Drive it Down! – a context for learning

GNS scientists used cutting-edge climate science to inspire primary school students to drive down their school-run carbon dioxide emissions.

The project, Drive it Down! Measuring and mitigating school-gate transport emissions, installed atmospheric greenhouse gas sensors at the gates of participating schools to record the emissions patterns from school drop-off and pick-up during term time and school holidays.

For the average New Zealander, transport contributes 90% of their personal, direct carbon dioxide emissions. People who drive to work or school can reduce their own emissions by around 20% simply by swapping to a low-carbon transport option one day per week, but because emissions are invisible, it is difficult to connect changes in our own behaviour to changes in the atmosphere.

Drive it Down! – carbon cycle resources

The project further inspired a suite of resources to teach younger students about the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle is key to understanding how the climate system works and how humans influence the Earth’s climate with increased CO₂ emissions. The resources help to develop scientific literacy – armed with this knowledge, ākonga are encouraged to create student-led initiatives to reduce fossil fuel emissions.

Drive it Down! Measuring and mitigating school-gate transport emissions is a project aimed at ākonga, kaiako and the wider public to highlight that every individual’s behaviour measurably impacts CO₂ emissions.

Drive it Down!

The resources are designed for primary school students (years 5–6 and above) and can be adapted to suit local curriculum, curriculum levels and the learning needs of ākonga. Although concepts like the carbon cycle are often part of the secondary curriculum, the Drive it Down! resources use simple yet effective diagrams to illustrate and explain the concepts.

Curriculum links, key science concepts and ao Māori connections

Drive it Down! resources support learning about the nature of science and the science capabilities:

• use science vocabulary, symbols and conventions
• use and critique information associated with the global (and urban) carbon cycle
• interpret graphs, carbon cycle diagrams and written text
• engage with science by using their growing science knowledge to take action in changing transport behaviours.

The resources cover science concepts (big ideas), including:

• interacting systems including the carbon cycle and the water cycle
• the differences between weather and climate
• chemical and physical changes – how matter changes between solids, liquids and gases
• introductory learning about the structure (particle nature) of matter
• sources and forms of energy.

Using the Understand, Know, Do framework:

• Understand: Carbon – for example, in the atmosphere, rocks and soil, plants and animals – moves around the Earth through the carbon cycle.
• Know: Humans are adding carbon (CO₂) into the atmosphere (via fossil fuels) faster than it can be removed. CO₂ and other gases cause heat to be trapped in the atmosphere, which is causing the global climate to change.
• Do: Use/incorporate this knowledge to address lowering local/personal CO₂ emissions.

Drive it Down! has compiled an online kuputaka and crossword puzzle using kupu that are components of hurihanga waro (carbon cycle) and associated with āhuarangi hurihuri (climate change).

Drive it Down! resources on the Science Learning Hub

The Hub has worked with GNS to reproduce some of their resources:

• Drive it Down! – the carbon cycle and climate change – interactive planning pathway
• The carbon cycle and climate change – key terms – article
• Climate change and the carbon cycle – kuputaka – article
• Drive it Down! – climate change discussions – activity
• Drive it Down! – reducing emissions at your school – activity
• Drive it Down! – climate change and carbon cycle quiz (online or paper-based) – activity

Additional Drive it Down! resources

Drive it Down! carbon cycle teaching resources can be accessed here. They include:

• an overview of the carbon cycle teaching resources
• a full-colour booklet introducing the science of climate change, the global carbon cycle, carbon sources and sinks, the urban carbon cycle, atmospheric mixing and more
• discussion cards
• memory cards
• Kahoot! quiz.

The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change interactive platform presents the Carbon cycle and climate change booklet in an interactive format – along with quizzes, games and media.

Auckland GHG Invaders is an online game in which players absorb greenhouse gases using climate-friendly transport options (desktop only).

How to use the material

A good place to start is the Drive it Down! – the carbon cycle and climate change planning pathways interactive (below). The interactive provides a brief introduction to some of the key science concepts that underpin learning about climate change and the carbon cycle. Each pop-up within the interactive has links to articles intended to deepen understanding about the concepts.