Amelia the Pigeon: Our Own City

Grade Level: K-2

Time Estimation:
2 class periods plus 10 - 20 minutes (center time) for 5 days to construct more for the city. At the end of 5 days, a second class period concludes the lesson.

Standards

• National Science Education Standards: D, E, F,
• NGS: 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 12, 14, 17, 18
• NCTM: Standard 3, 5
• ITEA: 4

Students will:

• Describe the needs of a human habitat
• Observe change from human impact on the environment
• Investigate problems with a growing city
• Identify advantages of aerial views of a city.
• Create a drawing of their home from above and from the side

Materials:

• One large piece of cardboard (approximately 3' x 3')
• Construction materials (empty and clean milk cartons, toilet paper and paper towel tubes, construction paper, index cards, small pieces of cardboard or foam core board, construction paper, etcÉ)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Tape (scotch and masking)
• Markers
• Camera (Polaroid, digital, or film camera)

Grouping:
The students work as a class and in groups during center time.

About the Lesson

As a class, students will construct their own functioning city. Each day students will add to the city requiring adjustments and planning. They solve problems caused by increase in human settlement such as stacking houses creating apartments so that everyone has a place to live. Data is collected about the city each day as it grows and is analyzed at the end of the lesson.

Engage (5 minutes)

Ask students to define habitat? Explain that habitat is a place where animals naturally live and grow. A habitat has everything necessary for food, water, and shelter. Ask students what is a habitat for people. A farm, city or town is are some habitats for people. Ask students to think of things that people need to live. (Answers: food, place to sleep, water, power or energy, place to play).

Explore (30 - 40 minutes. Can be combined with Art class period)

Tell students that we will are going to brainstorm places where we can find the things we need. Prompt students with the following questions to help brainstorming and record new answers on chart paper. (possible answers listed, list all viable responses). Try for at least one item per prompt. To help early readers, pictures or magazine cut outs could be placed on chart paper to help them identify the places.

1. Where do people live in city? (apartment, house, skyscraper)
2. Where do people get their food? (grocery store, farm outside the city, garden, restaurant )
3. Where do people get water to drink? (reservoir, lake, well, river)
4. Where do people get energy? (power plant, gas station)
5. Where do people put their garbage? (landfill, incinerator, recycling plant, barge)
6. Where do people get clothes? (store, mall, shop)
7. Where do people go to work and go to learn? (office, factory, warehouse, store, school, university)
8. Where do people go to play? (park, field, mall)
9. Where other places people may visit in a week? (places of worship, movie theatre, music hall, stadium)

After brainstorm, allow students time to build one of the places on the list. Draw a street down the center of the cardboard to represent a "Main Street." Each student adds their construction onto the cardboard. When all places are added, take a photo of the city from above and from the side.

Explore continued (center times - 10-20 minutes each day)

Each day, students add more to the town. Each student adds a place where they live. Students can live together in the same apartment if they like. If they run out of room, they can add to the tops of buildings making highrises or apartments. Encourage students to work as a group to solve this problem.

Take pictures or have students make a drawing of the city from the side and from above each day. Post the pictures.

Explain (10 minutes - second class period)

Ask students to make observations of the changes that happened over time. What kinds of problems did they experience and how did they solve them?

Discuss the advantages of the different views (from above and from the side). Relate this unique view to how city planners can plan for new buildings, growth, and to solve problems.

Expand (optional - second class period - can be combined with art class)

Ask students to make observations of the changes that happened over time. Discuss the advantages of the different views (from above and from the side).

Evaluate

Ask students to draw a picture of where they live in the city. Can be from above or from the side view. Ask them to tell a story about how their city changed over time.

Resources

"As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps", Gail Hartman
© 1993. Alladin Paperbacks
ISBN 0-689-71762-8

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