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Sustainable Transportation

Middle, Secondary

Description

Fossil fuel combustion releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and global transportation systems are a leading cause of these emissions that are causing climate change.  Vehicular traffic and roadways are also resulting in environmental and human health issues such as habitat fragmentation, noise pollution and air quality problems.  This lesson introduces students to the importance of creating sustainable transportation systems that reduce greenhouse gases while supporting healthy, livable communities.  A problem solving approach engages pupils in defining how they can actively participate in low-carbon transport solutions as they accomplish the following learning activities:

 

  • Identify the atmospheric, biological and human effects of gasoline powered vehicles
  • Explore and identify alternate vehicle technologies
  • Describe the environmental and human health benefits of active transportation
  • Create a public service announcement to inform others about sustainable transportation
  • Plan action goals to use and promote environmentally conscious transport options
  • Use the Commit2Act platform to record and describe success in achieving action goals

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • Analyzing information and facts to make reasoned decisions
  • Creating public awareness tools
  • Problem-solving to develop sustainabilty solutions
  • Reflective thinking
  • Using digital tools to engage with learning

Strengths

  • Focuses on environmental responsibility as students develop, implement and track sustainability goals and actions
  • Provides an extensive list of additional content support materials
  • Well-organized with an accompanying slide presentation to guide the lesson
  • Provides authentic, current scientific information about transportation impacts on environmental and community health
  • Integrates technology into the learning experience

Weaknesses

  • No formal assessment tools are included for the public service project or action plans
  • The videos included in the lesson presentation do not feature a city that has successfuly reduced carbon emissions with sustainable transportation solutions

Recommendation of how and where to use it

This resource supports Grade 6-9 Science curriculum objectives exploring climate change, energy use, alternative energy and the environmental impacts of non-renewable resource use by humans. Students also learn valuable environmental citizenship skills as they develop a public awareness project and action strategies for promoting and encouraging active transportation and emission reduction solutions.  Pupils also become aware of the link between local action and global action in addressing climate change.

This lesson is one of  a series of teaching resources on the Commit2Act.org website which feature important global concerns using a problem-solving approach that actively involves students in creating local solutions.  Teachers could use this lesson collection to implement a year-long service learning project during which a class develops an awareness of environmental issues while building community sustainability.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

  • Step 1Select a province
  • Alberta
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 6
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Earth Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened through investigating natural systems and their interactions.
        • Matter and Energy: Understandings of the physical world are deepened by investigating matter and energy
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Environmental Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Environment and Outdoor Education: Commitment to Action
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Environmental Chemistry
        • Knowledge and Employability Science: Environmental Chemistry (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
  • British Columbia
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 7
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time
  • Manitoba
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 8
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Earth Science
  • Northwest Territories
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 7
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time
  • Nova Scotia
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 8
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 8: Climate Change
  • Nunavut
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 8
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Interactions in Our Environment
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Chemistry and the Environment
        • Knowledge and Employability Science: Environmental Chemistry (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
  • Ontario
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 7
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Geography
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Natural Resources around the World: Use and Sustainability
      • Science & Technology
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Earth and Space Systems: Heat in the Environment
        • Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Geography
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Exploring Canadian Geography: Liveable Communities
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • :Biology: Sustainable Ecosystems
  • Quebec
  • Yukon Territory
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 7
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time

Themes Addressed

Air, Atmosphere & Climate (2)

  • Air Pollution
  • Climate Change

Citizenship (1)

  • Sustainable Consumption

Land Use & Natural Resources (1)

  • Transportation

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Good

Students are presented with a variety of credible facts and information about carbon emission rates, vehicle efficiency, traffic volumes and pollution that support critical and reflective thinking about transportation sustainability.

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 Good

The lesson creates awareness that effective strategies to decrease vehicle traffic require a multi-faceted approach that considers environmental, economic and social factors. Creating inclusive infrastructure such as walking/cycling pathways, promoting effective land use like public transit-oriented development and consideration of citizen transport needs supports efficiency, safety and affordability which encourages public engagement and use.

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 Good

An understanding of the relationships between population growth, urban sprawl and vehicle dependency is developed as pupils examine information about vehicle numbers, traffic congestion and driving habits. Recognizing these links is important to gaining a comprehensive understanding of why vehicle emissions have contributed to high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Respects Complexity:

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

Acting on Learning Very Good

Students create a public service announcement promoting sustainable transportation and brainstorm other action strategies for raising awareness of the benefits of reducing vehicle travel.  Individuals are able to record measurable results on the Commit2Act app and track the cumulative impacts of their class while sharing success with other young people.

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 Good

By formulating action strategies pupils are able to identify and describe personal attitudes towards conservation and the environment.

Values Education:

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

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered

The lesson does not include any content related to human connections, but learners will gain an awareness of the role of public transit in providing an economical transportation option, particularly in low-income communities.

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

Although students are not involved in any type of outdoor experience, they will develop an understanding of how personal changes can help protect the environment.

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 Good

Travel between locations is an essential component of daily life for most people and students will be able to connect with issues and concerns related to transportation within their own lives.  They will also recognize the value of locally-based solutions in creating a sustainable community and develop locally-focused public awareness strategies.

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 Good

Support resources describe how past urban planning placed a high priority on "auto-friendly" infrastructure with minimal consideration of environmental or human impacts.  Students examine how climate change, population growth and urbanization demand new approaches to reducing traffic congestion and impacts while supporting future environmental and community sustainability.

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

By using KWL charts, mind mapping and brainstorming, the lesson supports critical thinking and analysis as students explore the sustainable transportation topic with a solutions-oriented approach.

Open-Ended Instruction :

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

Integrated Learning Satisfactory

This resource is targeted towards Science curriculum outcomes but some extension ideas are provided for integrating other subjects into the learning experience, such as using mathematical skills to analyze and describe data or including an English Language Arts task such as writing an article describing alternative vehicle options.

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

The lesson provides a problem-based learning experience during which students explore, think, ask and answer questions to build content knowledge and develop ideas.

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 Satisfactory

Definitive differentiation tools are not included, but the teacher guide contains an assortment of ideas and additional resources that can be used to modify content to suit various grade levels and student capacities.

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 Good

The lesson provides a participatory, student-centered experience in which learners explore a current, high priority environmental issue and implement authentic action strategies directed towards promoting and encouraging active transportation and reduced vehicle use.

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 Good

The lesson fosters a "think-out-loud" atmosphere in which students work collaboratively to create and share public service announcements while gathering and using peer feedback.

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 Satisfactory

A series of open-ended discussion questions can be used to determine student understanding as the lesson progresses and teachers are also encouraged to use student reflection journals as a formative assessment tool.  An exit ticket is also included that can be used to measure the success of the learning experience.

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

Teachers establish a class group page on the Commit2Act app and students are challenged to log individual actions like riding a bike to school and other sustainable lifestyle habits they have adopted.  This forum enables the class to track their impacts while sharing ideas, action strategies and environmental results with peers from many other locales.

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 Good

Many Canadian cities and communities are currently experiencing issues with traffic congestion and exploring the role of sustainable transportation systems in easing pressure on existing infrastructure, improving air quality and promoting social equity.  Students could research how cities like Vancouver are designing and implementing effective alternative transportation solutions.

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 are able to objectively analyze information about the environmental and health benefits of selecting more active and public transportation options to formulate personal sustainability goals.

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.

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