Teacher's tips

Level of Education: Elementary School

Subject: Geography

Theme: Transportation

Age: 06 to 09 years old

Means of transportation transport people or cargo through land, air, or water. This theme is naturally interesting for students, which makes it easier to tell them the main information about means of transportation. The pictures allow students to identify, analyze, and compare the transports. [FIM-DICA]

Learner outcomes

To learn about means of transportation and their importance for people to go both to distant and nearby places;

To identify, differentiate, and classify means of land, water, and air transport;

To comprehend the risks and care needed in the means of transportation;

To understand the similarities and differences between the means of transportation;

To reinforce content discussed during the classes;

To develop attitudes of interaction, collaboration, and exchange of experiences in groups;

Teachers' goals

To talk to students about means of transportation, considering their points of view and ideas;

To complement the topic presenting students with other sources that help them better understand the content;

To help students develop their motor skills;

Suggestions of approaches for the teacher

Before playing the game, talk to students about the different means of transportation.

Ask them:

• What are the means of transportation?

• Which means of transport do you know?

• How do they come to school?

Then, talk to them about it by showing pictures of different transport:

• What is the transport in the image? Describe it using details.

• What are its advantages?

• And its disadvantages? Think about that.

• What does this transport carry?

(Approach 2) Divide students into pairs to play the game. As they are playing, they should list all the transports in the game, separating them into categories: terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial.

(Approach 3) Ask students to search magazines and newspapers for transports and then paste them into separate sheets. Create a mural with the activities of all students.

(Approach 4) Ask students to describe the main characteristics of each means of transportation, relating them to their uses. Encourage students to share their ideas.

(Approach 5) Create a discussion about the environmental impacts transports generate. Propose an activity in which they have to think of ideas to diminish these impacts. They can create a campaign in school about the topic.

(Approach 6) Compare the fastest and slowest mean of transportation.

(Approach 7) Ask students to research the means of transportation of the past. Tell them to analyze them and see if they are still a part of their lives.

More about the content

The teacher can take advantage of the theme (means of transportation) and develop an interdisciplinary project on traffic.

This project seeks to contribute to reducing car accidents and raising awareness about life protection. It also aims to lead to the understanding of the students, the importance and the relevant practice that is necessary for the good relationship of all citizens who are part of the traffic, as well as the due and indispensable attention and respect, so that there is the harmony so desired, the good habits and the appropriate attitudes ” (Bogue et al., 2008).

IMPORTANT: mention to students the relevance of the rules and that for each there is a specific rule, as in the examples below:

1. rules on pedestrian traffic;

2. traffic rules for the cyclist;

3. Traffic rules for drivers;

4. rules of movement for motorcyclists.

Some activity suggestions:

1. Discuss with students related topics: organization in the classroom, in the courtyard, on the sidewalk, on the street, on the bus, behavior inside the vehicle; behavior of people such as drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians and awareness of reality, change, social policy, and citizen awareness.

2. Make traffic signs;

3. Take a walk on the school block and observe traffic signs, traffic lights, and vehicles;

4. Play memory games using themes related to traffic;

5. Build traffic lights using shoe boxes;

6. Create a project to raise awareness in school;