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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do It Write

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate types of communities. In this communities lesson, students read the book The Country Mouse and City Mouse and identify the characteristics of the city and country. Students participate in a pen-pal program with a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Do You Live?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study and compare rural, suburban, and urban communities. They play a board game, read books about communities, and complete several other activities regarding the different types of communities. Several extension and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alike and Different

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders listen to a book about how farms feed the world. They discuss elements of rural life. They listen to a story about the suburbs and discuss elements specific to a suburban community. They listen to a story about city...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design Your Own Suburb

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students view and discuss urban and suburban scenes; and list the features of their ideal town and discuss whether these features can be found in cities and suburbs. They draw mental maps of a city and a suburb and brainstorm and list...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from the Road

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students examine and differentiate between rural, urban, and suburban communities. They describe their local areas, view and discuss the images on the West Virginia Quarter, and write a friendly letter describing a camping trip.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Communities

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students examine the similarities and differences between rural, suburban, and urban communities. They read about type of community in their social studies textbook, analyze the differences between Tokyo and Chicago, and complete a chart...
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Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Encyclopedic Entry: Urban

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn the definition of an urban community and how it differs from a rural area.
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Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Growth of Suburbia

For Students 9th - 10th
The GI Bill made it possible for World War II veterans to finance the purchase of a house. This, combined with mass production of houses, led to the growth of suburban communities, including three Levittown suburbs.
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Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Dark Side of Suburbia

For Students 9th - 10th
The suburbs were not idyllic for some. Women found the conformity of them restrictive and African Americans were usually barred from living in them.
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Dark Side of Suburbia

For Students 9th - 10th
Some background information that sheds light on how suburbia wasn't paradise for everyone especially women and African Americans in the 1950s and 60s.
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Communities

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart defines the various types of communities and ties into the book The Little House by Virginia Burton. It features pictures from Google Earth and questions for Activotes.
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Comparing Communities

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is a comparison of the three types of communities, urban, rural, and suburb. It contains streamline video, and many interactive activities.