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  • Don’t Be So Fuel-ish! How Much Fuel Is Saved When Cars Are Parked in the Shade?
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Don’t Be So Fuel-ish! How Much Fuel Is Saved When Cars Are Parked in the Shade?

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Climate
  • Pollution
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Evaporation
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Petroleum
  • Shade
illustration of the back of a car on a street under a tree
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The scientists in this study wanted to know if cars parked in shady parking lots emit fewer gases than cars parked in sunny parking lots. If that is the case, it would give people another reason to plant trees in parking lots, especially where the climate is hot.

Don’t Be So Fuel-ish! How Much Fuel Is Saved When Cars Are Parked in the Shade?

Part Of

Urban Forest - Vol. 6 No. 1

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  • In this FACTivity, you will answer the question: What is the relationship between temperature, the amount of visible sunlight, and the amount of water evaporating from two identical glass jars?

    FACTivity – Don’t Be So Fuel-ish!

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Week+
    • Water
    • Evaporation
    • Experiment
    • Indoor Activity
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Shade
    • Sunlight
    In this FACTivity, you will answer the question: What is the relationship between temperature, the amount of visible sunlight, and the amount of water evaporating from two identical glass jars?
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Don't Be So Fuel-ish! How Much Fuel Is Saved When Cars Are Parked in the Shade?

  • Test your knowledge of climate and weather with a short word search.

    Word Search – Don’t Be So Fuel-ish!

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Climate
    • Climate
    • Vocabulary
    • Weather
    Test your knowledge of climate and weather with a short word search.
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Don't Be So Fuel-ish! How Much Fuel Is Saved When Cars Are Parked in the Shade?

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Glossary

View All Glossary
  • climate

    (klī mǝt): The average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.

  • data

    (dā tǝ or da tǝ): Factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

  • emit

    (ē mit): To throw or give off or out; to send out.

  • meteorological

    (mē tē ǝ rǝ lä ji kǝl): Having to do with the atmosphere, weather, or weather forecasting.

  • Dr. Gregory McPherson smiling behind tree branches

    Gregory McPherson

    Forester

    My favorite science experience is seeing a paper finally in print or giving a presentation to a large group and sensing their interest and excitement. The process of planning and...
    View Profile
  • Klaus Scott

    Air Pollution Specialist

    The most fun I’ve had as a scientist was the time I operated a “cherry picker” truck to lift a colleague and me up to the top of some pine...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Simpson in front of a background of green leaves

    Jim Simpson

    Meteorologist

    One of my favorite experiences in science was to participate in a meteorological field study in western Colorado. We camped out in the mountains. We flew on a helicopter to...
    View Profile

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  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Education Files

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Science, Technology, and Society

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

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What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

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  • Meet the Scientists

    Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • Reflection Section

    Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.

  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


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    Director, Natural Inquirer program

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Education Files

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The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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