The Science Behind Safer Driving
​                By:  Shannon Mitchell, Joe Lutz, and Kevin Sylvester

Project at a Glance :

This project is designed for middle school science, it combines Newton's Laws, car accidents, responsible driving, and energy transfer. 
       
Driving Question:

As a scientist, how can my understanding of physics help produce a PSA to make better, safer drivers in our community?      

Standards:

• PS 2.1,  2.3, & 3-3 

Team / Culture Building:

• Start Interest Groups and an intimate understanding of our student dynamic, as well as continually and intentionally building classroom culture based on trust, safety, failure, and collaboration. ​ ​

Entry Event:

• Visit the most dangerous intersection in Grand Haven,  an Auto body shop, and analyze  Traffic Accident Data to build excitement for the project.​
• Paper car crash activity

Stakeholders:

• ​Young drivers 
• Elderly drivers
• Distracted drivers
• Professional drivers such as truck drivers
• Experienced & focused drivers
• Drunk/high drivers

Empathy Building:

• Students create Empathy Maps from the perspective of stakeholders listed above.
• Potentially, invite guest speakers in to share their personal experiences with traffic accidents.

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

•  Circle Time - Talk Moves is the official title.  Different groups will look at a different road users, empathy map for each user (young drivers, elderly drivers, distracted drivers, professional drivers such as truck drivers, experienced & focused drivers, drunk/high drivers.
• Collect data showing the need for action to improve the safety of teen drivers.​

Incubation:

• Think-Pair Share - what they've learned so far.​​

• 3 - 12 -3 protocol -using Jamboard to collect and share information.​​​

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Solution Building:

• Students will use the following protocols to test their solution ideas:  
• Storyboarding,
• NUF test
• $100 test
• Dot Voting

Critique and Revision: 

• ​Students will highlight their solution during a Gallery Walk, followed up with the Charette protocol providing feedback prior to their final presentations.

Authentic Audience:

• Superintendent
• Police Officers
• Driver's Ed instructors
• Student invited guests​

Final Presentation:

• Students will use a platform similar to Flipgrid to create a video that answers the following questions:  “Who is the person you think is the most distracted driver? How would you be able to convince them to change their habits?”

Click here for teacher's full plan.

Reflection and Feedback: 

• Students will present to their authentic  audience and the audience will use a Google Form to share their feedback.
• Students will complete a self reflection and group rubric.​

Check here for the teachers' Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educators:
Shannon Mitchell, Joe Lutz, and Kevin Sylvester teach 8th grade Science at Lakeshore Middle School in Grand Haven, MI. 
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      "PBL forces growth and connections from an artificial environment to a real one." ~S. Mitchell
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       "In physics education, many students can be heard saying, "In the classroom the forces between the objects colliding are equal. But IN THE REAL WORLD the truck has more force than the car in the collision."PBL allows us to take classroom knowledge to the "real world" and make it concrete for all places." ~ K. Sylvester
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     "Learning comes to life when it is connected to a meaningful experience." ~ J. Lutz