WebQuest: Using
Vegetable Oil as An Alternative Fuel
Erin Gawron, Heritage High
School
February
9, 2004
Introduction
The funds have been raised, the
materials have been purchased, and now the buzz is going around about the
infamous 
“Veggie Oil Car”.
The science club and chemistry classes have started work on converting an old
diesel car to run on straight vegetable oil. The superintendent has caught the
word about how well the project that he approved is going. He is so impressed
that he has asked for everyone to provide him with information on what is being
done and how much everyone has learned in the process. He also thinks that the
word should be spread around to places outside Conyers in the form of a website
showcasing the project as a whole. It is your task, as a group, to use all your
chemistry knowledge and put together one segment of an assigned topic for the
site.
The
picture comes from http://www.veggiecar.com/
Task
1. After the groups
and topics are assigned you will need to consult several print and online
resources to gather information.
2. Your group will
compile the information gathered and write an outline showing how the
information will be organized on the web pages.
3. Your group will
then use index cards to lay out the website and show what colors, fonts and
graphics will be used.
4. Your group will
then complete a three page website segment using Microsoft Front Page. Be sure
to include information covering the specific points outlined for your topic
above. Also make sure you have included items according to the grading rubric.
Evaluation
See this
rubric listing the criteria for evaluation. You will be graded on how well you work as a
team, on the quality of your information, and the visual appeal of your web
pages.
Conclusion
Alternative fuels are an important part of today’s culture. Many
alternative fuels can be understood with a small amount of chemistry knowledge.
Now that you have had a chance to work on a project involving an alternative
fuel you should be able to answer the following questions.
·
What benefits to the environment do cars run on straight
vegetable oil provide?
·
How difficult is it to convert a car to run on straight
vegetable oil? Are the benefits worth the time, work and money?
·
How can a community benefit from having a vehicle run on an
alternative fuel in the school?
·
What kinds of chemistry is involved in an engine,
especially one run on straight vegetable oil or biodiesel?
Information Section Below
The Mechanics of How to Convert a Diesel Car
Things
to Include:
·
Costs of the project
·
Materials needed
·
Where to get materials
·
Brief overview of the conversion process
·
How it works when its finished
·
Compare and contrast using biodiesel instead of a complete conversion
You
may find more ideas and information you want to include.
Things
to Include:
·
How does this help the environment?
·
Compare and contrast with other alternative fuels
·
How many other people are doing it?
·
How could it benefit Rockdale County/Conyers?
·
How could it benefit HHS?
·
How could this car be used to teach others?
·
A brief summary of what can be learned through this project (chemistry
and otherwise)
You
may find more ideas and information you want to include.
Things
to Include:
·
Heat transfer
·
The thermochemical reactions involved
·
Thermochemistry that could be investigated or tested with the engine
·
Thermochemical and energy efficiency of the engine
You
may find more ideas and information you want to include.
Topics
to Include:
·
Catalysts used in the engine or for exhaust
·
Turbocharging- how does it work and what does it do for the combustion
reaction?
·
Removing NOx from diesel exhaust
·
Direct injection diesels vs. indirect injection
·
Other things that effect combustion reaction efficiency
You
may find more ideas and information you want to include.
Topics
to Include:
·
Organic chemistry reactions involved in making biodiesel
·
Organic makeup of vegetable oil
·
Organic makeup of petroleum diesel
·
Why would veggie oil or biodiesel be better for the environment
·
Why does a conversion have to be done to run a diesel on SVO (straight
vegetable oil)?
·
What harm can veggie oil do to engine components
You
may find more ideas and information you want to include.
Rubric
Rubric
Made Using:
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RubiStar ( http://rubistar.4teachers.org )
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Web Site Design : The Infamous
"Veggie Oil Car"
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Teacher Name: Ms. Gawron
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Student Name:
________________________________________
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CATEGORY
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10
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6
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3
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0
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Content
Accuracy
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All
information provided by the student on the Web site is accurate and all the
requirements of the assignment have been met. All information that was asked
for is included.
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Almost
all the information provided by the student on the Web site is accurate and
all requirements of the assignment have been met. Almost all of the
information that was asked for is included.
