OUR CITY

Purpose:
    The purpose of these lessons is to familiarize the children with the town they live in.  They will see how the town they live in, careers and town lay- out all work together.  Through these lessons the children will get to practice using their imagination, library research and writing skills.

Connection To The National Geography Standards:
No. 1  Knows and understands how to use maps, globes and other graphical tools to acquire, process and report information.
    The children will write directions from maps.
No. 3  Knows how to analyze spatial organization.
    We will make buildings that go in a city and arrange them to were the city would be most functional.
No. 14 Knows and understands how the earth's physical and human systems are connected and interact.
    By studying some different careers the children may see that in different parts of the country there are more of one type of occupation.

Applicable Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills:
The student uses simple geographic tools such as maps, globes, and photographs.
The student is expected to:
Use symbols, find lovations, and determine directions on maps and globes.
Draw maps to show places and routes.
The student understands the locations and characteristics of places and regions.
The student is expected to:
Locate the community, Texas, the United States and selected countries on maps and globes.
Compare information from different sources about places and regions.

Objectives List:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
1.  To use the library to do research on a topic and be able to write some sort of summary on what they found.
2.  To be able to read a compass.
3.  To write directions from a street map.
4.  To begin to be able to see the logical way a city is laid out for best functional ability.
5.  To fill out a worksheet using a site on the internet.

Overview of Presentation:
In these lessons the children will do a variety of activities.  They will research their favorite occupation or what they want to be when they grow up.  Then with the research they have gathered they will write a small essay or fill out a mock job application.  We will refresh our knowledge about North, South, East and West.  The children will write down directions using maps of our town.  The children will build and decorate a house and place of business.  We will then set up a town with our buildings in a way that would be most logical.  We will as a class explore the internet to learn about the city we live in.  The children will then go to a certain site and fill out a worksheet I have prepared for them.  They will get to tour a business in town that the majority of the class votes for.

DAY 1-OCCUPATIONS

Sponge Activity:
  I have prepared a survey of sorts to determine where the majority of the children would like to go on a field trip. They will choose from a list of places that I had previously called about tours.  Examples of places to go could be: a bakery, hospital, police station, bank, museum or a prominent place of business in town.  By doing this on the first day I will have time to make final arrangements to go where they would most enjoy visiting.  There will be no talking so I can be sure the students will not influence each other on here they want to go.

Opening:
   I will explain to the children that today they will be brainstorming on possible occupations they would like to have when they get a job.  Then I will pass out a word search of some common occupations in society that I made on http://www.puzzlemaker.com.  After they complete this they can add at the bottom some other jobs that they can think of (athletes, preacher, actress).  When everyone is finished we will discuss the activity and the extra jobs they thought of.

Titled:  What I Want to Be

BAKER BUSDRIVER DOCTOR LAWYER NURSE POLICEOFFICER TEACHER

BANKER BUSINESSMAN FIREMAN MAYOR PILOT SALESMAN WAITER

BUILDER COOK HOUSEWIFE MECHANIC PLUMER SECRETARY

Guided Practice:
    I will ask each child what jobs their guardians have.  By the end I will have made a survey on the board.  This way they can see if some types of jobs are more popular than others.  This might be a learning experience on more prevalent jobs in our geographical area.
   Then I will pass out a handout of jobs called, Careers-Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker, Madsen pp. 264-265.
    Next I will explain that they will be going to go to the library to do a little research on a certain career of their choice.  I will give each of them a few notecards to record their information on.  After they do research on their chosen job they will right a short essay or they can fill out a mock job application I will have run off, Madsen p. 268.  It will include topics such as job description, salary, time commitments (hours), and educational prerequisites.  They will get a couple of minutes to look over the handouts and ask any questions they may have.

Independent Practice:
    The class will go to the library and do their research on the occupation they have chosen.  I will ask the librarian to give a basic talk on where and how to find the materials they will be looking for.
    We then will go back to the room to write our essays or fill out the job application.
 

DAY 2- DIRECTIONS

Sponge Activity:
    When the students come in there will be a sheet with a hollow N, S, E, and W for the them to color and cut out.

Opening:
     I will explain that we are going to review North, South, East and West because we will be talking about maps and directions. We will briefly discuss the importance of being able to read maps and give instructions.

Guided Practice:
    First we will go outside and use a compass so the students can see what direction we are facing coming into school.
    Then we will go inside and determine with or without the compass what direction each child is facing sitting in their desk.  When we have decided which direction everyone is facing they can then tape down on their desk the N, S, E, and W they had cut out before in the proper position (like a compass).
    Next I'm going to use a LCD panel to show the web site http://www.mapblast.com (or you can use http://www.mapsonus.com).  I will create a map that shows my house in relation to our school.  While looking at the map we will create together written directions on how to get from my house to the school.  For example:  Turn left on Gilmer going North. Go till you come ot Reel Rd; turn left going West.

Independent Practice:
    Before class I prepared for each child their personal map using their own address on http://www.mapblast.com.  They now will write their own directions on how to get to school from their house.  I will also pass out a list of common map symbols they can add to their map if they want to, Madsen p.275.
 

