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Flip Fast! High-Speed Trains

How fast can a high-speed train travel? Students will learn about this mode of transportation and create a flip book to demonstrate its speed.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

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  • Index Cards
  • Index Cards, Unlined
  • Stapler and Staples

Steps

  • Step 1

    High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transit built to run significantly faster than standard trains. 200 miles per hour (mph) is considered high speed, and some run as fast as 250 mph. Have students learn about where and how these trains operate. Ask them to also investigate their benefits. For example, not only is traveling by train better for the environment than some other forms of transportation, but high-speed trains offer better energy efficiency. And HSR can aid economic development in regions that have them.

  • Step 2

    Ask students to depict a high-speed train in a flip book, which contains a series of still images that appear to be moving when presented in rapid succession. Have them draw the train on one unlined index card, then draw an image of it in a different place on the next index card. Continue to draw images of the train moving farther along on subsequent cards.

  • Step 3

    Students can now fill in some background scenery on each card. Painting over the scenery with a damp paintbrush will blur the resulting image a bit, which will help to achieve a moving effect.

  • Step 4

    Time to flip! Students should assemble their flip books with the pages in order of the movement. Use staples on the left edge. Then they can swap books with their classmates and enjoy the visual effect of high-speed train travel.

Standards

SCI: Science, Technology, and Society: Become aware of how science and technologies influence beliefs, knowledge, and people's daily lives.

SCI: Science, Technology, and Society: Identify how technologies such as communication and transportation have evolved and how people have employed advances in technology to modify daily lives including health and economics. Explore historical examples and imagine future technologies.

Adaptations

Eurostar is the company that provides high-speed train service in Europe. Have students investigate some of the countries and cities it services and how it is working to reduce the carbon footprint.

Ask students to investigate why rail travel is better for the environment, both for shorter commutes and longer vacation travel.