Our Community Unit

1. Our Community Unit “Defining who we are, how we fit into the world around us, and how we can become active community members.”

2. Overarching Goals: • Microcosm – Macrocosm • Authentic Education • National Geography Standards

3. Microcosm - Macrocosm Students develop from concrete to abstract learners. It is easier for students to comprehend an abstract concept, such as a foreign culture or geographic feature, if they can scaffold or compare the newly introduced topic to something they have experienced firsthand. In other words, by comparing the tangible to the abstract, students are better able to comprehend geography.

4. Authentic/Real World Education “Working on authentic tasks is a useful, engaging activity in itself; it becomes an ‘episode of learning’ for the student (Wolf, 1989). From the teacher's perspective, teaching to such tasks guarantees that we are concentrating on worthwhile skills and strategies (Wiggins, 1989). Students are learning and practicing how to apply important knowledge and skills for authentic purposes.” http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/litass/auth.html Presenting to the Town Council & Planning Commission Real/ Meaningful Learning Real World Data

5. National Geography Standards: • The World in Spatial Terms - 1 & 3 • Places and Regions – 4,5, & 6 • Human Systems – 9,10,11,12, & 13 • Environment & Society – 14 • The Uses of Geography - 18

6. The Evolving Project One lesson leads to another, then another…

7. Past Projects • Belding Mill Renovation – Thompson, CT • Walking Historical Field Trips – Thompson, CT Mills • Population Explosion/Sprawl – Middle School Students Presented to the Coventry Town Council

8. Population Growth & Sprawl Project An article in the Projo prompted the following project that really formed the foundation of what I am currently implementing. The students used Coventry’s Comprehensive Plan to analyze the effects of the population explosion. (Coventry was the fastest growing town at the time.) Article: “Sprawl brawl - Suburban R.I. is ground zero in the battle over managing growth” 11/28/01

9. Newspaper Coverage Article

10. Population Projection Project*This is the PowerPoint presented to the Town Council in 2001 Ali Sherer, Corey Brassard, Kristen Oscarson, Marc Volpicelli, Bashar Shehada, Alan Hall

11. Ideas for Today and Tomorrow We need to control the population growth for a better tomorrow. 1

12. Our Future • The projected population in the year 2050 is 75,050. • There will be 1,158 people per square mile. This is approximately three times the current population. • This will lead to a tax increase, pollution problems, urbanization and much more. If we don’t do something soon we will look like New York City! • If our population reaches its expected amount we will become an urban area. 2

13. Crime Rate • No one even feels safe walking down the street at night knowing that the crime rate has gone up. • On the Coventry/West Warwick line there will be graffiti and gangs roaming the streets. • We will have more robberies, gangs, drug smuggling etc. No one will be safe. • With all the crime and violence, the town will need to hire more police officers, which will raise taxes. 3

14. Watching Out For One Another • The amount of people that do drugs in Coventry is very low and the kids that grow up and leave this town are usually well-rounded individuals. • The teachers in Coventry really get to know the students well and no matter what each student needs the teacher is always there for them. • With a larger populations everyone won’t know everyone and the education system will definitely not be as good as it is now. • When your kid starts, “hanging out with the wrong crowd,” who will be there to tell you? There will be many more students in classes and teachers won’t have the time to get to know each and every one. 4

15. Environment • There will need to be many more homes and other things like grocery stores, dumps, fast food restaurants and Wal-Mart's taking up land space. • To make room for these things trees will have to be cut down. When you cut down trees, it ruins the habitat for many species of animals. • Coventry has parks, trees and animals. We almost have the perfect little community. 5

16. Traffic Congestion • With the expected population Coventry will have to add new roads and widen the current ones. • Coventry will have to buy the needed land to add and widen the roads and then actually build them. This will costs hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars. • If the population triples so will the number of cars. Route 3 is currently four lanes wide. With the expected population it will have to be twelve lanes wide. That will take up a lot of space. • Coventry will have three times the amount of current car accidents, making the roads more dangerous and many lives will be lost. • The pollution caused by the cars will also triple in Coventry and this will create smog like in Mexico City. 6

