American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Snowshoe Speeds

Snowshoe Speeds

Details

Author
Bill Knittle
Topic/Subject Area
Transportation, Travel, Tourism
Historical Era
Colonial settlement, 1620–1762, Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5)
Creation Date
2010
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that the relative time it would take to snowshoe, walk or drive between two towns they are familiar with will be different. Students will estimate then learn the distance between the towns, learn the average speeds of the modes of transportation, and compute the time needed to make the trip.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items

Teaching Plan

  1. Students will estimate how many miles it is between two towns they are familiar with: the town in which their school is and one that is close. In this case, students will use Huntington and Chester, both in Massachusetts.
  2. Using a ruler and a map of the area, students will determine the approximate distance between the two towns. (In this case – 6 miles). As the grades get higher, the math can get more complicated. For elementary, using 6 miles, 1 mph, 3 mph and 36 mph will work; fractions and decimals will work for older grades.
  3. Students will estimate the average speeds of snowshoeing, walking and driving, then compare them to pre-determined averages (Snowshoeing – 1 mph, Walking – 3 mph, Driving – 36 mph).
  4. Students will estimate the amount of time needed for each method of transportation. Then, using the average speeds, they will decide what math they will need to determine the amount of time it would take to travel from one town to the other for the three methods of transportation.
  5. Students will compute the time needed for each method of transportation, and compare their answers to their estimates. For instance, if it is 6 miles from Huntington, MA to Chester, MA, and the average speed one is able to snowshoe is 1 mph, the 6 mi./1 mph. = 6 hours. If average walking speed is 3 mph, the 6 mi./3mph. = 2 hours.
  6. Students will make a bar graph comparing the amount of time for each method, and a second bar graph showing the relative speeds of each method, then compare.
  7. Students will write a paragraph about which method they would prefer and why.