Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sarita Wetland Restoration

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students collaborate on the plannng and implementation of the Sarita Wetland Restoration. The Sarita Wetland is the remnant of former Lake Sarita that was drained in the early 1900's. The goal of the entire project is to improve water...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Breaking News English: Zimbabwe's Homeless Ignored

For Students 5th - 10th
In this English activity, students read "Zimbabwe's Homeless Ignored," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Optional Laboratory: Comparing Soil Temperatures In Sun and Shade

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students work together to test the temperatures of different soils in shade and sun. They make their own hypothesis before beginning the experiment. They record their data and discuss as a class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Be a Building Detective!

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine and visit a building in Arkansas. They examine the history and learn more about preservation of historical buildings. They choose a building they would like to learn more about and research its history.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

MOSAICS

For Teachers All
This instructional activity will teach the students about how Mosaics are made and how they have been used in the past history and in modern times. Students will construct their own paper mosaics.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Move or Not to Move? Decision Making and Sacrifice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have participated...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rauschenber, The Other ROCI

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students watch the film, "Rauschenber, The Other ROCI," and record information they need as they consider the themes. They create an art project that uses several different techniques to make a unified work.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Completing University

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students analyze the pros and cons of completing a 4 year school. In this statistics lesson, students complete surveys and use E-STAT to graph their data. They learn to plot and build diagrams.
Website
Other

City of Vancouver: Urban Planning Department

For Students 9th - 10th
The Planning Department of Vancouver is responsible for advising the municipal government on present and future development plans. There is information here about zoning, urban planning, heritage buildings, livability issues, etc.
Handout
Other

Energy Cities: Local Energy and Climate Roadmaps: 5 City Visions for 2050 [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Five exemplary European cities have succeeded in the design and implementation of their 2050 roadmap with all local actors on board. Embark on the inspiring journeys taken by Grenoble (France), Manchester (UK), Munster (Germany),...
Article
Tufts University

Tufts University: Tufts Now: Five Big Ideas for Designing Today's Cities

For Students 9th - 10th
This article summarizes some key takeaways from a conference on urban design that was hosted by Tufts University. The author describes five innovative ideas for changing cities to make them more interesting and appealing. These include...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Plan a City of the Future With Sim City

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video and computer games science fair project, design and build a city of the future using SimCity. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a...
Handout
US Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Urban and Regional Planners

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides a complete description of the career of urban planner. It includes the nature of the work, training and education, employment outlook and wages.
Unit Plan
Department of Defense

Do Dea: Art Appreciation: Unit 6: Architecture and Design

For Students 9th - 10th
In this sixth unit of a course on Art Appreciation, students learn about the history of architecture, including ancient Greek and Roman works. They will learn about Frank Lloyd Wright and about Islamic architecture. They will also look...
Article
Other

City Journal: Let's Break Up the Big Cities

For Students 9th - 10th
This lengthy article offers many examples in its claim that smaller municipalities do a better job of governing and providing services than huge megacities.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
"Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan" is a one page, nonfiction passage about Daniel Burnham, an architect and city planner for Chicago. He planned the layout of the city including Navy Pier, railroads, streets, and public buildings. It is...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Engineers Speak for the Trees

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students begin by reading Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" as an example of how overdevelopment can cause long-lasting environmental destruction. Students discuss how to balance the needs of the environment with the needs of human industry....
Article
Other

Planum, the European Journal of Planning: Archive

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive site for anyone interested in urban issues. This virtual library offers documents, maps, video, reference links, and other research sources about urban life and the culture that surrounds the world's cities.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Learning Sustainability With Sim City

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Helps educators develop SimCity-based lesson plans that will encourage students to think critically about the challenges facing modern cities. SimCity is a city-building simulation computer game where players become the mayor and design...
Website
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Texas in Transition: Railroads, Oil, and the Rise of Urban Texas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A collection of lesson plans that explore the changes that have taken place in Texas as a result of the railroad and oil industries. There are case studies of the impact of urbanization on six Texas cities, as well as online exhibits on...
Lesson Plan
University of Arizona

Pulse: From Global to City Air: Air Quality, City Design and Disease

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students are challenged to design a healthy city in this unit plan. The cross-curricular unit covers content standards for ninth grade in science, language arts, world geography, and math. Students explore air quality and the impact it...
Website
Other

City of Vancouver: Engineering Services: Traffic and Transportation Plan

For Students 9th - 10th
The City of Vancouver's transportation plans can be found here. These involve cycling, public transit, pedestrian traffic, traffic management, etc.
Lesson Plan
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: Cities and Towns in Texas [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 8th
An activity guide where students refer to the Texas Almanac, which is free to download, for information needed to complete assigned tasks. In this lesson, they investigate changes in population for different Texas counties, and the...
Lesson Plan
New York Public Library

The Great Migration: Two American Tales Lesson Plan: The Immigrants' Experiences

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Part of an online exhibit that describes the experiences of migrants to the cities of the United States. Two American Tales asks students to compare and contrast the nearly contemporaneous experiences of European immigrants and...