This resource is built around an engaging student-led field activity. Students develop their own personal geographies, increase their awareness of environmental and safety issues related to transportation in their local area, and explore green transportation methods to get to and from school.
In Lesson One, the students complete activities which focus on awareness of the school neighborhood, as well as introducing some useful map skills and geographic vocabulary. In addition, students are asked to share their feelings about the area, both positive and negative.
In Lesson Two, students undertake field work in the area around the school. Working individually and in groups, they use different data collection strategies, including counting pedestrian, car and bicycle traffic, sketching soundscapes, recording their emotions and taking digital photographs.
In Lesson Three, students work together to create a map of the school catchment area, highlighting bikeability routes. After analyzing their data, students write letters to their Town/City Councils suggesting ways to make the area around the school better for walking and cycling.
Each lesson consists of a downloadable lesson plan, a teacher’s guide, and a PowerPoint.
This resource could be used in a geography or social studies class to carry out community awareness activities with regards to their own personal geographies and the emotional reactions they have for places they travel through daily. It is also a fine example of first-hand data collection and collation which could serve as a stretch learning opportunity to address data management outcomes in a math class. Heath education teachers could use this to study the role that active transportation and community improvements have on both physical and mental fitness as well as overall wellness. The promotion of green transportation could also be linked to energy conservation, and sustainable ecosystems in science courses.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | The resource aims to increase knowledge and build positive attitudes for responsible and sustainable practices and healthy lifestyles. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | |
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Good | The student-led approach promotes dialogue and discussion within groups of students and encourages open-ended solutions. The activities also relate environmental issues to personal wellness. |
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Good | Students share their result with the community. A letter writing campaign to city/town council promotes awareness of the importance of active transportation routes and safe communities. |
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
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Values Education | Good | |
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Good | School catchment areas are often diverse in nature and this highlights the differences caused by varying socio-economic situations. |
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 | Very Good | |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Very Good | |
Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Very Good | |
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Good | Throughout the resource students are encouraged to develop and consider their own thoughts and opinions. |
Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Good | The resource provides opportunities to address outcomes in geography, social studies, science, language arts, art and heath education. |
Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Good | |
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Satisfactory | Activities are varied and do teach to both the cognitive and affective domains. There are no accommodations suggested for those individuals with learning difficulties but appropriate groupings could minimize difficulty for struggling learners. |
Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Very Good | Student-led field work is the primary focus. |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory | |
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Poor/Not considered | Teachers must provide all summative and formative assessment tools and rubrics. |
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 | Satisfactory | |
Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Good | No case studies are provided, but the students are in fact, conducting their own. |
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 | Students collect the data, are given the opportunity to interpret it and then choose the issue they would like to address. |
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. |