Pasta Car Derby

Maker Experience

Making Pasta Cars (70 minutes)

Students design toy cars built from pasta and hot glue, test how they roll down a fixed ramp, and record how far the car travels down the ramp. 

• Launch: Brainstorming Car Parts (15 min)

• Explore: Building Pasta Cars (40 min) 

• Connect: Comparing Pasta Cars (15 min)

Building Math 1

Pasta Car Derby (70 minutes)

Pasta car derby results provide the context for adding and subtracting  mixed-number measurements.

• Launch: How Do We Measure the Pasta Car Derby (10 min)

• Explore: Pasta Car Derby (15 min)

• Explore More: Stats for Derby Fans (30 min) 

• Connect: Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers (15 min) 

Building Math 2

Derby Stats (70 minutes)

After comparing mixed numbers to determine Derby  Rankings, students work in small groups to generate their own questions about the data, and solve each others’ questions.

• Launch: Derby Rankings (10 min)

• Explore: Rankings Questions (20 min) 

• Explore More: Questions Fans Want Answered (25 min) 

• Connect: Reflections and Discoveries (15 min) 

Building Math 3

Powerful for Its Size (70 minutes)

Students explore multiplying along with  other operations with mixed numbers as they determine how many times its own length their car can travel.

• Launch: What Makes a Car Powerful? (10 min)

• Explore: Finding Our Power Numbers (25 min) 

• Explore More: Comparing Our Power (25 min) 

• Connect: Reflecting on Our Growth (10 min) 

Cycle Finale

New & Improved Pasta Cars (70 minutes)

Students use insights from previous lessons to try to build a car that is additively better (going farther) and/or multiplicatively better (going farther relative to its length). 

• Launch: What Is “Better?” (15 min)

• Explore: Building Data-Driven Cars (25 min) 

• Explore More: Better Car Derby (20 min) 

• Connect: Reflecting on the Cycle (10 min)