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.

General capabilities

Numeracy, Critical and creative thinking

Explicit content description

Year 5 Geography

  • Locate and collect relevant information and data from primary and secondary sources (ACHASSI095)
  • Present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms and conventions (ACHASSI105)
  • Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects (ACHASSI104) 
 

Year 6 Geography

  • Locate and collect relevant information and data from primary and secondary sources (ACHASSI123)
  • Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects (ACHASSI132)

 Syllabus Outcomes: GE3-4. 

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.

Need some more support? Click on these leading organisations

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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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