This document outlines a project-based learning plan for 8th grade students in California to address the real-world problem of traffic congestion in their school parking lot. The project is designed to meet several Common Core standards and last 6-8 weeks. Students will observe the problem, brainstorm solutions, collaborate in groups with assigned roles to research solutions, and develop presentations to defend their proposed solutions to stakeholders. The project aims to empower students to analyze and help solve a real issue through science and technology, while developing skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and presentation.

1. TRAFFIC FLOW SYSTEM FOR A SCHOOL PARKING LOT
Project Based Learning for California Eighth Graders
Teaching to the Common Core State Standard
MS-E-S53- Earth and Human Activity
Addressing
1.Science and Engineering Practices
2.Disciplinary Core Area on resource management
3.Cause and Effect
4.Connections to Math
5.Influence of Science and Technology on Society and
Natural World

2. The California Common Core State Standards Outline

3. Connections between Common Core Requirements, the Project
Based Learning Model and the selected project
Common Core
Requirement
Project
Based
Learning
Model
Traffic FlowProblem
Construct an
argument
supported
By evidence for how
increases in human
population and per
capita consumption
of natural resources
impact Earth System
Real World
Connection
1. Students observe the traffic
congestion in the school parking
lot at the peak drop off and pick up
times.
2. Discussion on number of students
and cars that share the parking and
discuss factors that impacts
congestion
3. Discuss impacts of congestion on
the Neighborhood Ecosystem
(freeway access, businesses,
critical access areas like hospitals
and fire stations)
4. Watch videos related to 2 and 3
Science and
Engineering
Practices: Construct
an argument
supported by
scientific reasons to
support solution to
the problem
Build
1.Rigorous
projects that
are Core to
Learning
2. Facilitating
Learning in a
Student
Driven
Environment
1. Students interview neighbors,
school administration, parents,
local businesses and local police to
get facts and statistics of the
problem. This could be increase in
the number of complaints/tickets
and increase in drop off and pick up
times.
2. Have talk from police about traffic
flow control.
3. Students brainstorm solutions to
ease the problem with the primary

4. goal being reduction of cars into
the parking lot at peak hours.
Disciplinary Core
Area:
“Typically as human
population and per
capita consumption
of natural resources
increases, so do
negative impacts on
Earth, unless
activities and
technologies are
engineered
otherwise”
21st Century
Skills.
Importance of
Integrating
technology
into
engineering
effective
solutions for
the 21st
Century
Students explore tools like Google Maps,
iPad and iPhone Apps for real time
mapping of traffic flow in parking lot and
outside. Spreadsheets for Analysis and
Projections
Video and Voice memos for Evidence and
Interviews.
Cause and Effect: To
predict
phenomenon in
natural or designed
systems
Embedding
Assessment
into the
project
An ongoing formative assessment based
on weekly updates by each group on how
implementation of each group’s proposal
would solution and affect each other’s
position. Also assessment of how much
Voice and Choice is being used. Students
Also encouraged to evaluate peer groups
to self-regulate and create rubrics
Collaboration:
General Common
Core Across the
Board Standard
Structuring
Collaboration
for Student
Success
Students will be grouped and roles offered
and assigned as PR specialists, mappers,
technologists.
Critical Thinking
and Independent
Learning:
General Common
Core Standard for
College and Career
Readiness
Student Voice
and Choice
Students in each group will drive decision
making about possible solutions and
implementations
Presentation:
General Common
Core Standard for
College and Career
Readiness.
Public product The final report with audiovisual content
will be built in the form of a TV
presentation for the school and
community.

5. TRAFFIC CONTROL IN SCHOOLS IS A REAL-LIFE PROBLEM:
THE TRAFFIC CONGESTION PROBLEM IN SCHOOLS: GENERAL DESCRIPTION BY POPCENTER
According to Nancy La Vigne of popcenter.org, “School-related traffic congestion and the risks
such congestion poses to the safety of the students, teachers, parents, residents, and motorists in
and around school locations is a significant problem in communities both throughout the United
States and abroad. The most obvious cause of traffic congestion around schools is vehicles, and
the biggest source of those vehicles is parents’ dropping off and picking up their children from
school. In the United States, roughly three-quarters of school-aged children are taken to school
by car 2. In the United Kingdom, the share of children taken to school by car is estimated to be
between one-third 3 and one-half 4. In both countries, the rate of increase in car transportation of
children to school has been significant, often creating serious traffic congestion problems 5. As
described below, an increase in children taken to school by car is just one contributing factor to
the problem. Other factors include changes in school purposes and populations, new school
construction, the addition or elimination of busing, and the overall physical infrastructure, street
layout, and traffic signs and signals surrounding a school.
Traffic congestion alone causes inconvenience to drivers, leads to lost time from the job, and can
contribute to “road rage.” In addition to affecting parent drivers and other commuters, school
traffic congestion is a source of problems for students, school staff, residents in and around
schools, and local police charged with enforcing traffic laws and responding to problems raised
by residents and schools. More importantly, congestion can be a source of traffic crashes and
child pedestrian injuries and deaths 6. Child pedestrian injuries due to traffic are more likely to
occur in settings with high traffic volume and on-street parking, with children’s often emerging
“masked” from behind parked cars 7.
Population Trends and Transportation Modes as Cause: “While many factors contribute to the
problem of school traffic congestion, according to experts, the single greatest explanation for
recent school traffic congestion is the growth of the school-aged population over a relatively
short time, combined with urban sprawl 8. Both factors have led to an unanticipated volume of
students’ being taken to school by car, rendering original school drop-off and pick-up schemes
(including guidelines for when and where parents may drop off, pick up, and park), street
layouts, and traffic control measures ineffective in controlling congestion. A related factor is the
growth in car ownership and use, which has been associated with a decline in parents’
willingness for children to walk or bike to and from school independently 9. Indeed, far fewer
children are walking or biking to school, with official statistics’ showing a 40 percent decrease in
school-aged children walking or biking between 1977 and 1995 10. This may be explained by
changes in the workforce, with more working mothers’ taking their children to school by car on
their way to work 11.