17. Taxes • I am assuming all of you are aware that if taxes get raised it is very unlikely you will be elected again. No one wants high taxes and the town pays social workers, teachers, firefighters, and police officers to do their jobs. • If the population rises they will need more people to do these jobs costing the taxpayers more money. 7

18. Stopping the Growth • You can limit how many building permits you send out each year or make it so you have to own at least 2 acres to build a house. We need to keep the population of Coventry small so we don’t end up looking like what we most fear. • Set more laws to limit the growth. 7

19. Thank You • Thank you for listening to our presentation and what we had to say about the population growth problem in Coventry. • We hope you take our suggestions to the problem seriously and into consideration. 7

20. Measures Taken By Coventry After The Student Presentations • Limit placed on building permits • Impact fees for new building legislated • Build-Out Analysis • More discussion by Town Council and in the News. • ***Student’s see authenticity of project***

21. Current Project (Evolved):Our Community • What is a Community? • Why is Community Important? • Analyzing Community & Culture • Defining Our Community • Our Community & The Global Community • Improving Our Community

22. What is a Community? GEMEINSCHAFT V. GESELLSCHAFT A major contribution to the discussion of community was made in the 1920's by Ferdinand Tonnies, who used the German words Gemeinschaft (community) and Gesellschaft (society) with special meanings which have entered the language of social science. Gemeinschaft, normally translated as 'community', refers to the closeness of holistic social relationships said to be found in pre-industrial communities, and imputed to the community as moral worth. For Tonnies, Gemeinschaft exists by the subjective will of the members: "the very existence of Gemeinschaft rests in the consciousness of belonging together and the affirmation of the condition of mutual dependence" (Tonnies 1925: 69). Gesellschaft refers to the more instrumental, purposeful types of relationship typical of industrial society. This objective society or association (Gesellschaft), where "reference is only to the objective fact of a unity based on common traits and activities and other external phenomena" (Tonnies 1925: 67) stands in contrast to community defined by shared feeling. Tonnies considers entities based on objective common interest such as "ethnic community, community of speech, community of work" (Tonnies 1925: 67) to be Gesellschaft (society), not Gemeinschaft (community), because they lack the element of shared feeling which is essential to Gemeinschaft. Gemeinschaft type relationships may be found in modern industrial society, but they do not typify the dominant type of relationship of that society.

23. Why Care About Your Community? • Movie:Pay It Forward • Article:Standards of the Heart(http://www.cdl.org/resources/reading_room/columbine.html) • Article:A Cry in the Night: The Kitty Genovese Story (http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/kitty_genovese/3.html?sect=2)

24. Analyzing Community/Culture Case Study: The Nacirema (http://www.knottyoakms.net/Eclipse/Our%20Community%20Project/Nacirema%20Article.htm)

25. Defining Our Community: Sticky Notes Brainstorm Activity • Students define “Community” from Dictionaries • In groups, the students brainstorm all that comes to mind in what “Community” means to them and write their thoughts on sticky note pads. • The groups then divide each defining sticky note into the following categories: Very Sure, Somewhat Sure, A little Sure, & Wild Guess. • Each group puts their sticky notes into the four sections designated on the board. • Whole class consolidates lists and sub-categorizes them. • Class creates Web definition of “Community”

26. Our Community Web:

27. Defining Our Community Assignment Defining Community Survey Mr. Mitchell – Social Studies Directions/Overview: Your group has been assigned a sub-category within the class’s definition of community. Now it is time to actually collect real data through surveying in order to define the community that you live in. Step 1: Break it Down! Brainstorm a list of questions that breaks the sub-category you were assigned into smaller parts. Step 2:Delegate! Assign at least TWO questions to each member of your group. Step 3: Create a data table following the example provided in class. This is used to collect and keep track of all of the responses in your survey. This needs to be neat and organized! You must ask everyone the exact same question! Step 4:Survey! Find at least 25 participants to answer your questions completely. Step 5:Calculate! Calculate your responses into percentages using the format provided. Step 6:Graph It! Graph your responses using the “Create a Graph” Internet site (http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/). Select the pie graph format. Step 7:What Does It All Mean! Write a conclusion that summarizes your results and findings. Be sure to discuss how it relates or helps define your community. Also talk about the limits of your findings.

