Experience a bit of what life was like at the turn of last century with images of rural and urban life. Learners consider pictures from each environment and then compare and contrast them. Activities include discussing the differences,...

Students explain that while cities have unattractive features, the density of human life enables energy efficiency, mass transit, recycling, and other benefits which are difficult or impossible in rural areas. This is the fifth in an...

Music, writing, and activism all tell the story of history! The resource uses these elements and more in a presentation to discuss the Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance. Your class views biographies, discusses important events, and...

Students compare and contrast urban and rural communities. In this geography skills lesson, students discover the attributes of the settings and respond to questions about cities and farms.

Enable students to use the blues to explore urbanization, technology, and their effects on everyday life in the 20th century. Musicians were among the large number of people who, between 1914 and 1945, participated in the Great Migration...

"People Everyday" offers class members an opportunity to develop their literacy analysis skills and to develop media literacy. Guided by an included list of discussion questions, groups examaine the word choice, literary devices used,...

Second graders listen to a book about how farms feed the world. They discuss elements of rural life. They listen to a story about the suburbs and discuss elements specific to a suburban community. They listen to a story about city...

Second graders draw a picture. In this communities instructional activity, 2nd graders read the book Communities, and review as they read. Students use construction paper to create a picture of their houses in three different communities...

Students compare/contrast rural and urban communities, and view and discuss the images on the Illinois quarter. They discuss Abraham Lincoln's life, complete a chart and a Venn diagram comparing urban and rural settings, and create a...

Students examine the impact of urban change. For this Indiana history lesson, students read excerpts of The World Does Move by Booth Tarkington and then research the noted Web sites about the urbanization of Indianapolis. Students then...

Learners map the changes that occur in the land as a result of urban sprawl. They explore the problems that paving and building have on the watershed and the habitats on the Northshore.

After reading a series of primary source documents, groups compare the lives of and opportunities available to rural and urban women in the 19th century to rural and urban life in the 21st century. As an exit ticket, individuals craft a...

Middle schoolers create artistic posters to show the differences between key vocabulary words. They show the differences between a rural, agrarian, urban, and industrial lifestyles. They evaluate the benefits and problems, the human...

Students explore African American migration. In this black culture and history lesson, students use a map to identify northern and southern states in which African Americans lived in the 1900s. Students observe and describe objects and...

Students examine how Wilma Mankiller became the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, write a letter to President Andrew Jackson, participate in a jigsaw activity, conduct research,...

Ninth graders brainstorm the economic and social functions of a family. In groups, they research the roles of each member of a family in the past and compare it with their family today. In groups, they develop criteria for what the...

Students research Canadian population distribution while comparing and contrasting the quality of life in two cities. They discuss issues and problems that cities and rural towns face. Students apply various methods, such as graphs and...

Eighth graders compare a present-day social issue with a medieval issue. They use technology tools to conduct their research and demonstrate their new knowledge. Students present their findings to the class in the form of a PowerPoint.

Pupils compare/contrast the Afro-American and Puerto Rican experience as they migrated and assimilated in the U.S. They research and discuss the reasons for migration and the historical significance of economic autonomy and oppression.

Students examine the various portrayals of African-Americans in literature, focusing on the opera, Porgy and Bess. They conduct Internet research on African-American culture between the two World Wars. Students write fictional or...

Students discover the people of Mongolia. In this social studies instructional activity, students look at the Mongolian nomadic culture by reading a letter written by a member of the Peace Corps. They describe the different types of...

What a terrific lesson! Have your class learn about immigration using this resource. Fourth graders discuss the Great Migration in Ohio through art, writing, and discussion. Afterward, they create a presentation in which they tell their...

Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the effect and impact that humans have on the environment based on their choices as individuals, businesses and governments. They assess the balance between human activities and aquatic pollution.

Students examine why fugitive slaves migrated to cities and towns rather than rural areas. In this lesson, students consider the social, economic, and political benefits provided by cities and towns in comparison to rural areas.