Students will document their travel habits to and from school.

Tools Needed
• Pencil
• Travel Survey Chart

Activity
Have students observe their travel to and from school for a day, a week or another specified length of time, and record their mode, distance, time and comments on the Travel Survey Chart.

Example:

Download a printable PDF version of this chart

Core Curriculum Fulfilled by Activity #1
Language Arts, Science

Students will investigate why they travel the way they do to and from school and will explore their travel alternatives.

Tools Needed
• Completed Travel Survey Chart from Activity #1
• Pencil
• Paper
• Journey Evaluation Chart
• Computer with Internet access (to find exact distances and use the TravelWise Tracker)
• School Address
• Classroom TravelWise Tracker account (this should be set up by the teacher in advance with all students using the same login information. Students who wish to do so, can set up their own account with their parent's permission and help.)

Activity
Why You Travel
Using a piece of paper, have students list the reasons why they get to and from school the way they do.

Examples:
"I get driven to school because there is too much traffic to safely walk."
"I don't have enough time unless I am driven."

Teacher Tip: Opinions and perceptions should be honored in this activity. A reality check will come in the next activity.

Distance Calculation
Using Google Earth (the "path" tool), Mapquest (use "directions" and enter the school address and the student's home address) or a map, have students calculate the exact distance from home to school.

Impact Calculation
Using the TravelWise Tracker (this should link to the Tracker) have students figure out the environmental impact of driving a car versus using other modes of transportation like walking or biking. The TravelWise Tracker calculates the benefits from not taking an automobile trip. To use the tool, select the method of travel (example: biking or walking), enter the number of trips (trips are calculated on a one-way basis; example: to school is one trip, back from school is a second trip) and enter the number of miles for all of the trips saved using that method. The TravelWise Tracker then shows you the average emissions, energy and money saved by taking an alternative mode of transportation.

Journey Evaluation
Have students choose one of the modes of transportation they currently use to get to school and list its pros and cons on the Journey Evaluation Chart.

Example:

Download a printable PDF version of this chart

Core Curriculum Fulfilled by Activity #2
Language Arts, Science, Library Media

With the TravelWise knowledge and critical thinking skills that have been developed in Activities #1 and #2, it is now time to look at the feasibility and potential to use other modes of transportation to get to and from school. This activity may provide justification that the way the student currently travels is the best TravelWise option for them.

Tools Needed
• Completed Travel Survey Chart from Activity #1
• Completed Journey Evaluation Chart from Activity #2
• Blank Journey Evaluation Chart from Activity #2
• Safe Routes to School map
• Computer with Internet access (to research the UTA Trip Planner and the TravelWise Tracker)
• Still or video cameras (optional)

Activity
Feasibility of Various Modes of Travel
Have students fill in a Journey Evaluation Chart exploring modes of transportation they don't typically use to get to school. Compare this chart to their chart from Activity #2 describing their current mode of travel.

Example:

Download a printable PDF version of this chart

Resources
Safe Routes to School Map
At this point, it will be useful to get your UDOT Safe Routes to School map from your principal. This map shows the neighborhood surrounding your school and identifies the components of the neighborhood including traffic lights, crosswalks and some dangerous intersections. Students may want to refer to this map as they evaluate their TravelWise strategies.

SNAP
UDOT has also developed a cutting-edge application called the Student Neighborhood Access Program (SNAP) that helps schools develop their Safe Routes to Schools map. The SNAP application is user-friendly and highly efficient. Students may find it helpful to explore the SNAP website www.snapforschools.com.

TravelWise
The TravelWise Schools program is a component of the Utah Department of Transportation's TravelWise program. The TravelWise website is a terrific resource for strategy information, ideas and success stories, as well as links to other great resources and more. Students can visit the website at www.travelwise.utah.gov.

UTA Trip Planner
Another helpful tool for students to explore is the UTA Trip Planner. Using this tool, students input an address (home), a time (when they need to arrive at school) and a destination (school address) and the trip planner suggests the best public transportation options. It also details how many transfers are involved and how much walking/biking is required. The Trip Planner can be accessed at www.rideuta.com/ridingUTA/tripPlanner.

Document Journey #2, the Informed TravelWise Journey
Have students travel to school using their best TravelWise option and take notes about their experience. They may want to write about the things they see, how they feel, what happened along the way or potential for action/fun along the way (i.e. parks, cool architecture, stores, etc.)

If a camera or video camera is available, have students practice documenting their journey.

Resources
Teaching Photography
Click here for a primer on how to quickly teach good photo and video skills based on the concept of language arts.
User Name: teacher
Password: media

Video Criteria
Click here to download a video grading worksheet that outlines the elements of a good video.

