Content Area: Social Studies

 

Index: 6.2E Grade 12 CPI 9

 

Standard: 6.2 - Civics

 

Strand: E - International Education: Global Challenges, Cultures, and Connections

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 9 -  The student will discuss the impact of technology, migration, the economy, politics, and urbanization on culture.

 

Grade: 12

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        In 1900, 1.6% of the world’s population lived in large cities. In 2020, the percentage is projected to be 27.1% (Population Reference Bureau). The effects of urbanization in the northeastern corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., can be studied using appropriate books, articles, and newspapers.

 

·        Changes in Community. Encourage students to understand the ongoing processes and patterns of human settlement over time by having them write descriptions and create line drawings of their community environment, whether urban, suburban, or rural. Compare these with the pictures in Window by Jeannie Baker (1996), a pictorial journey of a boy growing up and the changes in his community. This activity requires students to understand the causes and effects of human migration; the similarities, differences, and interdependence of rural, suburban, and urban communities; and the causes and effects of urbanization. Ask students to predict future changes in the Window story as well as future changes in their community, based on information gathered from interviews with long-time community residents and other local people. Students write new illustrated versions of Window based on their community and present these stories to younger children.

 

·        Megacities. By the year 2000, more than 27% of the world’s population will live in cities, including 21 megacities of more than 10 million people. “A few urban giants are coping with their expanding dimensions. Elsewhere chaos looms.” (Time, January 11, 1993, p. 3) Ask students to define what an urban area is, and ask if they live in or near one. Distribute charts and information about the top-ranked urban cities in the world. Students locate these megacities on a map and compare them to find patterns. Students compare top-ranked cites in the world at various time periods and note the patterns. Cities in Europe are not likely to appear on a list of top-ranked cities as they did in 1950. Note the increase in the number of megacities in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Students should be able to explain what the above quote means and how rapid urbanization in places like Sao Paulo affects the city’s infrastructure and the quality of life (especially for the new arrivals).

Expected Services. The infrastructure of a city weakens as population growth outpaces essential services. In the book Sustainable Cities, the authors present a prioritized list of what services people expect to find in a city. The list includes the following services: food, water, energy sources, education,
transportation, recreation, health services, police and fire protection, housing, environmental, services, sanitation, and law enforcement. Students print these services on poster paper and attempt to prioritize them. The most essential services are given the highest priority. Note that individuals living in more developed countries tend to take certain things for granted, whereas those in less developed countries do not.