California Academy of Science
Building Better Buses: Transportation Design Challenges
Scholars learn about a series of three challenges when they design a bus system for a small town. They determine the bus routes and then figure out the best type of fuel to use before considering the cost of going electric. Learners...
Curated OER
Transportation and Environment
Students make an eco-friendly vehicle to help make transportation better for the environment. In this transportation lesson, students learn how transportation inventions are bad for the environment. They then see how engineers have tried...
Curated OER
Math in the Wetlands Field Trip
Get your class out in the environment for hands on math activities. In this wetlands lesson, learners transplant native plants, calculate how much soil is needed, and perform math activities based on this experience. They then make...
Teach Engineering
Airplanes Everywhere: Land! Water! Sky! Oh, My!
How important is aviation? Using the background information, teachers provide the class with a brief history of aviation. The class discusses how airplanes are important to the area of transportation in the 17th installment of a...
Curated OER
Simple Thermodynamics of Transportation
Students watch videos about various modes of transportation, they examine the energy transformations that occur in each, and they be introduced to the laws of thermodynamics.
Curated OER
The Mathematics of Convection: Nature's Model for Energy Production
High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar chimneys.
Curated OER
H2O to Go to Go
Youngsters engage in a relay race where they dip a sponge in water, run to a bucket, and squeeze out the sponge. They have five minutes to take turns transporting water to the goal. Whey the time is up, each team measures the total...
Curated OER
Water - The Transporter
Young scholars discuss the role of water in transporting sediments and dissolved particles. In this interdisciplinary activity, students read about how water transports sediments and changes the landscape. They complete a variety of...
Curated OER
Summer Machines Activity: How Can We Move This Box of Blocks?
Students discover there's more than one way to move a heavy load. In this problem solving lesson, students use observation and problem-solving skills as they experiment with simple machines in order to transport loads.
Curated OER
Transportation Systems: Two Liter Boat Activity
Learners design and build full-size boats made out of two-liter plastic bottles, chicken wire, and plywood. Then they race the boats, with the boat's designers "manning the hull", in the school's swimming pool.
Beyond Benign
Truckin’ to Your Table
Food takes a trip to the table. Class members choose a meal from a menu and calculate the total cost of the meal including tax and tip. Using a food origin card, pupils determine how far each of the ingredients of a meal traveled to end...
Curated OER
Add and Subtract with Hudson River shipping
Rivers aren't just a place for animals to live, they also provide industrial transportation. The class will examine the Hudson River on a map, discuss all the commercial vessels that use the River to transport materials, then complete a...
Curated OER
Calculating Your Foodometer
Students explore environmental issues by completing a food production class activity. For this carbon footprint lesson, students discuss the types of foods they eat, where they come from and what types of methods are used to transport...
California Academy of Science
Fresh Solutions: Design Thinking Challenge
How do people transport fresh water long distances to ensure everyone has access to it? The final lesson in the 10-part Fresh Solutions unit encourages individuals to design their own solution, or solutions, to that very problem. Groups...
NOAA
A Matter of Density
Larvae transportation on the New England seamounts is based on the density of the water. Scholars calculate density and graph salinity versus temperature to better understand the distribution of organisms in a water column. Discussions...
Beyond Benign
Ecological Footprint
How does your lifestyle measure up in terms of your ecological footprint? Young ecologists examine their impact on the planet using an insightful online calculator. A short quiz asks users to rank the size of their homes, their energy...
Curated OER
Eco Points Score Card
Students play a game in which points are assigned to daily activities which require fossil fuels or electricity. They compare the impact their energy and transportation choices have in everyday life.
Curated OER
Stop the Bus! America Wants a Ride
Middle schoolers compare the fuel efficiencies of various modes of transportation and graph the results. They, in groups, design and conduct a forum to discuss ways to improve on lifestyle actions and limit excessive pollution for the...
Curated OER
Proportionality: Modeling the Future
Students explore and examine how patterns, measurement, ratios and proportions are utilized in the research development and production of airplanes. They meet a pilot from the Federal Aviation Association who describes the growth of air...
Curated OER
Pumped Up Gas Prices
Students calculate gas prices. In this transportation lesson, students tally the mileage and gas costs of their car for one months. They figure out how much was spent on gas and create a graph showing average gas prices over time.
Bonneville
Replacing Fossil Fuels?
Burn through a instructional activity on fossil fuels. Pupils start a unit by considering why it is difficult to phase out fossil fuels. Using provided data on the energy densities and efficiencies of different fuels, they calculate the...
Curated OER
Alaska Virtual Field Trip
Students participate in an on-line virtual field trip to the state of Alaska. In this U.S. Geography lesson, students research several Internet sites dealing with travel to Alaska and activities to participate in. Students create story...
Curated OER
Science: Lead Shot and Waterfowl
Students examine data to investigate the impact of lead shot pellets on waterfowl populations. They graph their findings and discover how lead in ingested by birds and poisons them. As an extension, students research legislation and...
Curated OER
On the Move
Students explore different pathways and consequences of pollutant transport via the weather and water cycles. They observe and record weather information and produce their own weather report for the class.