California Career and Technical Education Standards

• T.C.C1.1 Know and understand common environmental conservation practices and their applic...
• T.C.C1.5 Use appropriate personal protective equipment and safety practices.
• T.C.C3.3 Understand the basic principles of pneumatic and hydraulic power and their appli...
• T.C.C8.1 Understand how to maintain, diagnose, service, and repair hydraulic and power as...
• T.FS.11.0 Demonstration and Application

California Academic Content Standards (Reinforced)

• ELA.8.R.CAGT.2.5 Understand and explain the use of a complex mechanical device by following techn...3

• Instructor prep - Other

  Before the presentation, the instructor will need to have enough disc brake-equipped vehicles in the shop for the activity.

  During the activity four students will be on a vehicle, two on a side. The instructor will save a lot of time if the vehicles are already lifted and supported by safety stands. The vehicles should also have rotors that have been freshly machined, since machining a rotor is covered in another lesson and there is no time in this lesson to do it. 

  The instructor will also need to make sure that there are enough brake service tools available for each work group so that they are not having to pass tools from one car to another. Having a shortage of tools will greatly diminish the effectiveness of this lesson, as will having students moving from one vehicle to another.

  The instructor will also want to have each of the various brake components available (pads, rotors, calipers, etc.) so that they can hold them up and describe function and inspection. 
• Donuts and Coffee - Hooks / Set

  I start the lesson by having a big pink donut box in front of the class. As the class is seated, I begin to enjoy a donut and coffee and tell them about the benefits of BREAKS during a workday and that I would like to SHARE my involvement with BRAKES with them. This naturally gets them thinking that they will be enjoying a donut. I then turn around and present a handfull of brake pads and brake shoes.

  (The instructor can get whatever they would like for the Hook; however, make sure that it is something that your students would like. A triple soy tofu eggbeater shake probably won't work.)
• Introduction to Brake System Hydraulics - Lab / Shop

  Students are split into teams of four.  Each team is given a vehicle and a set of tools and I place two students on each side of the vehicle.

  The instructor begins the lesson by describing the master cylinder and its function in the brake system. The instructor should also cover how to diagnose a defective master cylinder. (At this point I don't spend much time on the brake booster other than quickly explaining its basic function because my goal in this lesson is to have the students become familiar with the components at the wheel assemblies.)

  The instructor then has the students follow the routing of the brake lines and hoses to the wheel assemblies. During the process inspection of each component should be covered.
• Introduction to Disc Brakes - Lab / Shop

  The instructor now takes the opportunity to name each of the components in the disc brake system, covering function of the brake calipers (floating and fixed), brake pads, caliper brackets, etc. as well as inspection. 

  After the students have been instructed on each of the components, the instructor walks the students through the disassembly of the disc brake assembly.  After the groups have the wheel assemblies apart, they should inspect them and be instructed on the proper way of cleaning, taking into account the required safety precautions. The students should also be shown how to measure and inspect a rotor to determine if machining can be performed or replacement is necessary.
• Installation of Disc Brake Components - Lab / Shop

  At this point the students are walked through the installation of the disc brake components. The instructor will need to check each group's progress to ensure that the components are being reassembled correctly. After assembly, the instructor will need to inspect each wheel assembly. At this time the instructor should have the students verbally demonstrate their knowledge of the materials covered. The other groups can particapate in this process to help reinforce the information that had been previously covered by the instructor. 
• R&R Disc Brakes without help from Instructor - Demo / Modeling

  Students model what they have learned and complete a disc brake job including cleaning and inspection of all components. The instructor will need to navigate around the class to assess the level of mastery of the students. After this task is completed, each group must put their tools away and clean up any mess that they have created during the lesson.
• Final Assessment - Assessment

  During the activity the instructor will need to moniter the level of understanding by asking questions of the students as well as inspecting the quality.  After the completion of the lesson, the instructor can inspect the repairs made by the students.

No resources are included, yet.