28. Defining Our Community: Interdisciplinary Connections: • Math: Surveying, tabulating results, and graphing it. (Helpful website: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/Graphing/) • ELA: Summarizing and Analytical Writing

29. Survey Results: Student Work The students summarized and analyzed their results in a paragraph below their printed graphs.

30. Our Community & The Global Community Step 1:Research! Find the page within the book, The Global Village, that relates to the results from your sub-category your group was assigned. Review and read over the data presented in the book. Also, analyze the data/information provided that is specific to your sub-category. Step 2:Compare & Contrast! Fill out the following graphic organizer with your group. Each member needs to try to make connections between the results from their questions and the data within the book. Use bullets for each question you included in your survey. Help each other out. The following questions should guide your responses: 1.      How are the results similar to the global community results/data? 2.      How are the results different to the global community results/data? 3.      What factors might explain the similarities or differences in the results/data? Step 3:Summarize! As a group, briefly summarize the overall results of the graphic organizer. Focus how our local community fits into the global community. Include specific references to your data/results. Step 4:Report the Results! The group will report out to the class on their findings. Be prepared to answer questions from the teacher and your classmates. Be sure to pay attention to other connections being made in other categories. Extra points will be awarded to these specific connections. Step 5:What should you have asked? List any questions you think you should have asked in retrospect. In other words, what questions would have produced results that would have made this assignment much easier to do?

31. Comparing their Community to the World Community Students take the graphing/summary results from their Defining Our Community project and compare/contrast them to global statistics.

32. Source: If the World were a Village… by David J. Smith • If the whole world were a village of just 100 people, 6 would belong to the Buddhist faith, and 32 would be Christians. There would be 38 school-aged villagers (ages 5 to 24), but only 31 of them would attend school. And the poorest 20 people would each have less than $1 a day. • Topics Included: • Nationalities • Languages • Ages • Religions • Food • Air and Water • Schooling and Literacy • Money and Possessions • Electricity • Village in the past • Village in the future 

33. Source: Map & Graph: Food: McDonalds restaurants (Top 50 Countries) View this stat: Per capitaPer $ GDPShow map full screenCountryDescriptionDefinition: Number of McDonalds restaurants.Amount 1.United States12,804 McDonald's restaurants 2.Japan3,598 McDonald's restaurants 3.Canada1,154 McDonald's restaurants 4.United Kingdom1,115 McDonald's restaurants 5.Germany1,091 McDonald's restaurants 6.France857 McDonald's restaurants 7.Australia701 McDonald's restaurants 8.Taiwan338 McDonald's restaurants 9.China326 McDonald's restaurants 10.Italy290 McDonald's restaurants

34. Our Community & The Global Community Graphic Organizer

35. Assessing the Students:

36. Improving Our Community Researching the town’s Comprehensive Plan to make our Community better!

37. The Community We Live In: Planning for Our Future

38. Improving Our Community: Interdisciplinary Connections • Math – Growth & Decay Exponential Growth Formula – Interpreting Data Tables and Graphs • ELA – Summarizing Text, Translating Expository Text to “Kid Friendly” Language. • Science – Environmental Science: Pollution, Soil Erosion, etc.

