How We Organize Ourselves

Central Idea

Communities make efforts to create transportation systems that meet their needs.

Lines of Inquiry

• Features of transportation systems.
• How the local transportation evolved.
• How local transportation connects to and compares with global transport.

Concepts: Form, Causation, Connection

Attitudes: Cooperation

Learner profiles: Inquirer

      This was our final unit of the year and the students took their learning to a whole new level!

We began the unit by creating some play based provocations by leaving all the train tracks/road ect. in their areas but took away the modes of transportation. They asked where they were and brought up discussions about what it was like before they had cars/trains, and other modes of transportation. We then used books to research into what life was like before, and the changes that have happened over the past 100 years~.

      We then took it to the streets! We went for a community walk where students got cameras and got to inquire into where transportation is. They took pictures of street sings, train stations, walk ways, and anything else they thought was important and related to our current transportation system in Tokyo. We took the pictures back and discussed what they could mean and organized them on our "I know, I am wondering about" wall. 

      We then build a huge map along the wall. We made the land look like how it did before people may have been alive, with only wilderness! Their goal was to create cities such as we have today, and use our knowledge of our current transportation systems in Tokyo, as well as the ones I shared with them about Kenya, and the pictures they also brought in from their home countries. We would take this knowledge to identify the different features of transportation systems and their form, as well as how they are connected. 

      We started out building different places we find in our communities and putting them on the map. Although we ran into our first problem, "Where will the cars and bikes go?" We had to be great communicators and figure out ways to organize buildings so people can move around. 

To help us organize these ideas we build the parts of the cities with blocks and used cut out street and railroad tracks so that they could first problem solve and find a way that works best.

The next problem was how would we get from one city to the other, especially when there were mountains, lakes, and other things that would make it more difficult. They had amazing discussions on where we would build railroad track and where we would put roads. They came up with their own key where brown and black lines would mean train tracks or streets. This way other people would understand when coming in to look at it.

      The cities grew bigger and more connected. They were independently building bridges, ferry terminals, train stations, taxi pick up locations, bike parking, stop lights, stop signs, and so much more! They took it way further than I imagined but with every problem they had to find a solution!

      They even took it further and created space, as they were very interested in space at the moment. Although, in order to get into space they then had to make a space station and everything!