Activity 8: Community Changes Over Time (100-120 minutes)

This activity examines five areas of change and how they affect communities.

Teacher note:

It may be necessary for some students in an expert group to research in the resource centre, on the Internet, or in local libraries. See Assessment of Prior Learning for recommended skills.

Expectations

• demonstrate an understanding of the factors affecting urbanization, industrialization, transportation, and improvements in agriculture;
• formulate questions that synthesize various sources of information and points of view;
• construct a variety of graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, and models to organize information.

Assessment

• summative assessment by student and peer and of how well each home group worked together
• formative observation by teacher of group work, process and product
• self-assessment of completeness of homework assignment

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. In a large group discuss how the local community has changed over time. See below for suggestions about an expert presentation.
2. Use Jigsaw, Appendix 8.1, with home groups of four students. Each group member is to become an expert in one of four major ways in which population is being changed: industrialization, improvements in agriculture, changes in transportation, and urbanization. The experts work with other experts in a group in the same area to:

·         define and explain the term or process involved in the change;

·         find significant information about how each one has changed where people live;

·         suggest factors that affect each area of change.

1. Students brainstorm and cluster ideas (Clustering, Appendix 8.2), and report back to the home group on each area of change.
2. Students complete self and peer assessment of their group work using Self and Peer Assessment, Appendix 8.3.
3. As an assignment for their scrapbook, each student researches to discover one significant change that is affecting their country now and explains what affect this change has had or is having on their country.

Modifications/Expanded Opportunities

• Arrange for a local historian, geographer, member of the chamber of commerce, or informed senior to talk to the class about changes they have seen in the local community. Discuss with the class appropriate behavior during guest presentations. Organize one student to thank the presenter at the end of the presentation, and ask for volunteers to write thank-you notes the next day.
• As an extension, students collect newspaper, magazine or Internet articles from local, regional, national, or international sources dealing with each of the four areas of change. Individually or in pairs, students should complete a simple newspaper analysis for each area with an emphasis on the effect the change has had on the community in the news.

Resources

• textbooks, atlas, Internet, school or local library

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