Curated OER
Fuel Cell Experimentation
With rising oil prices and increasing concerns over global warming, the pressure is on for engineers to develop alternative sources of energy. Among the new technologies being developed are hydrogen fuel cells, which young scientists...
Curated OER
Transportation Fuels: What Car Will You Drive?
How many different types of biofuels are out there? Seventh graders watch a series of videos and participate in a series of activities in order to better understand all the transportation options available. They consider what type of car...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Fueling the Future
Future mechanical engineers and automotive technicians read about various solutions to using gasoline in cars. Included are electric, fuel-cell-powered, and hybrid vehicles.
Bonneville
Background Research on Alternative Transportation Vehicles
There's no alternative to a great research project. The second of five lessons in the Solar Transportation unit has scholars research different types of alternative vehicles. They determine the price, range, battery size, and cost to...
Curated OER
Energy and Cars: What Does the Future Hold?
Young scholars examine alternative energy. In this research based lesson plan, students study alternative energy and how it will influence transportation in the future. They will write a report and give an oral presentation of their...
Curated OER
Gas Prices Keep Rising
Students discuss rising gas prices, then read a news article about how the increase in fuel cost may affect other prices. In this economics and current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
Curated OER
Recycled Vegetable Oil Powers Vans, Cars
Students share their knowledge about fuel sources, then read a news article about vegetable oil as a cleaner alternative to gasoline. In this current events and environmental science lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a...
Curated OER
Energy Alternatives Explorations
In this energy alternatives explorations worksheet, middle schoolers explore alternative energy sources by using the linked web resources to answer 8 questions about different resources and identify the ones that would work in their...
Curated OER
Hydrogen Powered Cars
Students apply the principles of chemistry to investigate the concept of how a hydrogen powered car works. They study the electrochemical reactions that provide the energy source. Students also record observations in the functioning of a...
Curated OER
Hybrid Vehicles: Cut Pollution and Save Money
Math and science meet in this activity on hybrid electric automobiles. This 24-page resource provides everything you need for teaching a activity that compares the use of internal combustion engines to hybrid electric engines....
Carnegie Mellon University
Transportation
Teach your environmental studies, life science, or engineering class how an internal combustion engine works using the first few slides of the accompanying presentation. Then, focus in on the resulting carbon emissions. Finally, take a...
Curated OER
The Greenhouse Effect
Why does it get so hot inside of our cars in the summertime? The greenhouse effect! Lab groups experiment to see what happens to an ice cube enclosed in a jar and placed in sunlight as compared to an ice cube outside of the jar. They...
Curated OER
Fuel Efficiency
Looking for a real-world situation to practice converting units? In this problem, learners must change miles per gallon to liters per km (or vice versa) to determine which car gets better gas miileage. It is a relatively short problem,...
Curated OER
When A Car Coughs. . .
Budding scientists collect and compare particulate exhaust from four different vehicles. They discuss how cars contribute to air quality. To get the most mileage out of this resource, have learners complete the optional step 5, in which...
Curated OER
Air: Fuel For Thought
Students consider the impact of vehicle use in their family and brainstorm viable alternatives to this use. They calculate the total emissions for their family cars during the week, then compare those totals with Hybrid car totals.
Curated OER
Energy Alternatives and Conservation
In this energy alternatives and conservation instructional activity, students research the topic, answer 3 questions, then complete a 4 step plan to create a print or digital project. This page has numerous links to web resources.
Curated OER
Selling and Buying a Green Car
High schoolers investigate the concerns over fuel sources and the debate over ethanol as an energy source. In this alternative energy instructional activity students complete an activity of selling and buying an environmentally friendly...
Curated OER
The Influence of Human Activity on the Environment
The surge in human population in the last 2,000 years, due in large part to better health care, has brought a surge in the demand for resources and in pollution. The graphics, photographs, and real-life examples in a thought-provoking...
Curated OER
Clean, Green Power
Students explore and discuss alternative energy sources, and identify disadvantages of current fossil fuels.
Teach Engineering
Corn for Fuel?!
Can corn power the world? Young scientists learn about how corn and other plants can provide renewable biofuels in the second of nine lessons. They set up an experiment to investigate how different variables affect plant growth. All of...
Curated OER
Methods of Power- Hybrids
Learners list the reasons why people chose hybrid cars over traditional cars. In this technology lesson plan, students create a poster describing how hybrid cars work. They discuss ways to save fuel and improve a car's efficiency.
Curated OER
Energy Crisis and Energy Alternatives
For this energy crisis and energy alternatives worksheet, learners fill in the blanks of sentences when given terms related to the environment, the energy crisis, renewable resources and non-renewable resources.
Curated OER
Fuel Cells
Learners examine how fuel cells and combustion engines work. Using the internet, they research the positives and negatives of the various energy sources. In groups, they complete an experiment with a working fuel cell model and take a...
Curated OER
Batteries and Emerging Technology
In this batteries worksheet, students read about how batteries work and the types of batteries. They answer three critical thinking questions about batteries and their use as alternate-fuel sources.