Grades 9-12
Unit 3
To view the available materials, select a lesson.
| Unit | Lesson | Essential Skills |
|---|---|---|
| 3. Automania: Driving Clean Today | 1. The Automobile: History and Current Use | English, Language Arts and Reading; Social Studies |
| 2. The Cost of Driving | English, Language Arts and Reading; Science; Social Studies | |
| 3. Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) in Your Community | English, Language Arts and Reading; Mathematics; Science |
Unit 3: Automania: Driving Clean Today
These activities involve quizzing students on the history and use of the automobile and transportation in the United States. Students will get a sense of the repair and maintenance costs of automobiles, including pollution and transportation costs. They will investigate their community to determine the average vehicle occupancy. The students will also determine how their family uses their own vehicles. They will examine ways to reduce automobile air emissions through vehicle maintenance, reduced trips, and different driving behaviors.
Teacher Guide
Subjects Addressed:
English, Language Arts and Reading; Algebra; Environmental Science; Geology, Meterology, and Oceanography; Social Studies; and World Geography Studies
This unit is designed to offer you maximum flexibility. The lessons can be taught as a whole (all lessons), or individual lessons and activities maybe extracted and taught separately as a complement to other materials you may be using.
Essential Questions:
How has automobile use evolved in the United States?
What is average vehicle occupancy (AVO)?
What does it cost to drive?
How can we reduce the amount we drive?
How do we keep our cars "clean"?
Overview:
Lesson 1: The Automobile: History and Current Use
Students will become familiar with the history, current use, and possible future use of the automobile and will become aware of how the automobile is affecting the environment.
Lesson 2: The Cost of Driving
Students will understand all the costs of driving—societal, personal, and environmental.
Lesson 3: Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) in Your Community
Students will investigate their community or school to determine the average vehicle occupancy (AVO) and create a trip reduction program.