Instructor Notes — Week 8

Theme: Make the Car Move (SimLab)
Focus Concept: Testing car designs in a simulated environment
Mini-Project: Car Motion Test & Improvements

Learning Objectives

  • Set up a simple SimLab scene using a car body and ramp.
  • Observe how car shape and ramp angle affect motion.
  • Make at least one clear improvement based on testing.

Session Flow (≈ 80 min)

Segment Time Focus
Recap & intro 10 Review Week 7 car designs; SimLab reminder
Tool demo 10 Bring car into SimLab; build basic ramp scene
Guided tests 20 Run first motion tests and discuss results
Independent tests 30 Tuning car shape and ramp setups
Share & tidy 10 Compare distances and improvements

Part A — Demo: Car on a Ramp

  • Show a simple car-like block on a ramp in SimLab.
  • Run a test and look for:
    • Does it slide straight or veer to one side?
    • Does it tip forward or backward?
  • Change a small aspect (e.g. ramp angle or car nose shape) and run again.

Connect behaviour to shape and friction, rather than just “luck”.

Part B — Guided Motion Tests

  • Learners import or quickly rebuild a simplified version of their Week 7 car body.
  • Set up:
    • A straight ramp.
    • A flat ground plane.
  • Run several tests and observe:
    • How far the car travels.
    • Whether it stays upright.

Encourage them to change only one thing at a time when testing.

Part C — Independent Improvements & Challenges

  • Pupils adjust their cars or ramps to improve performance:
    • Lowering the centre of mass.
    • Smoothing the front.
    • Adjusting ramp steepness.
  • Optional challenge:
    • “Whose car goes furthest without flipping?”

Focus on reasoning: why did they choose each change?

Vocabulary for This Week

  • Simulation — a computer-based model of how something moves or behaves.
  • Friction — force that slows motion between touching surfaces.
  • Centre of mass — the “balance point” of an object.

Instructor Tips

  • Keep cars relatively simple to avoid complex, unpredictable behaviour.
  • Use repeated tests and ask pupils to predict before each run.
  • If time is short, provide a shared ramp design that everyone uses.

Assessment & Reflection

Look for:

  • Correct use of SimLab tools to run controlled tests.
  • At least one thoughtful design change justified by evidence.
  • Improved motion (straighter travel, less flipping) where possible.

Prompt: “What was wrong with your first car, and what did you do to make it better?”

Common Misconceptions & Fixes

Misconception Clarification / Strategy
“The car is cursed / random!” Show that same setup gives same result; change one factor.
Bigger always means better Explain that heavier or bulkier may worsen stability.
Steepest ramp is always best Discuss trade-off: too steep can cause flipping.

Differentiation

  • Beginners:
    • Use teacher-provided ramp and simple car body.
    • Focus on one change (e.g. ramp angle).
  • Confident learners:
    • Design more complex courses (bumps, gentle curves).
    • Log results (distance, number of flips) informally.
Subject Connection
Science Forces, friction, motion down slopes.
Maths Comparing distances and informal measures.
Computing Using simulation to explore “what if?” scenarios.
D&T Testing and iterating prototypes.

KS2 Curriculum Mapping

Strand Evidence in Session
Science — Forces Exploring motion and friction in a virtual experiment.
Computing — Modelling & Simulation Using digital tools to test designs.
D&T — Evaluate Using test results to improve products.

Materials & Setup

  • Laptops / Chromebooks with internet and Tinkercad accounts.
  • Mouse per device.

Safety & Safeguarding

  • As with Week 6, handle crash/accident language sensitively.
  • Emphasise respectful competition if running distance challenges.