Transport goes inside the classroom

Transport goes inside the classroom

Fernridge School students plan their journey using an online tool

Early in Term 1 of this year, students from Room 7 explored the Journey Planner website (www.journeyplanner.org.nz) to compare and assess different ways of getting school.

Students had to enter their starting (home) and ending (school) destinations into the Journey Planner and record information for both biking and walking journeys.

They answered questions about their journeys and compared what they found out with their friends.

They checked the accuracy of the information given by the website by walking and timing a particular route.

They found that the time taken was comparable and a consensus was reached that the Journey Planner website was a good tool to use.

How we travel to Fernridge School inquiry

Room 3’s Inquiry unit was based on the theme of how we travel to school. We asked ourselves “Why are we doing all this thinking, surveying, reading and questioning?” Because…..Fernridge school has a problem with cars! 17 cars come everyday to bring Room 3 children to school!

We listed the problems with the cars and then did a pros/cons activity relating to the cars coming each day to school. One of the suggestions to relieve the pressure in the car park was to build an underground car park! We did a feasibility study on this suggestion very interestingly it turned out not a ‘goer’ in the end.

Carterton School’s Room 3 learn maths with walk and wheels

In Term 1 2010 students at Carterton School were encouraged to walk and wheel to school.

Throughout the term, students from Room Three recorded the number of children who walked and wheeled to school. They met the children at the gate and rewarded them walkers and wheelers with a stamp each morning.

After the child had collected 5 stamps they were rewarded with a Jack the Kaka badge and sticker. Children who had completed their cards were also entered into the lucky draw for prizes in assembly.

There was also a Feet First trophy for the class who has walked and wheeled the most over the fortnight.

Room 3 used the completed cards to carry out statistical investigations with this information.

Carterton School student’s go the distance for Movin'March

On the 24th March Carterton School students were encouraged to walk to school.

Students either walked from home, or were dropped off at safe walking locations, and walked together in a group with a few adult volunteers.

Room 3 were able to calculate the distances walked on this day. They used Google maps to work out the distances each student walked. They were then able to calculate a total for each class, and then an overall total for the whole school.

Collectively our students walked 152.8 km in one day!

That means we could have walked from our school to the Masterton Pool 5 times or we could have walked to Featherston and back 3 times!

We listed the problems with the cars and then did a pros/cons activity relating to the cars coming each day to school. One of the suggestions to relieve the pressure in the car park was to build an underground car park! We did a feasibility study on this suggestion very interestingly it turned out not a ‘goer’ in the end.

Further information: Rebecca Jamieson, rebecca.jamieson@gw.govt.nz.