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Content Area: Social Studies
Index: 6.6D Grade 12 CPI 4
Standard: 6.6 - Geography
Strand: D - Human Systems
Cumulative Progress Indicator: 4 - The student will analyze the processes that change urban areas.
Grade: 12
Sample Activities:
· After the library media specialist reviews atlas skills with the students, they use a variety of maps to identify, locate, and describe cities and metropolitan areas in New Jersey and the United States. Each student selects a different city to investigate. Using the resources of the library media center, the students research answers to the following questions: What is the latitude and longitude of your city? Describe the climate and cite evidence. What causes the climatic conditions? What geographic features are significant? What transportation features are there? What industries are prominent? How does the city deal with scarcity (of water or land, for example)? What are the major cultures represented? Are there ethnic enclaves? What educational and cultural opportunities exist? Is your city a capital of the nation or state? If not, what government functions are located there and why? What images of your city exist in the media, in music, television, movies etc.? What are the relationships between the city and the surrounding suburban and rural areas? What demographic shifts have taken place in your city over the past 10, 20, and 50 years? What are the prospects for your city’s future? Students share their research and come to some conclusions about the functions and spatial arrangements of cities and their roles in the future. Students should arrive at the following generalizations: All cities have been impacted by their physical environments. Metropolitan areas that are strong financial and trading participants in the international economy play major roles in their national economy as well, and will prosper and grow as the larger economy grows. Cities must overcome challenges, whether their economics are primarily industrial or service based.
· Each student is given a set of materials on a city other than the one originally selected and researched. In an essay of 1000 words, each student writes an evaluative profile of the city in terms of business, industry, cultural, and population dimensions.
· The students in Mr. Young’s class were discussing the problems of decaying downtown areas in many American cities. They considered the exodus of many member of the middle class from the cities as well as changes in central business districts and shopping areas. However, an interesting reverse trend is occurring in cities like Hoboken and Jersey City. Because rents are so expensive in New York City, many young professionals are choosing to live on the Jersey side of the Hudson where public transportation offers easy access to Manhattan. This upscale migration to these former working-class cities is bringing prosperity to some individuals and forcing others to move because the demand for housing has increased the rents. By becoming more “upscale,” cities like Hoboken and Jersey City can no longer accommodate some long-time residents and recent immigrants. After the discussion, the students in Mr. Young’s class create a role-play about the pros and cons of gentrifying cities. They script their arguments once the following parts are assigned: A realtor, A senior citizen who has rented an apartment for 25 years, The owner of a small grocery store/bodega whose clientele is being forced to move, The owner of a health food store, A member of the police department, A member of the local school board, An owner of an upscale restaurant, An owner of a small independent hardware store. A young professional who works on Wall Street. Any additional personalities that make up the urban landscape
· Students compare the historical downtown/main street functions of their communities (or the nearest city) with present patterns of housing and commerce. Encourage students to request informational materials from community resources such as local and county offices of planning and development. This activity will hone valuable workplace readiness skills as students write letters to planning agencies requesting publication lists and receive and evaluate such materials for their project. Provide appropriate readings throughout this long-range student project.
· Students examine such questions as the following: What effect has the movement to the suburbs had on the urban infrastructure? What advantages do malls have over distributed retail outlets? How have local small businesses been impacted by large, national discount stores such as K-Mart, Home Depot, Drug Emporium, or Circuit City? Is this good for the community? How have demographics changed in your town? Is it gaining or losing people? What are the issues and the causes of what is happening? What is the decision-making structure of the city? How is this related to the accident of birth and/or to personal achievement?
Inspiration Template:
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