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Almost
all of the information provided by the student on the Web site is accurate
and almost all of the requirements have been met. Some of the information
that was asked for is included.
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There
are several inaccuracies in the content provided by the students OR many of
the requirements were not met. None of the information that was asked for is
included.
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Interest
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The
author has made an exceptional attempt to make the content of this Web site
interesting to the people for whom it is intended.
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The
author has tried to make the content of this Web site interesting to the
people for whom it is intended.
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The
author has put lots of information in the Web site but there is little
evidence that the person tried to present the information in an interesting
way.
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The
author has provided only the minimum amount of information and has not
transformed the information to make it more interesting to the audience
(e.g., has only provided a list of links to the content of others).
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Learning
of Material
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The
student has an exceptional understanding of the material included in the site
and where to find additional information. Can easily answer questions about
the content and procedures used to make the web site.
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The
student has a good understanding of the material included in the site. Can
easily answer questions about the content and procedures used to make the web
site.
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The
student has a fair understanding of the material included in the site. Can
easily answer most questions about the content and procedures used to make
the web site.
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Student
did not appear to learn much from this project. Cannot answer most questions
about the content and the procedures used to make the web site.
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Layout
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The
Web site has an exceptionally attractive and usable layout. It is easy to
locate all important elements. White space, graphic elements and/or alignment
are used effectively to organize material.
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The
Web pages have an attractive and usable layout. It is easy to locate all
important elements.
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The
Web pages have a usable layout, but may appear busy or boring. It is easy to
locate most of the important elements.
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The
Web pages are cluttered looking or confusing. It is often difficult to locate
important elements.
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Navigation
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Links
for navigation are clearly labeled, consistently placed, allow the reader to
easily move from a page to related pages (forward and back), and take the
reader where s/he expects to go. A user does not become lost.
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Links
for navigation are clearly labeled, allow the reader to easily move from a
page to related pages (forward and back), and internal links take the reader
where s/he expects to go. A user rarely becomes lost.
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Links
for navigation take the reader where s/he expects to go, but some needed
links seem to be missing. A user sometimes gets lost.
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Some
links do not take the reader to the sites described. A user typically feels
lost.
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Graphics
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Graphics
are related to the theme/purpose of the site, are thoughtfully cropped, are
of high quality and enhance reader interest or understanding.
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Graphics
are related to the theme/purpose of the site, are of good quality and enhance
reader interest or understanding.
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Graphics
are related to the theme/purpose of the site, and are of good quality.
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Graphics
seem randomly chosen, are of low quality, OR distract the reader.
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Links
(content)
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All
links point to high quality, up-to-date, credible sites.
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Almost
all links point to high quality, up-to-date, credible sites.
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Most
links point to high quality, up-to-date, credible sites.
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Less
than 3/4 of the links point to high quality, up-to-date, credible sites.
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Contact
Information
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Every
Web page contains a statement of authorship, school name, and date of
publication/date last edited.
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Almost
all Web pages contain a statement of authorship, school name, and date of
publication/date last edited.
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Most
(75-80%) Web pages contain a statement of authorship, school name, and date
of publication/date last edited.
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Several
Web pages do not contain a statement of authorship, school name, and/or date
of publication/date last edited.
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Fonts
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The
fonts are consistent, easy to read and point size varies appropriately for
headings and text. Use of font styles (italic, bold, underline) is used
consistently and improves readability.
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The
fonts are consistent, easy to read and point size varies appropriately for
headings and text.
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The
fonts are consistent and point size varies appropriately for headings and
text.
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A wide
variety of fonts, styles and point sizes was used.
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Sounds
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Music,
audio clips and/or sounds are thoughtfully edited and used only where they
add to reader understanding of the content or to make the site more
accessible to persons with visual handicaps.
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Music,
audio clips and/or sounds are used only where they add to reader
understanding of the content or to make the site more accessible to persons
with visual handicaps.
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Music,
audio clips and/or sounds are thoughtfully edited and used, but 1 or 2
detracted from the overall site.
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Music,
audio clips and/or sounds were seemingly used randomly OR typically detracted
from the overall site.
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Date
Created: Feb 05, 2004 03:11 pm (CST)
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