/10 points

Total Score *An additional 10 points will be added to the person whose car travels the farthest distance on the final test run.

_____/130 points

Summative Assessments Description

Projects The projects act as an assessment of the students’ ability to apply the knowledge from the class to an authentic problem. Most projects will be done individually, but at least one will be done cooperatively.

Homework Homework will be used to show that students possess the necessary background knowledge to effectively complete the projects. All homework will be completed individually.

Test/Exam This class will have at least one major test, taken individually, to evaluate the sum of knowledge gained by the students throughout the semester.

Performance-Based Assessments

Description

Projects The projects in this class will all have a performance goal or objective. The students will be graded on their ability to meet these goals. Each project has a performance assessment that is the equivalent of a letter grade for each project.

Grading Plan

A 93 – 100% B 85 – 92% C 77 – 84% D 70 – 76%

All final grades in the Tech. Ed. classes are cumulative scores of all the work that is

accomplished by the student throughout the semester. The first and second quarter

grades reflect work done in each respective quarter, and the final grade is determined

by adding all points earned throughout the semester and dividing that score by all the

points that are possible in that semester. This class will have a semester exam, either

written or project based, that accounts for approximately 20% of the final grade.

Some projects may require students to bring in materials from home. I understand

that this may be very difficult for some students, and I am willing to provide students with materials in such cases. However, it is the student’s responsibility to seek

these materials from me prior to the materials due date. Failure to do so may have

a negative impact on a student’s grade.

I will make an effort to keep grades posted online through Progress Book. My goal is

to update every class at least every two weeks. You can access Progress Book

through the district website by clicking on the Students and Parents link and

following the Online Gradebook Parent Access link. A user name and password

should have been sent to you in the mail. If you have not received this information

you can email Dustin Boswell at sp_boswell@springfieldspartans.org to receive your

user name and password.

To earn and “A”, the student must: Earn a cumulative score above 93% To earn a “B”, the student must: Earn a cumulative score between 85-93%

Re-Do Policy Redoing of work is not seen as a necessary component of this class. However, if a student or parent feels that a situation warrants work being redone, the instructor will be willing to meet with those involved on an individual basis in order to help develop a plan that will ensure that the student is given the opportunity for success.

Late or Missing Work Policy Missing work will always be accepted with no penalty as long as it is completed at least one week prior to the end of the grading period.

Extra-Help Seeing as this is a lab class, makeup work can be difficult since there is little to no work that can be done outside of class. In an effort to ease this burden, Mr. Geiss encourages any student in need of extra help to come to the lab during their study hall in order to receive extra time and attention. In addition, Mr. Geiss will also make himself available before school at 7:00am and after school until 3:30pm to help any students.