pCARTHAGE — The Carthage Middle School 6B Team has kicked off “How Safe is My Car?” — a project-based exercise aimed at learning more about car safety. /ppAccording to team instructor Barbara Prievo, the teaching method involves instruction that allows students to use their academic skills in a real-world setting./pp“(The project) also seeks to help students make connections with their community,” said Ms. Prievo. /ppShe noted the project will assess the students’ abilities to communicate both in writing and in public presentations, collaborate and think critically and creatively. /ppTo kick off the project, students learned about Monroney stickers, also known as window stickers, which are affixed to new vehicles sold at automotive dealerships to give customers information about the vehicle. /ppTeam 6B instructor Travis Downey informed students about what is included on the car stickers, including total value, fuel economy, mph and safety rating./ppLater, the students were able to apply their knowledge with hands-on data gathering from the Monroney stickers on cars furnished by Caskinette Ford. This data will be tabulated and used later in the project./ppThe Robot Zone’s chief executive officer Amanda E. Clapper and chief operating officer Benjamin D. Baumgardner, who were also in attendance, explained to the students about their company and how it was established. /ppThe company, a science, technology, engineering and math education provider, helps schools and communities teach about these topics./ppAs the project progresses, the Clarkson University graduates from The Robot Zone will use a 3-D printer to create bumpers to the 6B students’ specifications to be put on Lego cars for crash tests./ppThe Robot Zone staff has designed a black box, similar to ones used in airplanes, to be inserted in each Lego car chassis. /ppThe middle school students will collect the data noting speed of the vehicle, how straight it travels down the ramp and the degree of impact on the front end. /pp“The challenge for our students will be to design, build and test front end bumpers made from different materials that, when tested, results in the least degree of damage to the car and the most protection for its riders,” said Ms. Prievo./ppAt the conclusion of the project, students will present their findings to an audience./p
↧