Explain What You Observe
Have students use their notes, photos or video to write about their experience.

Pros and Cons in Action
Have students explain how the pros and cons from their Journey Evaluation Chart worked out on their actual trip. Were they pros and cons accurate? Were there others that they discovered?

Personal Take
Have students describe the overall experience and discuss the things they learned.

Core Curriculum Fulfilled by Activity #3
Language Arts, Science, Library Media, Visual Art

tudents will celebrate their journey, honoring his/her individual perspective and TravelWise decisions.

Tools Needed
• All documentation, notes, drawings, photos and videos from the TravelWise Journey in Activity #3
• PowerPoint, Keynote or other computer presentation program (optional)
• Quicktime Pro or other video editing program (optional)

Activity
Honor Your Journey
Have students act as a tour guide as they present their TravelWise Journey highlights, and discuss their favorite things about the trip and what made it special. This can be a traditional poster board presentation or a written narrative. Students should be encouraged to include their personal perspective (i.e. pointing out things they like in the neighborhood, where they meet their friends, people and places they like/frequent in the neighborhood, etc.).

Taking the Journey Digital
Have students use photos and/or videos in applications like PowerPoint and Quicktime to turn their presentation into a multi-media experience. Remind students to keep the presentation short and dynamic while still including enough details to do their journey justice.

Resources
PowerPoint
Click here for tips on how to create an interesting PowerPoint.

Examples
Click hereto visit the Global Classroom Project and see examples of student-made videos with community components.

Core Curriculum Fulfilled by Activity #4
Language Arts, Science, Library Media, Visual Art

Now that personal TravelWise journey presentations have been created, there are numerous resources to make those works available to the public while honoring the author. School and/or class Web sites are a great place to post the photos, slide presentations and videos. The TravelWise team is also interested in hearing about your projects. You can email your ideas and success stories to us travelwise@utah.gov.

Activity
Post/Upload/Present Your Personal Journey
YouTube has a user-friendly interface that also allows for the creation of free, private classroom sites.

Mentor Other Classes
Your TravelWise students can learn even more by mentoring others. Other classes in their grade or younger classes may provide an ideal teaching situation for the students.

Mentor Parents/Family
Your students may now be the family experts. Have them engage in discussions and TravelWise actions with their family.

Safe Routes to School Signage/Destination Art
Create community art that identify the Safe Routes to School.

Class Community Project
Look for opportunities to get involved in government and community events.

Core Curriculum Fulfilled by Activity #5
Language Arts, Science, Library Media, Visual Art

Teaching students to appreciate their surroundings on the way to and from school will make them more aware of their environment. Students will be asked to explore their surroundings between school and their home, artistically compose and take a picture, look for relationships in objects, find abstract relationships in nature and will ultimately learn to get more involved in their surroundings while giving them the opportunity to be creative in their thoughts. This activity will take 2-3 days with 30-45 minutes being spent on it each day.

Tools Needed
• A House is a House for Me, by Mary Ann Hoberman
• Cameras and color printer or art paper and colored pencils
• Computer for typing text

Activity

1. On the board write "A House is a House for Me"
2. Read and show the pictures from the book A House is a House for Me to the class. Tell them you will be asking them what houses and homes are listed in the book. Stop after you read the page that states "And if you get started in thinking. . ."
3. Ask the students what houses and homes are listed in the book (example: a hill is a house for an ant, kennel is a house for a dog, etc.).
4. Continue reading and stop when you read, "Perhaps I have started farfetching. . ." and ask the class to listen to her creative abstract about houses and homes.
5. Finish reading the book and ask what abstract houses and homes she lists (example: a book is a house for a story, a head is a house for a secret, etc.).
6. Take students for a walk in the school neighborhood. Take cameras, if you have them, or note paper for them to jot ideas down.
7. If students have access to cameras, have them take a picture from their neighborhood.
8. Print off the pictures with the address and a statement for them to fill in "A ______________ is a house for a _____________." Note: This statement may have to be altered slightly to work with the different types of houses.

Extensions
You may want to make a class book using the photographs the students took or drew. Conclude the book with a class picture.

A House is a House for Me Neighborhood Examples

• Student draws or takes a picture of their statement and places it at the top of the page with the address and statement at the bottom.
• Example of address listed:
  • On Holladay Boulevard and 4747. . .
  • Where Kentucky Avenue crosses Wander Lane
  • On 4780 South Kentucky Avenue
• Example of statements:
  • A stop sign is a house for protection.
  • A canal is a house for a family of ducks.
  • A canal is the path to the Jordan River.
  • A road is a house for a pothole.
  • Spring Creek was the home to the first pioneers in 1847.
  • A brown patch of grass is a house to a malfunctioning sprinkler.
  • A bush is a house for a spider's webs.
  • A lawn in the early morning is a house for dew.
  • A sidewalk crack is a house for a dandelion.
  • A creek is a house for the sound of falling water.
• Final project example:
  (we need to buy this image; istock file #3291771; this is the general idea of how the example should look)

Connections to the Curriculum by Extra Credit Activity #1
Technology, Language Arts

This project was proposed as an energy conservation program for Morningside Elementary School. The PTA provided volunteer support for this program, which was designed to enhance Morningside students' awareness of the environment and the impact they can have on saving energy and conserving natural resources.

Ideas to Consider

1. Walk to School: Help the students recognize the benefit of walking to school over getting a ride to school. One way to do this is to organize neighborhood "walking carpool" where parents alternate walking to school with the students from their neighborhood. This ensures the students are safe while walking, and allows parents to trade off so they are not walking every day to school.
2. Count the Cars: Take a count of how many cars, on average, drop off and pick up students from school. Then educate the students about the importance of cutting back on the use of automobile fuel and challenge them to walk more and ride less. Then, take another "car count" to see if students are implementing the things they learn.
3. Count the Bicycles: With funding from Mrs. White's grant, purchase a bike rack for the south end of the building. Then encourage students to ride their bikes and scooters to school, rather than ride in a car. A count could also be done in combination with the car count to see if the number of bikes/scooters increases when students are more aware of the importance of alternate transportation.
4. Public Transportation Education: Have an assembly where UTA comes and educates the students on the appropriate way to behave while on buses and TRAX. This is a 30-minute lesson, and at the conclusions, each student is given a wristband to ride the bus/TRAX free for one day. The PTA would like to combine this "free ride" with a trip to the Clark Planetarium to see a star show (ties in with this year's theme--"Reach for the Stars!")
5. Artist in Residence: Mrs. White has a contact, though her energy conservation efforts, that is an artist. The PTA is proposing that this artist be invited, in connection with the Artist in Residence program, to be one of the Morningside Elementary School artists in residence. Mrs. White's contact specializes in media and cinematography, which would provide a different experience than students have enjoyed in the past.
6. Lights Out Campaign: With permission from the district, perform experiments to see how much energy can be conserved by simply turning off the hall lights, lights in the lunchroom (or any areas which are adequately lit) during the day. Keep track of the difference in energy used over a 30-day period.
7. Tree Planting Program: Salt Lake County has a goal to plan 1,000,000 trees this year. Opportunities are being given where saplings are either donated or made available for purchas for as little as $1/each and given to students to plant in a "tree friendly" location. Students could be asked to provide the $1 donation for the trees if the PTA could organize and conduct the program.

Many times they are unaware of what is going on in their own neighborhood. This activity will help students explore the surroundings between their school and their home. They will artistically compose and take a picture, research and write a description of their picture and site the sources they use. Becoming more involved in their own neighborhoods will bring a sense of community appreciation and enjoyment on their way to and from school.

Tools Needed
• Look! Look! Look! by Tana Hoban
• One colored file folder for each student
• Cameras
• Color printer
• Glue
• Markers
• Internet or library for research

Time
3 days 45 minutes each day

Activity

1. Read students the book Look! Look! Look! by Tana Hoban. As you read, stop at the pictures and let the students guess what they think it is. Then turn the page to reveal the full picture.
2. Tell the students that they are going to explore their neighborhood using their observation skills and they will take a picture and research their object for their own Look! Look! Look! folder.
3. Pass out the Look! Look! Look! rubric (the words "Look! Look! Look! rubric should link to the file "EC Activity 3 Grading" in Melanie's PDF transfer) for students to reference.
4. Print each student's picture.
5. Have students research their picture and write a description of the picture giving facts.
6. Have students give two or more references below their description to site the research they used.
7. Hand out a color file folder to the student and have them write on the top front of the folder: Think of the many, varied and unusual things this picture could be.
8. Have students carefully cut a small round hole about two inches in diameter on the front of the folder.
9. Have each student glue his picture on the inside of the folder so that the most interesting part of the picture is showing.
10. Print off the student's research on their pictures and have them paste this on the inside of the front cover next to the hole.
11. Display the folders on a bulletin board that says, Look! Look! Look! Or, have the students pass their folders in the classroom. Have each student study a picture and name five different things the picture could be. Then have the students open the folder to reveal the entire picture and the description.

Extensions
Use this lesson during each season of the year.

Assessment
Completion of Look! Look! Look! file folder including picture and description.

Connections to the Curriculum by Extra Credit Activity #3
Research, Technology, Language, Science