6. Learning Goals for the School Parking Lot Congestionproblem:
This projecthas been selected as a science projectfor eight graders in a California
middle school. Itwould be tackled as a six- eight week projectfrom analysis to
presentation. The traffic congestion problemis a real-life problem that each
student and their family experiences on a daily basis, twice a day. The aim is for
students to make the connection between situations that affect them in their
lives and the content that they learn at school. To be able to solvea school-
related issuewith tools that are provided inside the classroom or easily available,
and publicly defend their proposals would empower them with confidence that
they have a choice and a voice to successfully analyzereal life problems and play
a major part in designing rea world solutions that they can set in place
.

7. There are severaldimensions to the learning offered by this project.
1. Resource Sharing: Connecting to EcoSystems. Understanding thatthe
schoolparking lot is a limited resource, connected to the neighborhood
ecosystem like other natural and man-maderesources and that a
collaborative and cooperativeapproach to resourcesharing is necessary
and possibleto use the resourceeffectively, economically and in a manner
that does not damage the other connected parts.
2. Performance Metrics. Learn to set up parameters that determine if the
solution is effective and optimal. For example in this project, some of the
metrics or rubrics that can be incorporated are:
 fewer vehicles around the school,
 reduced time spentby parents’ dropping off and picking up children,
 fewer complaints received by the schoolabout traffic congestion,
 fewer complaints received by the police about traffic congestion,
 fewer vehicular crashes around the school,
 fewer pedestrian injuries and deaths around the school,
 fewer traffic violations around the school,
 lower percentage of parents’ using cars to take children to school, and
 improved perceptions of congestion among parents and staff.

8. 3.Use of Technology: This would include exploring google maps, iPhone and
IPad Apps, like WAZEfor community based traffic alerts, closed circuit
cameras, and good old fashioned traffic signals, hand held and road signs

9. 4. Collaboration and Communication: Students will not only interact with their
peers, but reach out to businesses,

10. The Project Life Cycle:
1. Observe the problemandperformscientific inquiry
Class spends 20 minutes during the peak drop off times at the curbsideto
observethe parking lot congestion and spill over to street congestion, the
safety issues, timing issues, traffic violations and environmental problems.
Some pertinent questions can be directed by teacher (frompopcenter.org).
Watch related videos.
 What are the main access points to and from the school (main drive, pedestrian
entrances, side streets, etc.)?
 Where are the existing drop-off and pick-up areas?
 How many cars per five minutes on a given day?
 What is the optimum number of cars per given time interval?
 Are there alternate drop-off and pick-up sites that could be used?
 Where are the crosswalks and associated limit lines?
 What speed zones exist in and around the school? Do they appear to affect traffic flow?
 Where are no-parking zones, bus-parking areas, bus-loading/unloading zones, and
student drop-off and pick-up areas located?
 Does the neighborhood have features that draw traffic into the area at school drop-off
and pick-up times? For example, are there area retailers or businesses whose customers
and/or employees contribute to the problem?
 How many parking spaces are located on and around school property?
 What is the average time it takes to drop off or pick up a child during peak congestion
hours (including wait time and time entering/exiting car)?
 How far is traffic backed up entering and exiting school at the busiest times (minimum,
maximum, average)?
 What is the maximum number of students who could walk to school (distance is less
than one-half mile or other standard by student age)? Do the children who walk to
school live closer to the school than those who don’t?

11. 2. Brainstormsolutions andperformance metrics:
The classbrainstormslocal andneighborhood consequencesandproposessolutionsthatcanbe
explored.Thesecanbe categorizedintopolicychanges,cooperative programs,use of technology
etc.For example,encouragingparent,walkingorbikingforhealthandenvironmental benefits.
Redesigningdropoff andpickup routes,changingorstaggeringschool timings,supervisingidling
cars in parkinglotsare all piecesof solutionsthatcan be incorporated.
Programs such as Safe Routes to School employ tactics such as adding crosswalks and
crossing guards and encouraging parents to have their children walk or bike to school.
Credit: City of Glendale, AZ
3. Collaborationand Communication:
Students are grouped and roles are selected or assigned. Each group has
responsibilities for investigating one feature, reaching out to one non-peer
group, proposing onesolution, using technology supportto implement and

12. preparepresentation. Formativeassessments aredoneby the students to
check the effectiveness of their solutions by comparing them to the
performancemetrics
4. Final Presentation:
Each group prepares infographics, video presentations or slideshows of
their efforts and is prepared to defend and supportthe effectiveness and
reach of their proposals. This is done as a schoolactivity in which the entire
schoolstudents, teaching staff, administrative staff PTA, local police are
invited

13. References:
CaliforniaCommonCore State Standards:EnglishArtsandLiteracyinHistory/Social Studies,Scienceand
Technical Subjects.RetrievedonJune 18,2016 from:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf
CaliforniaDepartmentof EducationNGSSforCaliforniaPublicSchools,K-12.RetrievedonJune 18,2016
from
http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ngssstandards.asp
NancyLa Vigne,The problemof trafficcongestionaroundschools,CenterforProblemOrientedPolicing.
RetrievedJune 18,2016 from:
http://www.popcenter.org/problems/school_traffic/