BioEd Online

Science of Speed

STEM Activities with the Hess Flatbed Truck with Hot Rods

Baylor College of Medicine and Hess Corporation have teamed to offer another unique resource for teaching STEM content to young learners. The 2022 Hess Flatbed Truck with Hot Rods and the accompanying teacher guide provide ample hands-on opportunities for learners to explore the science of speed. Learners, start your engines!

Activities in this guide use the 2022 Hess Flatbed Truck with Hot Rods to explore transportation issues and the way STEM applies to the world of hot rod technology. Plus, the artistic component of hot rod design and decoration incorporates art into STEM, giving us the modified acronym STEAM.

The seven activities contained here are designed for elementary students in grades 3–8 but all activities can be adapted for lower- or higher-grade students. The order of the activities can be changed as desired. All activities support the Three Dimensions of Science Learning in the Next Generation Science Standards. Some activities include student pages that can be used for assessment or placed in science notebooks.

• Grades:
• K-8

While spanning grades K–8, each activity is easily adaptable for students in specific grades. The lessons may be used sequentially or separately and/or inserted into an existing curriculum.

The following STEAM activities are included in the guide:

1. How Fast?: How fast are the hot rods and how well do their spring motors perform?
2. Drag Racing: Four Wheels Down vs. Wheelies: Hot rods are meant to race. Which hot rods are the winners in drag races?
3. Breakdown: If the transporter truck breaks down and no big tow trucks are available, can the hot rods do the towing?
4. Crash Test: Students design and test a system for safely stopping a truck with failed brakes.
5. Hollywood Hot Rods: Teams design and test wild hot rod stunts for movies.
6. Hot Rod Jump: In an imaginary hot rod jump–ramp competition, students learn about the relationship between slope angle and jump distance.
7. Best in Show: Hot rods are artistic expressions. Students redesign the hot rod paint job to their liking.

Science of Speed STEM Activities: STEM Activities with the 2022 Hess Flatbed Truck with Hot Rods was developed through a partnership between Baylor College of Medicine and the HESS Corporation.