Hot Wheels® Speedometry™ encourages inquiry and real-world, problem-based learning through play, hands-on activities and in-depth lesson plans that is mapped to state and national standards including Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). This education curriculum, co-created with researchers at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, combines Hot Wheels® fun, imagination, and action, as well as toys and track to accelerate learning. Read More
Speedometry™ is a free-to-use curriculum targeting fourth grade (8-9 year old) students. Comprised of two units with up to six lessons per unit, Speedometry™ provides coursework intended to cover a period of 10-12 days. Students work in collaborative learning groups to deepen their understanding of speed, angles, slopes, collisions, kinetic energy, and potential energy. The lessons and activities aim to put students on course for success in science and mathematics. A kindergarten curriculum for 5-6 year olds is currently in development and will be released at a later date.
With support from the Mattel Children’s Foundation, five faculty members began working with Hot Wheels® designers and (S)cience (T)echnology (E)ngineering (M)ath teachers in April 2013 to develop tools for teaching scientific concepts like velocity, kinetic energy and gravity using the miniature toy cars and modular track already beloved by children. USC Rossier education professors Gale Sinatra, Julie Marsh, Morgan Polikoff, Frederick Freking, and Angela Hasan led the project for a Speedometry™ curriculum for the elementary school students that will help teachers and parents reinforce key STEM concepts. The Speedometry™ curriculum is aligned with the rigorous expectations outlined in the CCSS, NGSS, as well as TEKS, and includes inquiry, play-based, and hands-on activities.
“With the need for more students in the STEM fields, teachers and parents need to find ways to make scientific topics engaging and accessible for students from an early age,” said Rossier Dean Karen Symms Gallagher. “The Speedometry curriculum brings science to life for kids while also being grounded by the research and assessment of learning experts in the field of education.” Read Less
December 2015
The results of a district-wide test of the Speedometry curriculum show that Speedometry improved student learning relative to a control group. Key findings of the two-week study, which involved approximately 1,800 fourth graders in 59 classrooms, include:
Robert Goodwin, Executive Director of the Mattel Children’s Foundation, said, “We wanted to make a sustained positive impact for children and their teachers, so it was important that the positive feedback we received from classrooms early on was backed by extensive research. These results confirm that play can enhance learning and increase child engagement.”
“With America’s need for more college graduates entering the STEM fields, teachers need to find ways to make scientific topics engaging and accessible for students from an early age,” USC Rossier Dean Karen Symms Gallagher said. “This program created a curriculum that brings science and math to life for kids and is grounded by the research and assessment of leading Rossier experts in education.”
Using everyday objects Microsoft hacks Hot Wheels® Speedometry™ to teach students about Forces and Motion. Click here for Microsoft’s Hacking STEM’s complete lesson plan, including a step by step guide to sensorize Hot Wheels cars and tracks to measure speed and collision force.
We are currently accepting applications from certified educators to receive a free, full size classroom kit.
In order to be considered, please complete the request here: and submit to speedometry@hotwheels.com.
Processing of the request form could take up to 4-6 weeks. Kits will only be shipped directly to the school address noted on the form.
Due to limited quantities of the kits, priority will be given to Kindergarten, 4th grade, and STEM / STEAM educators.
These easy-to-use, play-based lessons and student activities are designed using the 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate) to support students in asking questions and creating experiments to determine the answers. The lessons in this sequence of hands-on activities build upon each other to develop a coherent conceptual understanding of the following:
Prior to starting the Speedometry™ curriculum unit, teachers are advised to watch the unique, unit-specific and lesson-specific videos provided for additional context and guidelines. The following videos are available for Unit 1:
Over the course of 6 lessons, students will work in collaborative learning groups to deepen their understanding of potential and kinetic energy by observing, predicting, measuring and exploring the effect that the height of a ramp has on the transfer of energy to Hot Wheels® cars. The same 5E Model is the basis for the lessons in this unit with the purpose of inspiring students to explore further:
Prior to starting the Speedometry™ curriculum unit, teachers are advised to watch the unique, unit-specific and lesson-specific videos provided for additional context and guidelines. The following videos are available for Unit 2:
These easy-to-use, play-based lessons and student activities are designed using the 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate) to support students in asking questions and creating experiments to determine the answers. The lessons in this sequence of hands-on activities build upon each other to develop a coherent conceptual understanding of the following:
Prior to starting the Speedometry™ curriculum unit, teachers are advised to watch the unique, unit-specific and lesson-specific videos provided for additional context and guidelines. The following videos are available for Unit 1:
Students will build roads and bridges over which to “drive” Hot Wheels® cars in order to observe, test, and explore the relationships between road conditions, force and the movement of their cars. Using the same 5E Model students will learn about:
Prior to starting the Speedometry™ curriculum unit, teachers are advised to watch the unique, unit-specific and lesson-specific videos provided for additional context and guidelines. The following videos are available for Unit 2:
Hot Wheels® Speedometry™ is a fun and engaging way to learn about concepts such as energy, force, and motion. Students also learn scientific and engineering practices such as analyzing and interpreting data. But the fun doesn’t have to end when the school bell rings – you can bring Speedometry™ learning home! After all, math and science are all around us.
Play is more than simply fun. Play helps to develop language skills, control impulses, reduce aggression, develop cooperation skills, and develop empathy. Play is also critical for the development of creative problem solving skills.
These activities are intended to provide a way to practice Science, Math, and Engineering through play. They provide an opportunity for families to share moments of joy, excitement, curiosity, and wonder. Watch the “Activities at Home” video and download the free Hot Wheels® Family Engagement Activities to try Speedometry™ at home with your kids.
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