What if you could challenge your 12th graders to understand car crashes in the context of physical forces, manufacturing challenges, government safety standards, and individual rights? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!

Car Crashes outlines a journey that will steer your students toward authentic problem solving while grounding them in integrated STEM disciplines. As are the other volumes in the series, this book is designed to meet the growing need to infuse real-world learning into K–12 classrooms.

The book is an interdisciplinary, four-lesson module that uses project- and problem-based learning. Timely and informative for students just starting to drive, the lessons draw on physics, mathematics, engineering, social studies, and English language arts. The lessons will help your students do the following:

Explore the role of forces, speed, velocity, momentum, and impact in auto safety.
Reverse-engineer car crash scenarios and pinpoint why accidents happen in the first place.
Present models of car crash scenarios and act as expert witnesses in simulated courtrooms.
Research and evaluate government regulations regarding seat belts and airbags.
Discover the many aspects of the car-safety industry—from crash tests conducted by car manufacturers to the analysis police do at crash sites to the conflicts that can arise between government safety rules and individual rights.



The STEM Road Map Curriculum Series is anchored in the Next Generation Science Standards, the Common Core State Standards, and the Framework for 21st Century Learning. In-depth and flexible, Improving Bridge Design can be used as a whole unit or in part to meet the needs of districts, schools, and teachers who are charting a course toward an integrated STEM approach.