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Community Research

Instructional Activities Teacher's Reflection
Students will research an important "Place" within their own community

Learning Objectives

  1. SWBAT exhibit in depth knowledge of a local place
  2. SWBAT conduct research using a variety of resources.
  3. SWBAT will be able to give a ten minute presentation. 
 

Essential Questions:

What interesting places do we have within our own community?  Why are they important to the community?  What impact do they have on the community?  What went into making this place?  And why is it so special?

Activities:

Introduce students to the concept by giving a lecture on an exploration of your own, perhaps even in powerpoint.

Students, by themselves or in groups will choose an important building, structure, neighborhood, or district within the community to research.  Questions that must be addressed include the who, what, when and why it was built,  what its function has been within the community, its design features, and why it is so interesting and/or important.  Reseach can be conducted using the web, the library, city hall, interviewing local people...

Students will then give a 10 minute presentation about the site that addresses the questions above.  They must use a visual within the presentation.

Possible sites may include the school itself (what was on the site before the school), city buildings, religious buildings, historical buildings such as Victorian homes, lighthouses...

Assessment:

rubric including effort, addressing critical questions, visual and use of it, use of in-class research time, organized presentation

Introductory Question:

What sort of interesting places exist within our own community?

Students will research a place that is familiar to them.  They will learn its history, and what went into the making of it, including the design.  They will give their opinion of what it has become an important place--what is inherent in it as a place.  And, through the process, they will come to feel a sense of ownership to the place.