Electric Bikes or Electric Cars?

In this lesson, students conduct research on electric bicycles and electric cars, choose one of these technologies, and create a video promoting its use as a climate solution. 

Step 1 - Inquire: Students view a series of images related to bicycles and cars and discuss their emotional reactions with a partner.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students investigate the benefits and drawbacks of electric bicycles and electric cars.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students create a video advertisement advocating for electric bicycles or electric cars.

Positives

• Students must use hard data to promote either electric bicycles or electric cars.
• Students record quick, informative videos as their assessment in this lesson plan.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should have a basic understanding of climate change. They should know that burning fossil fuels creates greenhouse gases and that greenhouse gases are heating up the planet.
• There are fourteen total images in the Inquire section. Feel free to disregard some of them based on your needs.
• Many students assume that electric cars do not create emissions at all. Students will learn:
  • There are embedded emissions from the manufacturing of electric cars.
  • Electric cars that use electricity generated by fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) are still creating emissions.
• Your students will need access to devices to record their advertisements. Students can record themselves on iPods, iPads, laptops, or other school devices. Depending on your school's phone policy, you can have your students use their own devices.

Differentiation

• Be sensitive to the socioeconomic situation of your students. Some students' families may not own bicycles or cars or be able to afford electric bicycles or electric cars.
• Creating the advertisement can be done as a homework assignment.
• Students may want to include drawings, puppets, props, or other creative items in their advertisements. Encourage their creative expression!

Over the course of their use, electric cars are far more environmentally friendly than conventional automobiles. This lesson examines those benefits as well as how to make cities friendlier to bikes and other commuting options. The external resources in this lesson have passed our scientific review process.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

Primary Standards

• Social Studies
  • Active Citizenship in the 21st Century - Civics, Government, and Human Rights
    • 6.3.8.CivicsPR.4: Use evidence and quantitative data to propose or defend a public policy related to climate change.
  • Active Citizenship in the 21st Century - Economics, Innovation, and Technology
    • 6.3.8.EconET.1: Using quantitative data, evaluate the opportunity cost of a proposed economic action, and take a position and support it (e.g., healthcare, education, transportation).
    • 6.3.8.EconET.2: Assess the impact of government incentives and disincentives on the economy (e.g., patents, protection of private property, taxes).
• Computer Science & Design Thinking
  • Design Thinking
    • 8.2.8.ETW.4: Compare the environmental effects of two alternative technologies devised to address climate change issues and use data to justify which choice is best.
• Career Readiness, Life Literacies, & Key Skills
  • Life Literacies and Key Skills
    • 9.4.8.CT.1: Evaluate diverse solutions proposed by a variety of individuals, organizations, and/or agencies to a local or global problem, such as climate change, and use critical thinking skills to predict which one(s) are likely to be effective (e.g., MS-ETS1-2).