“**Lesson Title:** Car Crash Safety Challenge – Design, Build & Test **Objective (ABCD):** Students will design and build a safety system for a toy car and test how well it protects a passenger during a simulated crash. **Materials:** * HMH toy cars/carts * Cardboard/index cards * Paper cups * Popsicle sticks * Cotton balls/sponges * Masking tape * Rubber bands * Small passenger (pom-pom or cotton ball) * Ramp and crash barrier * Student paper for design/testing notes **Direct Instruction:** * Review the engineering design process: **identify the problem → design → build → test → improve**. * Introduce the challenge: Students must create a safety system that protects a passenger when their toy car crashes. * Discuss how real cars use safety features to protect passengers. **Guided Practice:** * Demonstrate how the toy car will travel down the ramp and hit the crash barrier. * Show students how to place the passenger in the car and observe what happens during the crash. * Discuss what might help protect the passenger. **Group/Independent Practice:** * Students work in small groups to sketch a design. * Groups build their safety system using the available materials. * Test the car using the same crash setup. * Students observe and record what happened and identify one part of their design that could be improved. **Closing:** * Groups share what worked, what did not work, and one change they would make to their design. **Assessment:** * Student participation, design sketch, first crash test, and explanation of what could be improved. **Standards:** 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3”