Activity Introduction

Quick summary: In this activity students undertake an audit of transport at their school. Students look at student and staff transport use, specifically types of transport used and distances travelled. Students will also look at the relationship between petrol consumption and greenhouse gas emissions produced, and will understand that school-owned vehicles also contribute to the energy used and emissions produced by their school. Finally, students design and execute a communication plan for sharing their data with the rest of the school.

This lesson can be used when working on the Energy Module of ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic Certification.

 Australian Curriculum Links:

Cross curriculum priorities

Sustainability – OI.3 – Sustainable patterns of living rely on the interdependence of healthy social, economic and ecological systems.  OI.5 – World views are formed by experiences at personal, local, national and global levels, and are linked to individual and community actions for sustainability.
OI.9 – Sustainable futures result from actions designed to preserve and/or restore the quality and uniqueness of environments. 

General capabilities

Critical and creative thinking, Numeracy, Ethical understanding.

Explicit content description

Year 7 Geography

  • Collect, select and record relevant geographical data and information, using ethical protocols, from appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS048)
  • Present findings, arguments and ideas in a range of communication forms selected to suit a particular audience and purpose; using geographical terminology and digital technologies as appropriate (ACHGS053)
  • Reflect on their learning to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic and social considerations, and predict the expected outcomes of their proposal (ACHGS054)
 

Year 7 Mathematics

  • Find percentages of quantities and express one quantity as a percentage of another, with and without digital technologies. (ACMNA158)
 

Year 8 Geography

  • Collect, select and record relevant geographical data and information, using ethical protocols, from appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS056)
  • Present findings, arguments and ideas in a range of communication forms selected to suit a particular audience and purpose, using geographical terminology and digital technologies as appropriate (ACHGS061)
  • Reflect on their learning to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic and social considerations, and predict the expected outcomes of their proposal (ACHGS062)
 

Year 9 Geography

  • Collect, select, record and organise relevant geographical data and information, using ethical protocols, from a range of appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS064)
  • Present findings, arguments and explanations in a range of appropriate communication forms, selected for their effectiveness and to suit audience and purpose; using relevant geographical terminology, and digital technologies as appropriate (ACHGS070)
 

Year 10 Geography

  • Collect, select, record and organise relevant data and geographical information, using ethical protocols, from a range of appropriate primary and secondary sources (ACHGS073)
  • Present findings, arguments and explanations in a range of appropriate communication forms selected for their effectiveness and to suit audience and purpose, using relevant geographical terminology and digital technologies as appropriate (ACHGS079)
  • Reflect on and evaluate the findings of the inquiry to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge, taking account of environmental, economic and social considerations; and explain the predicted outcomes and consequences of their proposal (ACHGS080)

Syllabus OutcomesGE4-7, GE4-8, GE5-7, GE5-8

Connecting lessons: Energy audit – must be completed as a compulsory action.

Resources required: Internet access, student worksheet, access to information about school-owned vehicle petrol consumption.

Digital technology opportunities: Google Maps, digital sharing capabilities, digital presentation or infographic creation.

Keywords: Transport, travel, school, students, staff, distance, vehicle type, emissions.

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Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal:

  • Students understand that there a range of different transport types for commuting to school and a range of distances travelled.
  • Students recognise the relationship between petrol consumption and greenhouse gas emissions produced.
  • Students understand that school-owned vehicles also contribute to the energy used and emissions produced by their school.
  • Students understand that the transport involved with excursions/camps/field trips also contribute to the energy used and emissions produced by their school.

Teacher content information:

Cool Australia Presents Climate Change https://vimeo.com/84835327.

Hot tips:

1. There is no need to survey all the students at your school, particularly if you have a large number of students. You can instead take a sample of the students at your school by, for example, focusing on all the students in one year level (e.g. grade five), or focusing on one class from each year level, or by focus

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: What is the shortest and longest distance students travel to get to school?

Transport use at your school

Estimate the transport types for students and staff at your school. Write your estimates for the following:

The percentage of students who use public transport to get to school

The percentage of students who travel by school bus to school

The percentage of students who travel to school by car

The percentage of students who travel to school by bike

The percentage of students who walk to school

The percentage of staff who use public transport to get to and from school

The percentage of staff who travel to school by car

The percentage of staff who travel to school by bike

The percentage of students who walk to school

 

Step 1. Surveying student and staff transport use

Asking questions - The aim of this activity is to record data about the ways that students a

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