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Description
Students explore how the movement of goods has changed over time. They examine different means of transporting freight, which makes up 46% of transportation emissions in Canada. Students take on the task of historically sorting a set of Moving Goods Cards. Each Moving Goods Card profiles a mode of transportation (trains, planes, trucks, etc.) and tells a story of how goods are moved. In analyzing the cards, they also consider speed and pollution to weigh the sustainability of different modes of transportation. After working with the Moving Goods Cards, students also examine one of three case studies to identify transportation solutions and then create their own ideas for transporting goods. They reflect on options for the future and consider how decisions today impact the future
By the end of this activity, students will:
- Investigate how their food reaches them via modes of transportation
- Explore the pros and cons of historical, present day, and future alternatives to how we move freight
- Consider how to revitalize older modes of transportation in ways that could reduce our impact on the environment
- Envision a different future and explore sustainable ways to transport freight
General Assessment
Recommendation of how and where to use it
This activity is one of the junior lessons in the Energy Revealed Program, which explores ways to make energy visible in our schools and homes. After completing one or a few activities, teachers are encouraged to participate in the Energy Revealed Challenge.
Relevant Curriculum Units
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- Grade 4
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- Global Issues and Governance: Systems of government vary in their respect for human rights and freedoms.
- Grade 7
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- Computational fluency and flexibility with numbers extend to operations with integers and decimals
Themes Addressed
Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)
- Air Pollution
Citizenship (2)
- Ecological Footprint
- Sustainable Consumption
Energy (2)
- Alternative Energy
- Energy Use
Land Use & Natural Resources (1)
- Transportation
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | Students explore the pros and cons of historical, present day, and future alternatives to how we move freight. They consider how to revitalize older modes of transportation in ways that could reduce our impact on the environment. They envision a different future and explore sustainable ways to transport freight. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | The resource addresses the environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable transportation. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Very Good | Students examine different means of transporting freight, which makes up 43% of transportation emissions in Canada. They take on the task of historically sorting a set of Moving Goods Cards. In analyzing the cards, they also consider speed and pollution to weigh the sustainability of different modes of transportation. They reflect on options for the future and consider how decisions today impact the future. |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Good | Students form a design team to find or invent a way to make one mode of transporting goods (e.g., ship, rail, truck, airplane, bike) less harmful to the environment and more efficient. They envision a different future and explore sustainable ways to transport freight. They reflect on options for the future and consider how decisions today impact the future. The resource provides a Taking Action: Personal Choices Aboun Energy Use which provides manu of the choices that people can make to use energy more wisely as well as steps to create a S.M.A.R.T. goal. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Good | Students participate in a final task by forming a design team to find or invent a way to make transporting goods (e.g., ship, rail, truck, airplane, bike) less harmful to the environment and more efficient. In their design teams, they will create a short case study of their design and present it to their peers, |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Poor/Not considered | Not considered in this resource |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Good | Students consider how to revitalize older modes of transportation in ways that could reduce our impact on the environment. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Very Good | The resource investigates how students' food choices reach them via modes of transportation. Students bring in one favourite processed food snack or lunch item. They list all ingredients and then create a mind map showing three or more steps of how three or more ingredients travelled from their source to their homes. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Very Good | The moving goods cards explore the pros and cons of historical, present day, and future alternatives to how we move freight. |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | Students are investigating a complex real-world issue. They are tasked to provide a brief class presentation that includes: Two benefits and one challenge of moving goods their way The resource is structured so that multiple answers are possible. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Good |
|
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Good | Students explore the pros and cons of historical, present day, and future alternatives to how we move freight. They consider how to revitalize older modes of transportation in ways that could reduce our impact on the environment. They envision a different future and explore sustainable ways to transport freight. The teacher-led introduction provides the general goals of the lesson and then groups form a design team to find or invent a way to make one mode of transporting goods less harmful to the environment and more efficient. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Satisfactory | No differentiated instruction are included in this lesson plan. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Satisfactory | |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Good | Students form a design team to find or invent a way to make one mode of transporting goods less harmful to the environment and more efficient. In their design team, students create a short case study of their own and present their design to their peers. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Very Good | The teacher can use an online lesson format to keep notes about discussion points, which supports formative assessment. A marking rubric is provided to evaluate presentations and success in achieving learning goals. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Very Good | Students are investigating a complex real-world issue. They are tasked to provide a brief class presentation that includes:
|
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Very Good | The resource provides various sustainable transportation case studies in the backgrounder. Students review the case studies and learn some success stories that reduced emissions for moving goods, preparing them to explore their ideas. |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Good | In groups, students form a design team to find or invent a way to make one mode of transporting goods (e.g., ship, rail, truck, airplane, bike) less harmful to the environment and more efficient. In their design teams, they will create a short case study of their own. |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||
