DiscoverE
Slender Tower Challenge
Looking for an engineering project that will tower above the rest? Try a design experiment that has built-in fun! Groups examine a variety of skyscraper designs, then compete to create their own slender towers. The teacher's guide is...
Radford University
Parallel Lines Cut By a Transversal
Perhaps planning a city isn't so difficult after all. Scholars first perform geometric constructions and investigate how parallel lines are useful in real-world situations. They then work on a city design project, drawing street maps,...
Polk Bros Foundation
Chicago: Choices and Changes
Chicago, a city that is ever changing. A thought-provoking lesson, geared toward third-grade social studies, explains how the city of Chicago has changed over time. It discusses important leaders to the founding of the city, like Daniel...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Birmingham: The Magic City
Why is Birmingham known as the magic city? A comprehensive lesson plan provides hands-on activities, group discussion, and writing exercises to teach young historians about the importance of the city of Birmingham. Scholars learn the...
Latin America Network Information Center
Urbanization
Brazil's population has been changing dramatically in the last century. Study the causes of Brazilian urbanization, including industrialization and and migration, and the implications for the country of the populations'...
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—Fifth Grade
Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this 10-lesson...
National Gallery of Canada
Build a City of the Future!
Tap into your pupils' imagination by asking them to design futuristic, ideal cities. They must discuss and take scale and size into account, looking at some model pieces of art for inspiration and analysis. The final product for each...
Skyscraper Museum
Changes in a City Over Time
Investigate the growth and development of New York City with the final lesson in this four-part series on skyscrapers. Learners first explore the concept of urban growth by looking closely at a series of three paintings made of Wall...
Curated OER
What is Public Use?
Explore the Fifth Amendment by examining the meaning of "public use" as learners read a scenario and role play their assigned parts to determine "public use." They also read Supreme Court Cases regarding the amendment and present their...
Curated OER
Sim's Cities
Students investigate city management and government by creating a fictional city in groups. In this civics activity, students create rules and a mascot for their fictitious city which they create from poster board cubes. Students...
Curated OER
Create-A-Town Simulation
Students design and construct a model town. In this community lesson plan, students will collaboratively build a small town from construction paper and toys.
Curated OER
Create the Ideal City
Students examine the significance of city planning. They analyze maps, develop a crossword puzzle using vocabulary terms, and create a diagram of an ideal city and describe the features that make it healthy for the economy, the...
Curated OER
Valentine City
Students construct a small city on a table in the classroom. Each student is given a lot to develop. They give directions from one location to another, and write letters with correct addresses to their classmates.
Curated OER
Pile 'em High?
Students explore the concept of architectural heritage. In this architecture lesson, students visit selected websites to compare and contrast the architectural features in world cities.
Curated OER
Progressive City Planners
Students plan cities. In this environmental racism lesson, students design imaginary cities taking into consideration the amenities and environmental hazards that exist. Students discuss city planning challenges.
Curated OER
Paper Architecture - Designing Human Spaces
Pupils design, then construct an architectural structural model of a two-person dwelling. Then, Students, in groups, plan a city layout.
Curated OER
Creating a Job Community
Students design their own job communities. In this art and career exploration lesson, students are placed into groups to create models of business areas based on job types.
Curated OER
Growth in A City Neighborhood
Middle schoolers take the "role" of city planner. They overlay a map of one area of the city in the past, present, and projected future project. Students discuss reasons for selecting the special features of the area. The lesson refers...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Towne Planning in Tidewater
Students discover how European values dominated colonial life. They also examine the effects of slavery in the Americas. Students compare the planning of their home town with that of colonial Williamsburg. They locate key sites such...
Curated OER
Growth of a City
Students discuss the needs of any city. They view and analyze a 1923 aerial picture of Beverly Hills and discuss possible needs for the city. They draw in facilities to meet the needs they have listed and then compare these needs to a...
Curated OER
The Cost of Community Services
Students identify the types of services provided to citizens by local government and evaluate tax revenue versus the costs of delivering these services to developments. They evaluate the advantages of spatial relations to delivery of...