Off to the races with the K"NEX Education Forces, Energy & Motion Set! Designed to address critical science, technology and engineering concepts in the middle school classroom, this set provides instructional models that will enhance students" understanding of issues related to forces, energy, and motion. Students work together to follow sound experimental procedures in data collection as they build, test, and evaluate several different vehicles, including racers, rollers, and wind powered cars. Inertia, force, speed, and friction are explored as students determine the effects that changing variables have on energy using flywheel, spring, and battery motors. Students will be expected to craft fair test procedures, create meaningful data displays, make reasonable and data supported reports, and analyze their collected data in light of the problem at hand. The K"NEX Education Forces, Energy & Motion Set includes 442 K"NEX pieces, three different types of motors, a Teacher"s Guide CD, and building instructions to build 11 working vehicles. This set is designed to support 16-12 students working cooperatively in teams to build up to 4 models at a time, and is recommended for use in 5th through 9th grade classrooms. All parts of this set come packaged in a strong plastic tray with Snap-on lid for easy storage in the classroom. A comprehensive teacher"s guide CD outlines 11 lesson plans that will help guide and facilitate student learning, emphasizing hands-on exploration in conjunction with an engaging inquiry-based approach to learning as students build, investigate, discuss, and evaluate concepts, ideas, and designs. The key concepts covered in these lessons include: student designed experiments; energy transfer; kinetic energy; potential energy; mechanical systems; Newton"s Laws; velocity and acceleration; graphing; motions and forces; the mathematics of motion; abilities of technological design; design challenges; applied simple machine technology; systems, order, and organization; and much more! STEM Education focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts taught through problem-solving, discovery, exploratory learning and critical thinking. STEM Education requires students to be active participants in the learning. K"NEX® models offer hands-on learning opportunities that encourage scientific inquiry, investigation and experimentation. Our inquiry-based lessons challenge students as they build, investigate, problem solve, discuss, and evaluate scientific and design principles in action. Aligned to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math standards.