Table Of ContentJOBS WITH
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IA Jane Katirgis
S T E M J o b s
w i t h C a r s
Jane Katirgis
rourkeeducationalmedia.com Scan for Related Titles
and Teacher Resources
Before & After Level: T Word Count: 1523 Words
Reading Activities 100th word: jobs page 5
Before Reading:
Building Academic Vocabulary and
Content Area
Background Knowledge
Vocabulary
Read the list. What do these
Before reading a book, it is important to tap into what
words mean?
your child or students already know about the topic. This
will help them develop their vocabulary, increase their
reading comprehension, and make connections across the blueprint
curriculum. data
exponent
1. Look at the cover of the book. What will this book
be about? features
2. What do you already know about the topic? GPS
3. Let’s study the Table of Contents. What will you learn about
green
in the book’s chapters?
4. What would you like to learn about this topic? Do you think hybrid cars
you might learn about it from this book? Why or why not? lasers
5. Use a reading journal to write about your knowledge of this
molecules
topic. Record what you already know about the topic and
what you hope to learn about the topic. reconstruction
6. Read the book. simulations
7. In your reading journal, record what you learned about the
spoiler
topic and your response to the book.
8. After reading the book complete the activities below.
After Reading:
Comprehension and Extension Activity
After reading the book, work on the following questions with your child or students in order to check
their level of reading comprehension and content mastery.
1. Describe the role of STEM in the car industry. (Summarize)
2. Why do engineers make improvements to new cars? (Infer)
3. What subjects would you need to study to create new biofuels? (Text to self connection)
4. What new technology might you expect to see in future cars? (Infer)
5. Describe how computer animation helps people analyze a car crash. (Visualize)
Extension Activity
Draw a picture of a futuristic car with new technology and improvements never before seen. Label
each improvement with the field of study necessary to make it a reality.
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s
What Is STEM? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
STEM on the Motor Speedway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Building Better Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using STEM to Solve a Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Building Greener Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Safety First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Building a Self-Driving Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Future of Car Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
STEM Job Fact Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Show What You Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Websites to Visit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
3
W h a t I s S T E M ?
Self-driving cars, NASCAR racetracks, safer airbags . . .
What do these things have in common? Scientists,
mathematicians, and engineers are the brains behind these
and many other car technologies . And all their jobs require a
STEM education . STEM is a shortcut for talking about science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics .
What does STEM
stand for?
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
4
Some of the most exciting careers are in STEM fields .
A strong STEM education will allow you to be involved in
designing, testing, and building new things . The problem-
solving skills learned through STEM can take you to the next
level in just about any career field . What great STEM jobs are
waiting for you?
Car engineers combine their love
of math and science with their
interest in automobiles.
5
S T E M o n t h e
M o t o r S p e e d w ay
Engineering does not get much faster or thrilling than at the
racecar speedway . NASCAR teams hire up to forty engineers to
build and race a winning car . They test designs and engines that
can shave milliseconds off a racer’s time .
6
A NASCAR team’s lead
race engineer is one of the
top positions . In the car
shop, they study computer
models and past racing
results to improve a car's
performance . They place
a car in a wind tunnel to
study how the car's shape
affects air drag . It is like one
long science experiment,
using math, physics, and
mechanical engineering .
A car's computer can tell the engineer
how well it performed during a race.
NASCAR engineers fine tune each
car to perform its best during a race.
7
ST E M i n A c t i o n !
The Daytona 500 is one of the highlights of the NASCAR
season. It is a 500-mile race. The track is 2.5 miles long.
How many laps does a NASCAR driver complete to finish
the Daytona 500?
500 miles ÷ 2.5 miles per lap = 200 laps
In 2013, Jimmie Johnson won the Daytona 500 in about
3 hours, 8 minutes. What was the average speed, in miles
per hour, of his winning car?
Use a calculator to convert 8 minutes into a decimal:
8 minutes divided by 60 minutes in an hour = 0.14
Add 0.14 to 3 hours. His race time was 3.14 hours
500 miles ÷ 3.14 hours = 159.24 miles per hour
8
