Hotwheels - Carla Peters, Ken Kuykendall, Ann Wakeman Aim: Consumer Education Rationale: Interdisciplinary (Math, Physics, Social Studies, Health/Nutrition, Driver's Education, Geography, Technology, and Language Arts) Objectives (8-15): 1) Internet search skills and bibliography of sites used (Technology and Language Arts) 2) Compute - car cost, financing (new vs. lease), taxes, MPG, extras, monthly payments, rental costs(?), budget meals and lodging, and insurance (Mathematics) 3) Communication skills - dealerships, insurance agencies, parents (Language Arts) 4) Meal planning - nutrition (Health/Nutrition) 5) Presentation skills - final project (Language Arts) 6) Team work/collaboration 7) Listening skills 8) Safety 9) Written project (Language Arts) 10) Mapping (Geography and Social Studies)
Rephrased objectives: Upon completion of the lesson module,
students will be able to demonstrate the following skills.
1. Use internet search utilities to find information and to
document the sources of recovered information.
2. Use internet resources to develop a set of criteria for a car
purchase (to include factors such as price, style, safety, economy,
etc.), and match that criteria to one or more models found on-line.
3. Communicate directly with dealerships, insurance agencies and parents
(by appropriate means, whether e-mail, telephone or face to face) regarding
the purchase of cars and car related products.
4. Calculate the actual cost of buying and owning a car, considering
factors which include purchase price, tax, license, insurance,
mainenance et. al.
5. Use map utilities available on the Web to plan a route which takes them
from home to a location in a state not adjacent to Illinois.
6. Use USDA nutrition guidelines available on the Web in conjunction
with nutritional analyses of menu items available from many fast food
companies on the Web, to plan a sequence of nutritionally sound meals
which can be obtained on a road trip.
7. Deliver a coherent oral presentation to a larger group explaining
the decisions made and the process used to arrive at consensus.
8. Work collaboratively in a group of three or more towards the
development of a finished product.
9. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various safety
mechanisms (airbags, seatbelts, abs brakes, tire design etc.) and
explain the basic science principles upon which mechanism relies.
10. Produce a written report which adequately reports on the project
elements while conforming to standard elements of writing mechanics,
grammar and style.
11. Use appropriately active or passive listening skills with peers,
teachers, and individuals outside the school setting. Audience
Revised Activities:
Each team of students will be asked to complete the following
sequence of activities:
1. Determine based upon information available on the Web,obtained
in discussions with parents and auto dealers
and upon personal needs, the characteristics of an automobile which
would best meet their requirements within their resources.
2. Shop for insurance assuming each member of the team is an owner and
driver (if necessary contact insurers by phone, as on-line rate calculators
often do not serve young drivers).
3. Shop for financing, again beginning with Web sources but extending
to discussions with bankers and parents as necessary.
4. Produce an itemized report which shows the "bottom-line" cost
of the car they choose, along with an estimate of annual expenses
supported by a discussion of all assumptions factored in.
5. Consume a lunch made up of a variety of fast food menu items
a "potpourri" of items widely available at the roadside. Keep track
of all items eaten by members of each team and, using data available
on-line, compile the nutrients taken in by each. Extrapolate this meal
to the consumption during a whole day and compare the result to USDA
recommendations. Calculate the rate of weight gain for this diet.
Include results in final report.
6. Use internet utilities to design at least three alternative routes
to their destinations and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of
each route.
7. Attend to a science lecture and sequence of demonstrations which
illustrate the effectiveness of various safety mechanisms.
8. Build a device which will be used in competition with other teams
in an "egg drop".
9. Write a final report which incorporates all of the activities
associated with the module and present it to the larger group with
appropriate multi-media support.
10. Score each of the other teams' presentations with a detailed rubric. Activities: 1) Internet Searching 2) Calculate Financing 3) Safety 4) Compare and Evaluate car costs 5) Vocabulary - Automobile Terminology 6) Mapping - Geography 7) Nutrition 8) Budgeting - meals and lodging 9) Mileage 10) Rental Cars? Pre-requisite skills/knowledge (for students and teachers) Instructional plan (central component) advanced organizers alternatives/options Materials (including web-based materials, images) Technical requirements Connections to ordinary curricular objectives relate to the state goals Estimate of cost (if materials need to be purchased) Plan for formative evaluation of module and assessment of student learning
