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Planes, Trains, or Bicycles: Being a Low-impact Traveler
How can we minimize our carbon emissions while traveling?
Secondary, Middle
Description
The connectivity of regions around the globe made possible by air travel and other transportation modes comes with environmental costs, such as increased carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. In this activity, students will be transformed into strategically low-impact world travellers and discover how they can minimize their carbon emissions while travelling?
Students will:
- Examine the impact of travel and transportation on global carbon emissions.
- Design an international travel plan that is both environmentally friendly and realistic while allowing for flexibility in adhering to certain limitations, such as time and feasibility.
General Assessment
Recommendation of how and where to use it
To extend the learning process, challenge your students to redesign one form of transportation (plane, car, train, boat) to make it more fuel efficient, or have students brainstorm ways to travel with a smaller carbon footprint. Students might consider developing a public challenge where residents commit to reducing their carbon footprint by using bicycles, buses, carpooling or active transportation to travel to work or school.
Relevant Curriculum Units
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- Grade 6
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- Science & Technology
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- STEM Skills and Connections
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- Geography
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- Science (Academic):Earth and Space Science: Climate Change
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Themes Addressed
Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)
- Climate Change
Citizenship (1)
- Ecological Footprint
Energy (1)
- Energy Use
Land Use & Natural Resources (1)
- Transportation
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | The problem-solving approach provides an authentic learning experience where students are actively involved in examining the impact of travel and transportation on global carbon emissions. The activity supports an informed decision-making process as learners design an international travel plan that is both environmentally friendly with the lowest possible total carbon emissions. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | The connectivity of regions around the globe made possible by air travel and other transportation modes comes with environmental costs, such as increased carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. Students focus on keeping carbon emissions to a minimum while travelling and what actions they could take to be a more environmentally friendly traveller. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Good | The connectivity of countries around the globe made possible by air travel and other forms of transportation comes at an environmental cost. Increasing concerns about the impacts of global travel on energy consumption and the environment has inspired a movement towards more sustainable and eco-friendly tourism. |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Poor/Not considered | No specific action opportunities are included in the lesson. One extension activity suggests students brainstorm ways to travel with a smaller carbon footprint |
| 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 | The reflection activity provides students the opportunity to express their own beliefs and ways they can be a more environmentally friendly traveller. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Satisfactory | There is a discussion point where students brainstorm which actions could they take to be a more environmentally-friendly traveller. |
| 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 | Poor/Not considered | No outdoor activites are suggested |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Good | Carbon emissions affect all regions of the globe; in this activity, students learn how they can become low-impact world travellers. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Satisfactory | The teacher's background information provides information regarding increasing concerns about the impacts of global travel on energy consumption and the environment, which has inspired a movement towards more sustainable and eco-friendly tourism. |
| 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 examine the impact of travel and transportation on global carbon emissions. They design an international travel plan that is both environmentally friendly and realistic in adhering to certain limitations, such as time and feasibility. |
| 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 are guided by the focus question: How can they minimize their carbon emissions while travelling? They examine the impact of travel and transportation on global carbon emissions. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Satisfactory | No differentiation strategies are identified in the lesson, and the mathematics task using the ruler tool in Google Earth may be difficult for some students. Students work in groups, which offers an opportunity for peer learning. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Satisfactory | Students participate in a game format activity where they will be traveliling to various destinations around the globe. No outdoor activities are provided. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory | Students work in groups. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Satisfactory | An individual reflection activity is provided. |
| 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 | Each group presents their trip plans to the class. Students share what effects global travel is having on the ecosystems. |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Satisfactory | The background for educators section provides information about burning fossil fuels and the environmental cost of air trael and other forms of transportation. |
| 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 | Poor/Not considered | |
| 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. | ||
