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Electric Vehicle

Secondary, Middle

Description

The electric vehicle (EV) lessons will teach students about the history of EVs, the types of EV's, the battery technology, the emissions, and how to buy one. 

There are five presentations included in the EV lesson. These presentations can be taught in any order. There are also three activities that can be done at the end of the five presentations. The activities are designed to solidify the students' understanding. Students will apply their learning with real world examples and have the opportunity to showcase their project. 

It is important to start with the presentations. Each presentation has a notes section that will offer tips on how to use the lesson. Following the presentations, there are a series of lesson activities for the students to complete. These activities build on the learnings of the presentation. The activities are as follow:

  • History of the Electric Vehicle: This activity contains teacher instructions and tips on how to integrate the activities and PowerPoint presentations
  • What EV Should you Buy?:  Students will play out a scenario and determine which electric vehicle is best suited for their lifestyles 
  • Planning a Trip in Your Ev: Students will plan a trip with an EV and determine how far they can travel, where they need to stop to recharge, how long the trip will take, etc. 

These activities are designed to take learnings in the presentations beyond deskwork. Students will conduct their own research and make educated decisions relating to the use of EVs. 

Following the above lessons, students have two take action activities. These activities are designed to encourage students to apply their learnings with the public. 

  • Exploring Electric Vehicle charging stations in Your School or Community: Students will make a plan for a charging station in their community and present it to a mock town council. As an extension students could present it to their actual town council. 
  • How is Your Community Adapting for Electric Vehicles (inquiry based): Students will heighten their understanding of electric vehicles in their community by doing an interview of people/ businesses in their community that have adapted to the shift of electric vehicles.

Lastly, there is a STEM based activity, where students will design and build a model of an electric vehicle. 

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

In this resource, students will learn how to build a model of an electric car. 

Strengths

  • Backgrounder presentation are ready for the teacher and each presentation comes with tips on how to use the lesson.
  • Documents and worksheets needed by the students are provided and ready to copy.
  • Two take-action activities are provided in this resource.
  • Students will conduct their own research and make educated decisions relating to the use of EVs. 
  • Websites, publications and videos are provided for teachers and students to further their learning. 
  • The lesson has students doing a multitude of different activities in different formats which lends itself well to different learning styles.
  • Rubrics for the action activities are provided for the assessment of students.

Weaknesses

  • Modifications for learners with difficulties are not provided.
  • The time required for the completion of all activities is extensive. 

Recommendation of how and where to use it

This resource would be an excellent add on to courses where we discuss alternate forms of energy. 

Relevant Curriculum Units

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Themes Addressed

  • Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)

    • Air Pollution

  • Energy (2)

    • Alternative Energy
    • Energy Use

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

The multitude of activities and background information included in this resource provide students with a complete view of the issue. Students can then form their own opinion and take an informed position on the subject. They will examine the differences in efficiency of transportation vehicle fuel types.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Very Good

While completing the activities, students have to look at all of these dimensions to take position on the issues. They will compare

  • the environmental effects between electric and gas powered cars   
  • examine the differences in efficiency of transportation vehicle fuel types.
  • Complete a calculation on the operating cost comparison between internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles.
  • Calculate the greenhouse gas emissions for a vehicle travelling from Edmonton to Calgary using different transportation vehicle fuel types (diesel, gasoline, electric vehicle).
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good

Students will explore if electric vehicles are green. They will also compare the environmental effects between electric and gas powered cars.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Good

There is two take-action activities in this resource: Exploring Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Your School or Community and How is Your Community Adapting for Electric Vehicles. 

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

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Very Good

This resource offers students many opportunities to share their own beliefs and values about electric vehicles. 

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered

This is not a focus of 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 Satisfactory
Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good

The take action activities in this resource are connected to the students community. Students will interview people or businesses in their community and make a plan for a charging station for their community. 

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Very Good

This resource offers backgrounders on the history of the electric vehicles and also ask students to make a plan for their community to add a charging stating for EVs. 

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

As an inquiry-based resource,  Electric vehicle allows students to choose many aspects of their learning. The resource has a multitude of opinion questions and students get to share their ideas. 

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good

This resource does depend on Math to calculate the difference in price of gasoline to the price of electricity. Curriculum links for Science and Social Science are included. 

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

Students are faced with questions pertaining to the Electric Vehicles and have to do research in order to solve them. As well, students will need to build a model of an electric vehicle. 

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

This resource has a multitude of different activities for students to do and therefore addresses well the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. As well, the lesson plans provide extension activities. However, strategies for learners with difficulties are not provided. 

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Very Good

This ressource has students building a model of an electric vehicle as well as planning for an electric vehicle charging station. Students will also interview someone from their community about the EVs taking them beyond the school walls. 

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

Students will have to work in groups. 

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Very Good

Activities provide rubrics to help with the assessing of student learning.

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 Good

Even though students will do a mock council where they will present their plan for their charging station, there is the opportunity for students to present their plan for the charging station to their actual town council as an extension activity. 

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Very Good
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 Very Good

Even though a plan for the construction of the model of the electric vehicle is provided students are encouraged to be creative when building the model and use different materials and plans. 

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.