SOCIAL STUDIES NEWS

            

Urban Mural                                                      Suburban Mural

Rural Mural

For the past several weeks the second graders have been learning about the characteristics of Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities. The students used a computer program and worked in small groups to create maps of suburban, rural, and urban communities.

Last week our class participated in a simulation activity to learn more about the three types of communities. The goal of this activity was to have students experience and think about the differences and similarities of living in suburban, urban, and rural communities. The students’ desks and chairs were placed in one of the three communities where the students “lived” and worked for the entire morning.
The rural community was large and relatively empty and included the desks and chairs of 3 students.
The suburban community was a medium sized area and included the desks and chairs of 6 students. There was room between the desks but the area was not as spacious as the rural area.
The urban community was quite crowded with the desks and chairs of 11 students.

The students worked on an academic goal and social goal.
The academic goal was to create a mural to represent the various types of buildings, landscape, and transportation found in the assigned community.
The social goal was to work cooperatively in a group and share responsibilities.

At the end of the day, the members of each community were asked to talk about how their group met the social and academic goals. They also shared what they liked and didn’t like about working in their community. We listed the advantages and disadvantages of living in each type of community.

The students were then asked if they would like to move to a different community. Many chose to move their desks from the urban and suburban community to the rural community. When the moving was finished, one of the students observed that the rural community had begun to look more like a suburb, leading to a discussion about urban sprawl and over crowded communities. We discussed what might happen in communities when the population begins to shift and change.

The students are now writing persuasive essays about which of the three kinds of communities they believe is the best place to live.

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