Last updated: October 7, 2019
Lesson Plan
Road Trip
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Math,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 90 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 4.L.1, 4.L.2, 4.L.3, 4.W.1, 4.W.1.a
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Creating: Bring together parts (elements, compounds) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for NEW situations. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
How do we indefinitely preserve our National Park Service sites?
Objective
Using a variety of finite resources (Number of travelers, time, mode of transportation and expectations), plan a trip from your home town to the applicable National Park site, calculate the cost per person and total amount to complete the trip.
Background
This problem-solving activity is designed to challenge the student in organization, math, communication arts and reasoning, but also provide inspiration and feasibility of visiting a National Park Service site.
Preparation
Orientate the students to the map by explaining the scale and legend for identifying approximate mileage. Explain the different types of National Park Service sites, e.g. monuments, parks, historic sites, military parks, rivers, etc. Explain the graphic organizer as a tool to assist them in organizing the particulars of their trip. The end result will be a feasiblity assessment for a trip per the given conditions.
Materials
Download Travel Options for Teacher Use
Lesson Hook/Preview
How would you plan to take a road trip?
Procedure
See "Travel Options for Teacher Use"
Vocabulary
Budget
Agenda
Assessment Materials
Can we make the trip?Are computations correct? Did they convey an accurate assessment of the National Park Service site? Was there a reasonable expectation of success based on their assessment?
Two to three class periods depending on distance and complexity.
Generate a presentation board with pictures from the chosen park. Consider what could be learned and explored. Develop and present a Powerpoint presentation to the class.
Additional Resources
https://www.nps.gov/index.htm
Related Lessons or Education Materials
https://www.nps.gov/carto/app/#!/maps/alphacode/NPS
This is the website to find maps for all NPS sites