DAY 3- BUILDING A NEIGHBORHOOD

Sponge Activity:
   As the students come in I will tell them to read the board.  On the board I will have instructions to  make a list entitled "If I could make a town I would put in it...".  If they finish this then they can do the word search on things in a city you can create with http:www.puzzlemaker.com

Titled: In A City

AIRPORT CARS HOSPITAL MALL RESTAURANT STREET

APARTMENTS CHURCH HOUSES NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL TRAFFICLIGHTS

BRIDGE  GROCERYSTORE LIBRARY POSTOFFICE STOPSIGN

Opening:
    I will explain to the students that they will be creating their own houses and business. We will then as a class put them all together were they would work the best.

Guided Practice:
    As a class we will compile a list of important places a city needs (hospital, schools, grocery store) and then some not as important (mall, movie theater) from the lists that they had already made.  Together we will decide which student will build what place.  Each student will also make a house for themselves.  I will have set up a big piece of green paper or poster boards on the floor with strips of black to make roads out of.  After they are finished building and decorating there buildings we as a class will set them like we want them for our town.

Independent Practice:
  This time will be spent building and decorating their buildings.  You can use the patterns on the site http://www.wolfenet.com/~por/foldup.html   or use construction paper, shoe boxes, and things to decorate with (markers, string).
 

DAY 4- LEARNING ABOUT OUR CITY

Sponge Activity:
    While they are waiting for class to start I will ask them to write down everything they can about the city we are in.  (For an example in this lesson I will be using Longview, Texas.)  They will talk about such things as history, things to do for fun and annual events.

Opening:
    I will tell them that today we are going to use the Internet to learn more about Longview.  They will also fill out on their own later a worksheet I have made from a Longview web site.

Guided Practice:
    Using the LCD with the children we will look up web sites on Longview and talk about things that we find.  This will be a sort of exploration on finding facts and using the internet.  I very good website to use for any city is http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu/usaco-stateis.html.
This site gives wonderful information on and about the population of any city.

Independent Practice:
    Taking turns with how ever many computers are available the children will go and fill out a worksheet I have made on a web site of Longview,  http://www.longviewtx.com/ADVANTAGE.html

Experience Longview, Texas

1.  What ways can the lakes be enjoyed?  (3 things) ________________________________
    _____________________________________________

2.  Click on the Great Texas Balloon Race link.
    How many balloons are invited each year to come?___________
    (hint:  look for the picture of the family sitting on the grass looking at some balloons)

3.  When was Longview founded?_______
    Who founded Longview?_________________________

4.  How many acres of land did Longview start out as?_______________

5.  Click on the weather link.
    What  is the average maximum temperature in  July (JUL) Ferenheit?_______
    What is the average minimum temperature in January (Jan)?_________
    What is the average rainfall in a YEAR in inches?______________

     The students who are not working on the computer will be finishing up any work they had not finished from the first 3 days.
 

DAY 5- FIELD TRIP

Opening:
    While we are waiting for the time to leave I will refresh the students on proper behavior to have on a field trip.  Then I will introduce my parent helper.  I then will tell the children to pay attention to the tour guild because I will be asking the questions about what they said later when we get back.
    I think a field trip is worth while because most children really learn and retain information from these trips.  This is also an appropriate week to go because all week we week we have been talking about our city and the occupations and facts about it.  If there is a good museum of History in your town I would suggest taking them there, but if there isn't I would let the students choose where to go.
    A suggested permission slip and rules on a field trip and many other letters to sent home are in A Note from Your Teacher by Kimberly Colen, pp. 92-93.

Evaluation/Assessment/Feedback
    When we get back I will ask them questions about where we just were.  We then would discuss how this experience related to what we had been learning all week.

Closure:
    I will tell the children about how this week they practiced many skills they will use in the future such as doing research, reading maps, and using the internet.
 

Materials:
    LDC screen
    things to build and decorate buildings with
    computers for the students to use

Extensions:
    Extensions could be made very easily using the city or town you live in , including math science history, government, English, art, and language arts.

Bibliography:
Colen, Kimberly. "A Note from Your Teacher." Teaching and Learning Company, 1995.
"Experience Longview, Texas." Longview Partnership, 1999.             http://www.longviewtx.com/ADVANTAGE.html/ 5-10-99.
"Government Information Sharing Project." Oregon State University~Information Services.1996.      http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu/usaco-stateis.html/ 5-10-99.
Madison, Sheila and Gould, Bette. "The Teacher's guide of Lists." HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.
"Make A Town." http://www.wolfenet.com/~por/foldup.html 5-10-99.
"Mapblast."Vicinity Corporation. 1998. http://www.mapblast.com. 5-10-99.
"Maps On Us." http://www.mapsonus.com/. 5-10-99
"Puzzlemaker." ferguson consulting incorporated. http://www.puzzlemaker.com. 5-10-99.

Created 5-10-99

Return to Lesson Plans and Research Papers, 1999