Transportation
Grade Levels: K-5
Table of Contents
Resources
About this curriculum
This is a set of lessons designed to introduce elementary students to the energy we use to transport ourselves and our goods, and begin to plan strategies and action to reduce that energy use for the good of our environment and our health.
VEEP/NHEEP educators can connect with teachers to support them in using these lessons. We also have additional equipment available to borrow to augment these lessons. Please reach out to info@veep.org to get in touch with an educator.
Standards
NGSS:
K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles.]
K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment. [Clarification Statement: Examples of renewable energy resources could include wind energy, water behind dams, and sunlight; non-renewable energy resources are fossil fuels and fissile materials. Examples of environmental effects could include loss of habitat due to dams, loss of habitat due to surface mining, and air pollution from burning of fossil fuels.]
5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. [Clarification Statement: Examples could include the influence of the ocean on ecosystems, landform shape, and climate; the influence of the atmosphere on landforms and ecosystems through weather and climate; and the influence of mountain ranges on winds and clouds in the atmosphere. The geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere are each a system.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to the interactions of two systems at a time.]
5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Lesson 1: Gathering background knowledge
Materials: chart paper or whiteboard
Time: 20 minutes
“What are some things you know about how kids get to school?”
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Lesson 2: How much energy does it take to get to school?
Noticings | Wonderings |
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Lesson 3: How can we use less energy to transport ourselves?
Teacher note: You can do this activity without materials, or rent a kit with physical materials by contacting your V/NHEEP educator (info@veep.org)
Materials:
Time: 45 minutes
Lesson 3: How can we use less energy to transport ourselves?
Claims | Evidence |
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Lesson 4: Seeing the “invisible”: what comes out of the tailpipes of our vehicles?
Materials:
Time: 45 minutes
Lesson 4: Seeing the “invisible”: what comes out of the tailpipes of our vehicles?
Noticings | Wonderings |
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Lesson 5: Collecting data
Materials: Data collection sheet
Time: 30 minutes (at drop off or pick up times)
Steps:
Lesson 6: Engineering solutions
Resources: