Unit 2 Plan

Stage 1-Identify Desired Results:

What are the desired results for learners
to do?
During this stage ask
What big ideas are worthy of
understanding and implied in the established
goals (ex: content standards, curriculum
objectives)? What permanent understandings
are desired?
What essential questions are
worth pursuing to guide student inquiry into
these big ideas?
What should students know and 1.
be able to do? What specific knowledge and
skills are targeted in the goals and needed for 2.
3.
effective performance?
4.
5.

Stage 1 Desired Results

During this stage ask
Big Idea 1: Non-renewable energy is
less accessible, reliable, safe, and clean than
renewable forms of energy.
Big Idea 2: Transportation has changed
over time and has an impact on both the
environment and communities.
Essential Questions: How can we
use alternative energy sources to improve
transportation today?
Guiding Questions:
In the past, how have people traveled from
place to place?
What is energy?
What kinds of energy sources are used for
transportation today and why?
What are the impacts of transportation on
the environment and society?
How can mobility improve a persons life and
access to goods and services?

Established Goals
Topic: Alternative Energy for Transportation & Impact of Transportation on the Environment
Standards: NGSS
4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from
one form to another.
4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from
natural resources and their uses affect the environment.
PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light, or
electric currents. (4-PS3-2),(4-PS3-3)
Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World
Over time, peoples needs and wants change, as do their demands for new and improved
technologies. (4-ESS3-1)
Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones. (4-PS3-4)
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 35 builds on K2 experiences and
progresses to the use of evidence in constructing explanations that specify variables that
describe and predict phenomena and in designing multiple solutions to design problems.
Use evidence (e.g., measurements, observations, patterns) to construct an explanation. (4PS3-1)
Apply scientific ideas to solve design problems. (4-PS3-4)
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems

Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources

(constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired

features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the
basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes
the constraints into account.(secondary to 4-PS3-4)
Common Core State Standards Connections: ELA/Literacy
W.4.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research. (4-PS3-1),(4-ESS3-1)

Understandings:
Students will understand that there are
alternative energy sources for transportation
and that they are necessary because we are
currently relying on non-renewable forms of
energy.
Students will understand what energy
sources have been for transportation in the
past transportation, what is used currently and
why. Additionally, what energy sources should
be used in the future and why.
Students will understand how
transportation is a part of a larger system and
has an impact on peoples daily choices,
quality of life and the environment.

Students will know Knowings

Current resources for
transportation
Various alternative energy sources
for transportation
Forms of transportation from past
and present
Why certain forms of
transportation have been and are currently
used
Why certain energy sources have
been and are currently used
Why we need to use alternative
energy sources
The pros and cons of alternative
energy

Tasks (Doings):
Students will be given a design
challenge that is currently being
worked on by the Future Lab at Nissan
in CA to improve transportation in San
Francisco.
Students will research alternative
energy sources, and work through the
design process to come up with
solutions for the problem.
Students will build a prototype of their
idea that relies on that energy source
they chose and defend their idea to
Nissan.
Performance will be judged based on
the how many problems in SF the
solution addresses, creativity, the
energy source, its benefits, trade-offs,
and explanation of the problem:
why it is needed.
Student will be able to Doings
Identify energy sources
Identify forms of transportation used
in the past and present
Research the impact of transportation
on the environment and society
Connect, compare and contrast
energy sources
Select and defend their opinion of the
best energy source for transportation
Design and create a solution to SFs
transportation problem that relies only on
alternative energy

Vocabulary:
Turbine, Energy, Solar, Biofuel, Electricity,
Transportation, Industrial Age, Generator, Coal,
Fuel, Mobility

Outdoor Connections:
Hikes
Observation in the park
Experts & Partnerships:
Megan Neese- Senior Manager at Future Lab
at Nissan
Assemble
Steel City Biofuels
Pitt Asthma Institute
Land Art Generator- artisits designs for
alternative energy

Types of thinking:
Comparing and Contrasting
Considering Multiple Viewpoints

Thinking Routines:
I used to think, but now I know
Claim, Support, Question
See, Think, Wonder
Circle of Viewpoints
Tug of War
LUMA Design Methods:
Think-Aloud Testing
Concept Mapping
Creative Matrix
Concept Poster
Round Robin

Stage 2-Determine Assessment Evidence

What evidence will be needed to showcase students abilities around topic or
concept?
Performance Tasks:
Through what authentic
performance tasks will students demonstrate
the desired understandings?
By what criteria will performances
of understanding by judged?
-Pre-Assessment:
-Authentic Assessment: Nissan Design
Challenge
-Paper Assessment: Summative Assessment
Stage 3- Plan Learning Experiences and
Instruction
What are the learning activities?
During this stage ask
What will need to be taught and
coached? How should it best be taught, in light
of the performance goals?
What sequence of activity best
suits the desired results?
How will we make learning both
engaging and effective, given the goals and

Other Evidence:
-Documentation in EL notebook
-Exit Slips
-Goal setting & Reflection Bench Marks
-Question and Answer
-Classroom discussions
-Thinking Routines

Learning Activities
-Pose Unit question: How can we use energy
sources to improve transportation today?
Explore background knowledge of
transportation
-Study of Historical Transportation:
individual, small group and whole group
-Study/Research what energy sources were
used before, why, and why we stopped using
them.
-Study/ Research what energy sources are
used today and why
-Data collection with specific tools, resources

needed evidence?

and modeling to understand the problem

that current transportation poses.
-Experiments to gather understanding of
various alternative energy sources.
-Research, Experience and Experiment with
three alternative transportation vehicles,
solar, biofuel and electric.
-Determine best alternative option through
research.
-Realistic illustration experience to draw
their alternative energy transportation
vehicle.
Working with Thinking Lab and Ms.
Merenstein to work through the design
process and incorporate LUMA activities.
-Hover Craft construction
-Robots