Supplemental Lessons for K-8, Michigan Classrooms
Electric Vehicle / Mobility BrainVentures:
Building Knowledge and Career Skills in EV/M and
Building Pride in Michigan’s National Leadership Role in the EV/M Industry
In the tables below, we identify the educational value for teachers and learners when using “BrainVentures,” supplemental lessons developed by classroom teachers from Michigan, who are partners in the UMich Center for Digital Curricula. Besides developing knowledge and career skills with respect to EV/Mobility, each BrainVenture contains instructional material that helps learners develop pride in Michigan – in Michigan’s leadership role in developing and manufacturing EV/Mobility products such as electric cars, electric school buses, drones, wheel chairs, etc.
If you want to use the FREE (OER) EV/Mobility BrainVentures described below, please contact us at:
Grade K
| Time needed: | 4-5 hours |
| Michigan Standards | MITECH 3 Knowledge Constructor |
| NGSS Standard: | K-PS2-1 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions |
| Description | Students explore forces and interactions and compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object. Students will be able to: – Explain how we make things move – Define an electric vehicle – List reasons an electric car is better for the environment than a car that uses gas |
Grade 1
| Time needed: | 4-5 hours |
| Michigan Standards | MITECH 3 Knowledge Constructor, 4 Innovative Designer |
| NGSS Standard: | K-2-ETS1-2 Engineering Design |
| Description | Students explore how engineers design tools to solve problems. While learning about electric car batteries they design a car with an alternative power source. Students will be able to: – Explain engineers design solutions – Explain the electric vehicles use electricity or batteries rather than gasoline |
Grade 2
| Time needed: | 4-5 hours |
| Michigan Standards | MITECH 3 Knowledge Constructor, NGSS Standard: K-2-ETS1-2 Engineering Design, 2-PS1-1 Matter and Its Interactions |
| Description | Students will build a battery with teacher guidance then test different materials to make their batteries more effective. Students will be able to: – Explain how a simple battery works. – Discuss impact of renewable energy sources. – Design a simple experiment. |
Grade 3
| Time needed: | 4 hours |
| Michigan Standards | MITECH 3 Knowledge Constructor, NGSS 3-5-ETS1 Engineering Design |
| Description | Students will explore electricity and the world of electric vehicles. They will build a circuit, learn about the advantages of EV and determine where charging stations should be placed on an urban map. |
Grade 4
| Time needed: | 4-5 hours |
| Michigan Standards | MITECH 3 Knowledge Constructor, 4-PS3-2 Energy, 4-PS3-4 Energy, 4-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity |
| Description | Students examine the difference between electric and gas powered buses. As a culminating activity they defend a position to purchase a new bus. Students will be able to: – Explain the pros & cons of gasoline and electric powered vehicles – Explain how electricity is transferred and converted – Decide and defend their choice of which kind of bus the school should select based on data provided |
Grade 5
| Time needed: | 4-5 hours |
| Michigan Standards | MITECS 3 Knowledge Constructor, 4 Innovative Designer |
| NGSS Standard: | 5-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity, 3-5-ETS1-2 Engineering Design |
| Description | This unit introduces several types of mobility vehicles with an emphasis on public transit and electric vehicles. Students will be able to: – Name pros & cons of various types of vehicles. – Interpret graphs |
Grade 6-8
| Time needed: | 4-5 hours |
| Michigan Standards | MITECH 3 Knowledge Constructor, 4 Innovative Designer |
| NGSS Standard: | MS-PS2-3 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions, MS-ETS1.1 Defining and delimiting engineering problems, CCSS RST 6-8.9 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas |
| Description | This unit focuses on Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions. Students will explore how engineering problems are defined and delimited. |
