Maxi the Racecar Dog's Activity

Objectives:

  1. To design and build a car using simple materials.
  2. To discover the function of the wheel and axle in designing a car.
  3. To discuss the role cars play in our society, from transportation to racing.
Materials: Procedures:
  1. Read the book," Maxi the Taxi". Discuss the role of Maxi in the story. Discuss different roles cars play in our society.
  2. Present the problem: "Maxi the Taxi, is tired of riding in a cab. He wants you to start over and make it into a race car. Your teacher will give you all the materials you need."
  3. Place all the materials on a table. Allow the children to work in teams of two to four to design and build their race cars.
  4. Have teams "test run" their cars on a plywood ramp and make modification until they are satisfied with the cars' performances.
  5. Once all cars are completed, ask: "How can we find out which car goes the farthest?" Have children think of ways race cars are tested.
  6. Have children run their cars in "heats" of two down the ramp to determine the farthest running car (while the car's team acts as a pit crew). Each "heat," have the car's team measure the distanced traveled using a yard stick (i.e., 1,2,3 sticks), and record the distanced traveled by each car on a class chart. Repeat heats until "one" car is left.
  7. Ask the teams to simulate an assembly line by recreating the "best" car using the materials of the winning model.
  8. Discuss how auto makers work in teams to manufacture cars and how pit-crew teams and drivers test the cars for performance.
  9. Discuss how each team member has a job and the team's success depends on each member doing its job.
Evaluation:
  1. Assess students' participation in team activities.
  2. Check students' contributions to class charts.
  3. Evaluate students' abilities to transfer measuring skills to measure distance traveled with other vehicles (plane, bike, boat).

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