California Academy of Science
Building Better Buses: Transportation Design Challenges
Scholars learn about a series of three challenges when they design a bus system for a small town. They determine the bus routes and then figure out the best type of fuel to use before considering the cost of going electric. Learners...
iCivics
Step Eight: Positions, Please!
Everyone sees the results of public policy, but not everyone understands the strategy that goes into creating an effective one. Now that your class understands the brainstorming process from earlier in the series, they continue on to the...
US Department of Commerce
Featured Activity: How the Census Impacts My Community
Individuals have $50,000 to spend on a program at their schools—what will they do with the money? After looking at the Constitutional mandate, learners use a census simulation activity to consider the question. After conducting their own...
iCivics
My County Works
A 22-page packet sheds light on the hard work taking place at a county's seat. Scholars read brief informational text and fill in information about their own county workers. Pages take you to a department around the county site each...
iCivics
Counties Work
Turn learning into a game by asking pupils to play an online interactive activity! Learners choose their own characters, departments, work toward building the population of their towns, earn money, and must maintain an approval rating...
Global Oneness Project
Relocating Residents: The Impact of Housing on Community
Sama Maydani and Sarah Kuck's film, Even the Walls, that explores the benefits and drawbacks of gentrification in downtown Seattle, asks viewers to consider how houses, apartment buildings, and outdoor spaces can be designed to build a...
Teach Engineering
Working Together to Live Together
Whose home is it anyway? Design teams plan a housing development in which they must also protect a native species. The teams consist of a project manager, civil engineer, environmental engineer, and graphic designer. Teams present their...
Lerner Publishing
Teaching Community Helpers
Youngsters discover who the leaders in their community are and what it means to build a community in this four-lesson unit.
Curated OER
This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land
Young scholars review and evaluate the ways land is covered and used in their local community. They consider the environmental effects of the different types of land use. Students act as community planning engineers to determine where to...
Curated OER
How Should Our Gardens Grow?
Students examine different types of land use by humans and evaluate the ways land is used in their local community. They also consider the environmental effects of the different types of land use. Students assume the role of community...
Curated OER
Community Building
Students explore the issues of urban and suburban sprawl. They work in small groups to create their own planned communities.
Curated OER
Showing Your Community to the World
Middle schoolers investigate the environmental and human implications to local communities of hosting a major exposition or fair in their region. They study current site conditions and develop a comprehensive plan.
Curated OER
"KIDS CREATE COMMUNITIES"
Students brainstorm the idea of a community and make a list of the attributes that are common. They create an ideal community and discuss its qualities in small groups. Each group puts together a presentation of a community for the whole...
Curated OER
Essential Services
Students discuss necessary community services then complete a worksheet by filling in essential services, the needed inputs and outputs produced by fulfilling the service.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Working Together to Live Together
Students experience civil and environmental engineering by planning a housing development in an existing biome, while also protecting the native species that live there. They conduct research, draw plans, make brochures and give...
NASA
Nasa: Imagine Mars
The Imagine Mars Project encourages students to design a community on Mars in the future. Links allow you to get teacher resources, information about Mars, and examples of other student projects.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Epa: Learn About Green Infrastructure
The EPA provides many ideas for integrating green infrastructures into communities. This site also discusses how this can build climate resilience and offers resources for doing a cost-benefit analysis, for addressing government...
Other
Planning.org: Kids and Community
Use this site to explore how you create communities, how you live in them, and how you change them. This site also has information on the career of city planning, and activities on city planning.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Should Our Gardens Grow?
In this lesson plan, students will learn about types of land use by humans and evaluate the ways land is used in their local community. They will also consider the environmental effects of the different types of land use. Students will...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Raging Rivers
The lesson introduces students to the steps of the water cycle and rivers. They think about the effects of communities, sidewalks and roads on the natural flow of rainwater. Students also learn about the role of engineering in community...