By: Melissa S. Martin

Purpose:  The purpose of this lesson is to learn the various forms of movement people rely on today and of yesterday.

Estimated Time:  One – two class periods.

Grade Level:  K – 8 (easily adapted to any grade level)

National Geography Standards Addressed:
Standard 3:  How to analyze the spatial orgainization of people, places, and environments on Earth’s surface.
Standard 9:  The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth’s surface.
Standard 11: The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on the Earth’s surface.

Indiana Social Studies Standards Addressed:
2.3.6:  Identify map symbols of cultural or human features, such as roads, highways, and cities, and give examples from     the local region.
2.3.7:  Use a variety of information resources to identify ways the the physical environment influenes human activities in the community.
4.3.8:  Create a map tracing the routes and methods of travel used by seattlers to reach Indiana, and identify ways in which settlers have changed the landscape in Indiana over the past two hundred years.
WG6.4: Identify spatial patterns in the movement of people, goods, and ideas throughtout history.
WG6.5: Understand the relationships between changing transportation technologies and increasing urbanization.

Objectives:
Upon completion of this lesson/activity, students will be able to…

• o recognize the various types of movement people rely on to get from one place to another.
• be able to located the forms of movement on a map.
• be able to choose one form of movement and research its “path”.

Materials Required:

• Book: Bunnies on the Go; Getting from Place to Place by Rick Walton   ISBN:  0-06-029185-0
• Map of the United States or atlases.
• Cut-outs or black line masters of each mode of transportation
• Blank paper
• Pens/pencils
• Markers/colored pencils
• Internet access (optional)
• Travel brochures (optional)
• Lists of various routes of different modes of transportation

Procedure:

1. Have the students brainstorm various forms of transportation/movement.
2. Record their responses.
3. Read the book, Bunnies on the Go.
4. Revisit the brainstorm responses.
5. For lower levels, have students choose a mode of transportation cut it out and color it to create a bulletin board.
6. For upper levels, have studens now develop a list of routes for each mode.
7. Each students should choose a route and “find out more” to share with the class.
8. This sharing can be in the form of poster board presentation, written description, power point, travel brochure, etc.

Assessment :
Completion of work and class participation.

Adaptaions/Extensions:

1. Create and interdisciplinary unit with math teacher and determine milage of routes and times.
2. Create routes using all modes of transportaion mentioned in book.
3. Field trip ideas:  train station, airport, port, organize a hay ride, invite someone with a hot air balloon, visit a farm or have a tractor brought to school