Cities in the Classroom - Michael Koller

Lesson title: A day in the Park

 Benchmarks:

 SS 7.C.2.1.3 Examine multiple perspectives on public and current issues.

L.A. 7.5.2.1 The students will use effective listening strategies for informal and formal discussions, connecting to and building on the ideas of a previous speaker and respecting the viewpoints of others when identifying bias or faulty logic.

 Overview: Cooperative learning groups deciding the needs within each park (this includes the drafting of a questionnaire for both adults and children)

 Objective: The students will, while in cooperative learning groups, develop a questionnaire that helps them identify what amenities students would like in a park.

 Time: 45 min. class period

 Strategies: Group discussion, cooperative groups, class discussion and voting

 Materials: Large poster board, markers

 Background: Review the need for input and group activity procedures. Discuss how lawmakers often use polls or questionnaires to illicit ideas and gather citizen’s feelings on a topic.

 Activities:

  1. Discuss the idea of using questionnaires as an information gathering tool (about 10 minutes).
  2. Break the students up into cooperative learning groups of 3-4 students each. Give them a min. to decide who will handle each job needed for a cooperative learning group: leader (initiates discussions), secretary (writes group ideas), timekeeper (reminds others of time limit for project), and motivator (makes sure all are participating and on task).
  3. Write on the board, “You are making a questionnaire that will help decide what
  4. Display each groups’ poster board and discuss each group’s questions allowing will be placed in a new city park.” Remember to discuss realistic costs and equipment since we are in a recession and the town has a tight budget. Give them 10-15 minutes to come up with a questionnaire and write the questions on a large piece of poster board.them to select the best of each. A simple thumb up or thumb down vote for each question will help decide to keep or discard each question.

      5.   Have one secretary compile a list of each accepted question.

Lesson title: Just heading to a Park

 Benchmarks:

 SS.B.1.3.1      Use various map forms (including thematic maps) and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report geographic information including patterns of land use, connections between places, and patterns and processes of migration and diffusion.

SS.B.1.3.2       Use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments.

 Overview: Individual map reading skills. Students will be given a map of Windermere and its park locations.

 Objectives:

1. Students will be able to locate each park on a town map using a grid.

2. Students will measure the distance between selected parks on a town map.

3. Students will use the map’s compass rose to identify directions of parks on the map.

4. Students will identify which parks have specific equipment by using the information provided in the map’s key.

5. Students will analyze the map and determine what section of town is lacking in park facilities and design a park for that area placing it on the map and information in the key that is needed.

 Time: 45 minutes

 Strategies: Map reading skills (using a grid, compass, and scale), analyzing ability to identify areas of need and determining where a new park should be located.

Materials:  Gridded map of Windermere with the parks identified in the key by equipment.

 Background: Discuss the lost art of using street maps to locate places (now that GPR and computerized mapping have developed) was the norm. Show them a road map of their state or city and show them how a grid is used to help locate places in the index. Draw a simplified grid on the board if necessary, or discuss the game of battleship for those who have played.

 Activities:

  1. After explaining the use of a maps index and grid system (using a classroom atlas if needed), discuss how a map with a grid can be used to locate a place on the map. Review, if needed, a map’s compass and scale and how it is used. 15-20 minutes.
  2. Pass out the map of Windermere and its parks assignment and have them begin answering the questions. Allow them to use the remainder of the time, and bring it home if needed, to complete the assignment.
  3. Grade this exercise orally with the students.

 

Name __________________________________________  Just heading to a Park

 Directions: Analyze the map of Windermere and answer the following questions. The numbered areas represent land owned by the Town of Windermere (some are parks and others are administrative building locations). The shaded areas are lakes.

 1. Central Park (#2) is what location from Palmer Park (#4)? _________________________

2. Johnson Park (#7) is what direction from the Town Hall (#1)? _____________________

3. Lake Down Park (#9) is what direction from Fernwood Park (#5)? __________________

4. Going from Lake Bessie Park (#8) to Butler Bay Park (#10) is what direction? ____________

5. Label the following on the map from the descriptions.

            Lake Bessie: South of Johnson Park and East of Lake Bessie Park.

            Lake Butler: Southwest of Palmer Park.

            Lake Down: Northeast of Lake Down Park.

            Wauseon Bay: Between Butler Bay Park and Palmer Park.

            Bird Island: West of Fernwood Park.

6. Linear Parks are narrow strips of land along a lake used for walking or relaxing on benches.
Name three linear parks in Windermere. ____________________________________    ____________________________________    ____________________________________

7. Using the map’s grid, answer the following questions.

            What parks are found in D 3? _______________________________________________

            Where is the Winderemere Little league park (#11)? __________________________

            Are there any parks in grid E 3? ____________________     D 4? __________________

8. About how far is it between the following parks.

            Fernwood Park to Central Park (#2)? ________________________

            Parramore park (#6) to Butler Bay Park by road? ____________________________

9. Circle the following parks that might have a boat ramp? Palmer Park, Central park, Parramore park, Fernwood Park, Park Among the Lakes (#3).

10 Windermere is known as the town “Among the Lakes”. Is this appropriate? Explain your answer.