Engineering Vehicles

We finished our study of Geometry with an engineering challenge, design and construct a vehicle using everyday items that represent 3D shapes. This engineering challenge not only enabled the scholars to apply their knowledge of 2D and 3D shapes, they also learned about different types of vehicles, their purpose, parts and how they are powered.

The scholars initial thinking of vehicles was limited to cars, trucks, vans, buses, trains and planes. However their thinking changed once they defined a vehicle: a thing that moves people or items from one place to another. Our list of vehicles really changed and now included: sleds, bikes, scooters, skateboards, tanks, sailboats, rowboats and even a horse. The horse spurred a big discussion because it is a living thing while everything else was man made. In the end the class did agree that a horse could get a person or things from one place to another, but they kept it off the list because it was living.

We also learned about a vehicles energy source. We learned that vehicles can run on: gasoline, special gas made from plants like corn and peanuts but they are costly, electricity and even some use solar energy. We noted that there was a place in Grapevine that you could park your electric car and plug it in to charge while you shop and eat! We looked at vehicles and their parts to identify 2D and 3D shapes too.

After all this, the scholars decided on the vehicle they wanted to design and engineer. Once they drew their design, they began gathering their materials and engineered their vehicles.