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Cities are special places where many different people, places, and things come together. By exploring what we can find in a city—like homes, parks, stores, transportation, and important buildings—we learn how communities work and how everyone has a role in making a city a safe, helpful, and interesting place to live.

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What makes a city a special place where many different people, places, and things work together?

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Identify different places and things you can find in a city (homes, parks, stores, roads, transportation, important buildings).

Recognize the people who work in a city and their roles (police officers, firefighters, doctors, store workers, bus drivers).

Understand how people use transportation to move around the city.

Discuss ways that people in a city help and care for each other.

Express ideas about cities through drawing, building, role-play, or storytelling.

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Intro

Introduce the topic “What is a City?”

Complete the K-W-L Chart:

K = What do we Know about cities?

W = What do we Want to know?

Record student responses on chart paper.

Explore Cities Around the World

Read books about cities (select picture books or nonfiction).

Watch short videos showing different cities around the world.

Discuss similarities and differences.

Brainstorm / Deepen Understanding and Share

Continue reading and watching videos about cities.

Invite students to share their Scavenger Hunt findings.

Discuss what they found in their own community.

Create a class chart or mural listing city features students observed.

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Around Our Town: Google Maps Scavenger Hunt

Students will explore their town virtually using Google Maps to identify important community places and services, learning to recognize and name features of a city.

Description:

Instead of physically walking around, students will take a virtual tour of their town on Google Maps (Street View if available). They will search for and identify places such as restaurants, schools, medical services, and more.

They will fill in their scavenger hunt sheet by writing the names of places they find, and check off each item they locate.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Introduction & Discussion (Whole Group):

Discuss: “What kinds of places do we find in our town or city?”

Show pictures of community places to activate background knowledge.

Review the scavenger hunt categories (restaurant, food store, school, etc.).

2. Demonstration:

Project Google Maps on the board.

Model searching for one category (for example: “restaurant near [school/city name]”).

Show how to “drop” into Street View to see the location.

Write the name of the place found on the template.

3. Guided Practice:

As a class, choose 2–3 other categories.

Search and record together.

4. Independent / Small Group Practice:

Students work in pairs or small groups on tablets or computers.

Each pair/group explores Google Maps to find remaining categories.

They write down the names of real places in their community that match.

5. Share & Discuss:

Bring everyone back to share findings.

Compare what different groups found.

Discuss: Why are these places important in our town?

Prompt Questions (PQ):

What places do we need in a city?

Why do people need these places?

What did you find on Google Maps?

Why is it important to know what’s in your community?

Differentiation (DIFF):

Emerging: Students focus on finding and naming a few main places (restaurant, school, store).

Advanced: Students write details (e.g., store names) and describe why that place is important.

Skills Targeted:

Digital literacy (using Google Maps)

Community awareness

Vocabulary development (naming community places)

Writing and recording information

Materials:

Google Maps access on tablets/computers

Scavenger hunt template (printed or digital)

Pencils/pens

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Naming & Assigning Buildings

Students will collaboratively choose a name for their city and decide which essential buildings to include, each selecting one building to represent and build.

Description of Activity:

1. City Naming Ceremony

Begin by revisiting everything they’ve learned so far about cities.

Ask: What makes our city special? What kind of city are we creating—calm, fun, eco-friendly, busy?

As a class, brainstorm several city names and write them on chart paper.

Each student gets one vote and places their name or a sticker on the name they like best.

Announce and celebrate the winning name!

2. Essential Buildings Discussion

Using a visual brainstorming session, ask students:
What buildings do we need in our city?

Create a large class chart and group ideas (e.g., hospital, school, market, fire station, park, etc.).

Guide them to select a final list of buildings that cover basic needs and interests.

3. Building Assignments

Each student picks or is assigned one building from the final list.

They will become the "architect" and "manager" of that space.

Students will begin drawing an initial sketch of their building and write 1–2 sentences about its purpose in the city.

Prompt Questions (PQ):

What should we name our city? Why?

What buildings are important for a city to work well?

Why did you choose this building? What does it offer to the people in our city?

Differentiation (DIFF):

Emerging: Students can choose from a visual list and label their building using drawings and basic words.

Advanced: Students can write a short paragraph describing their building's purpose and who uses it.

Materials:

Chart paper and markers

Sticky notes or student name tags for voting

Printed images or word cards of common buildings

Drawing paper and pencils

City Planning Journal (optional)

Skills Targeted:

Collaboration and decision-making

Vocabulary (city, building types, community roles)

Creative thinking and design

Oral communication

Early writing and labeling skills

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"Let's Build A City"

Students will collaboratively design and construct a model city by creating buildings, adding details, and setting up a complete city scene.

Description:
In one extended session, students will work in teams to build and decorate a city model. They will:

1. Cover boxes with paper to form the walls and roofs of buildings.

2. Add doors, windows, building signs, and landscape elements.

3. Create houses, traffic signs, street signs, and trees.

4. Arrange the buildings and houses to form the city and suburb.

5. Add vehicles such as cars and buses to complete the scene.

Prompt Questions (PQ):

What buildings and places should our city have?

Where should each building go? Why?

How can we make our city realistic and organized?

Differentiation (DIFF):

Emerging: Focus on covering boxes, adding basic features, and placing items in the city.

Advanced: Design detailed elements (e.g., realistic signs, landscapes) and help plan the city layout.

Materials Needed:

Boxes (various sizes)

Colored paper and construction paper

Scissors, tape, glue

Markers, crayons, or paint

Small toy cars, buses, and trees (optional)

Skills Targeted:

Collaboration and teamwork

Creativity and design

Fine motor skills (cutting, gluing, decorating)

Spatial awareness and planning

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