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Cityscape

In this provocation, students will create their own city

Objective:

  •  Can you create an imaginary city or town with buildings, roads and homes?

  •  Can you design a map of your town? 

Problem-solving and strategic thinking:

  • Students will use materials provided to build a model of a complete cityscape or town

  •  Students will label and/or create signs to identify roads and buildings 

Standards/Objectives addressed:

  • CIV K.1 Describe roles and responsibilities of people in authority (local/state/national e.g., judge, mayor, governor, police) 

  • ● CIV K.2 Explain how all people, not just official leaders, play an important role in a community. 

  • ● CIV K.3 Describe how communities work to accomplish common tasks, establish responsibilities, and fulfill roles of authority. 

  • ● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. 

  • ● CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1: Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes. 

  • ● NGSS.K-PS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object. ● NGSS.K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. 

Background knowledge needed:

  •  How to make a plan - sketch a design 

  •  Understanding of cities, towns, roads 

  •  Community background: who and what makes a community? 

Materials:

  • Blocks, legos, cardboard, tape, paper, recycled materials, items from nature 

Prompts – questions or statements to elicit engagement:

  • Who will live/work in your town? How will they get from place to place? 

  • How will people know where to find people and places in your town/city? 

  • What about rivers? How do they change the layout of your city? 

  • What materials could you use for….? 

  •  What things need more space? 

Vocabulary:

  • map, city, town, community, design, structure, blue print, water way, road

Reflection prompts:

  • What worked well? What part of your design do you like best or would you change? Why?

  •  When you made your design, how did you decide where things should go?

  • Can you give me a tour of your town?

Extension:

  • In groups of two or three students, share their city plans and discuss the similarities and differences between them. Would you want to add something to yours? Would you want to change anything?

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