Curated OER
City of Rainbows
Students identify the characteristics of a city including infrastructure, architecture, location, transportation, air quality, and suburbs. They recognize how cultures and the environment shape cities. They then identify the needs of a...
Curated OER
The Forgotten Cities
Students recognize and identify gaps in historical and archaeological evidence and how that evidence is interpreted. They explore the history of the Indus cities and identify what was left behind that survived for archaeologists to find...
Curated OER
Amidst the Rubble of Ruined Cities
Students, in committees, develop and propose solutions to rebuild various elements of Colombia's infrastructure in the wake of the January 25, 1999 earthquake, as well as compare and contrast the earthquake's affects on Colombia to an...
Curated OER
Mobility: A Green City, Past, Present, and Future
Students explore transportation systems through history. In this transportation lesson, students determine how modes of transportation affect quality of life and design transportation plans for cities.
Global Oneness Project
Documenting Architectural Heritage
Imagine going from being one of the richest, most important cities in the world to one of the poorest. Imagine the history captured in the architecture of such a city. Imagine these same now abandoned buildings being destroyed. How would...
PBS
Unemployment in Elkhart
Fifth to eighth graders explore reasons for and solutions to unemployment. They begin by making a list of luxury goods and discuss why sales of luxury goods would slump in times of unemployment. They then explore infrastructure and why...
Curated OER
A Walk on the West Side
Learners comprehend what makes up the physical community. Read and construct scale drawings and models. Explore the history of infrastructures and how the contributions of science, math and industry have led to the development of their...
Curated OER
Band of Brothers
What is a community? Explore the idea of community by investigating countries that have experienced severe damage. Learners discuss the horrible aftermath the 2011 earthquake had on Japan's infrastructure after the tsunami it caused....
City University of New York
Urban Politics: Machines and Reformers
Take a trip to the turn of the twentieth century with a resource about industrialism in America. With primary source documents and focus questions, learners think about the ways that government groups and organizations paved the way for...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Myanmar Moves its Capital City
In this English instructional activity, students read "Myanmar Moves its Capital City," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
Curated OER
No More Traffic Jams: Lesson 3
Traffic is a very real concern for any Urban dweller. After watching a video showing various traffic issues and solutions, learners group up to discuss and develop innovative traffic solutions of their own. They explore vocabulary and...
Curated OER
The Efficient City
Students research and create a realistic plan for energy efficiency. In this investigative lesson students answer questions and fill out a worksheet on energy.
Curated OER
Looking for the Dirty Scoop
Students read "The Negative Effects of Urban Sprawl." They discuss the main forms of transportation in their city and conduct research about the development of their community in terms of land use. Students sketch a map of their city and...
Curated OER
Taiwan on Shaky Ground
Students, in groups, examine how various elements of Taiwan's infrastructure were affected in the September 21, 1999 earthquake by analyzing a number of newspaper articles on the quake and its aftermath.
Curated OER
Taking From the Giving Tree
Students explore the ways in which various American cities negotiate the protection of their "green infrastructure," gaining a broader understanding of proposed and enacted legislation as it relates to preserving and planting trees in...
Curated OER
Population Growth and Urban Planning
Students discuss the following terms and their definitions: zero population growth, population density, demographics, urban sprawl, census, immigration, migration, infrastructure, population booms, megacities, birthrate, death rate,...
Curated OER
Weathering the Weather
Students investigate global warming through initial discussion of recent findings regarding weather patterns. They act as city planning 'committees' concerned with how the trends in global warming affect the agriculture and industries.
Curated OER
It's All Greek to Us
Students examine the various ways in which ancient Greek culture has influenced modern-day life. They study the context in which modern-day Greeks consider the 2004 Summer Olympics by reading and discussing the article "Where It All...
Curated OER
A Change of Scene
Students evaluate their school's theater space. They study about the renovations to the University of Michigan's Hill Auditorium by reading and discussing the article "Michigan's Gem of an Auditorium Glitters Again." They then determine...
Curated OER
Too Many People Coming a Little Too Fast
Pupils learn what happens when a city's population grows too rapidly for the city to accommodate it. They examine and discuss examples of cities growing rapidly today, what problems occur with rapid growth, and ways to solve these problems.
Curated OER
The Landscape Through Geographer's Eyes
Students examine different types of landscapes through a geographer's eye. Using a city block or a suburb, they organize their thoughts and take notes to survey a site. They discuss what they have seen and write about how looking at...
Curated OER
A Visit to Prague
Ninth graders explore why people visit Prague. In this Czech Republic lesson plan, 9th graders read an article and answer guided questions. Students participate in a spelling test on new vocabulary.
Curated OER
Dictating the Future
Read the article "Bush Lays Out Goals for Iraq: Self-Rule and Stability" and examine the keys points from President Bush's speech. Whether presented in written text or as an audio bite students will work in groups to research world...
Teach Engineering
Hurricanes
When a levee fails, it means disaster. Introduce your class to hurricanes and the technologies used to help protect against them. The included presentation provides background information using Hurricane Katrina as a reference.