39. Improving Your Community Assignment Overview: Each student will work with a small group of their peers in researching a part of the Coventry Community Comprehensive Plan. Each group will review the goals listed for their category (i.e. Land Use) and then propose a plan for the town on how to achieve those goals. Each group will create a presentation that demonstrates their proposals. Step 1:Choose andResearch! Review the Goals and Objectives for your category provided. Choose the ones that you plan to focus on and rewrite them in “kid” friendly language. Also, review in detail, the materials, maps, etc. given to your group. You need to understand their meaning before moving on to the next step! Also, add a goal or objective to the list that your group feels is needed under the category you were assigned. You will produce: 1.      The goals and objectives summarized in your own words. 2.      List of goals or objectives of your own. Step 2: Summarize and Report to Class! Each group will report out to the class about what their goals and objectives are, in addition to, describing the current state of Coventry within those goals and objectives. Be prepared to answer questions and receive suggestions. You will produce: 1.      Your goals and objectives on a transparency sheet. 2.      A one page summary of the information you were provided. 3.      Reference points on a map of Coventry provided. (Include this in your presentation to class.) Step 3:Create a Plan! Propose a plan on how to realize these goals and objectives. Write up a summary (one-page) explaining your plan. Also, include maps, tables, figures, etc. to show how your plan is to work. You will produce: 1.      A one-page report about your plan. 2.      A presentation to the class with visual aids. (Use the overhead, computer, posterboard, etc.) Step 4:Present Your Plan! Each group will present their proposal to the class. You must use visual aids and be able to defend your plan from critical questions. Translation of Goals Summary of Current State Present Proposed Plan

40. Improving Your Community - Group Research Categories: • Land Use (Zoning – Residential, Commercial, etc.) • Circulation (Transportation, Roads) • Economic Development (Employment, Industry, Tax Revenue, etc.) • Open Space & Recreation (Parks, Preserves, Playgrounds, etc.) • Natural & Cultural Resources (Lakes, Beach, Historical Site, etc.) • Community Services & Facilities (Schools, Police Stations, Fire Stations, Senior Centers, etc.)

41. Materials from the Comprehensive Plan for each student group: Land Use: 1.        Vision, Goals, and Objectives 2.        Land Use Maps 3.        Agricultural Land Maps 4.        Existing Land Use Maps 5.        Recreation, Conservation, Open Space Maps 6.        Zoning Districts Maps 7.        Land Use and Zoning (description) Circulation: 1.        Vision, Goals, and Objectives 2.        Existing Transportation System Maps 3.        Rhode Island Map 4.        Street and Highway Characteristics Tables 5.        Traffic Accident Table 6.        Zoning Districts Maps Economic Development: 1.        Vision, Goals, and Objectives 2.        Existing Land Use Maps 3.        Population Growth/Density Tables 4.        Employment Characteristics Tables 5.        Median Family Income Growth Tables 6.        Tax-base Sources Tables 7.        Land Use and Zoning (descriptions) 8.        Zoning Districts Maps 9.        Coventry Municipal Revenue Tables Natural & Cultural Resources: 1.        Vision, Goals, and Objectives 2.        Natural & Cultural Resources Maps 3.        Existing Land Use Maps 4.        Land Use and Zoning (descriptions) 5.        Zoning Districts Maps Open Space & Recreation: 1.        Vision, Goals, and Objectives 2.        Existing Land Use Maps 3.        Recreation, Conservation, and Open Space Maps 4.        Open Space and Recreation Needs Assessment 5.        Land Use and Zoning (description) 6.        Zoning Districts Maps Community Services & Facilities: 1.        Vision, Goals, and Objectives 2.        Community Services & Facilities Maps 3.        School Enrollment and Capacity Tables 4.        Land Use and Zoning (description) 5.        Zoning Districts Maps

42. Translation of Vision, Goals, & Objectives to“Kid Language” • Students work in assigned groups. • Groups review the provided materials. • The students divide the Vision, Goals, and Objectives equitably. • Students use dictionaries and consulting with teacher to translate their Vision, Goals, and Objectives into language that the class would be comfortable with. • All translations are approved by the teacher. • ***Add their OWN Goals & Objectives***

43. Improving Your Community (1st Presentation):Defining the Current State of Categories • Read translated Vision, Goals, & Objectives • Groups referred to their summaries of their materials displayed on the overhead machine • Whole class discussion and questioning of each group’s materials and current state.

44. Why We Need to Think About the Future and Plan for it! John Flaherty’s Smart Growth Presentation – Avoiding Sprawl Wood Estates residents take on condos Bill Brackett presents on the Wood Estates Zoning Dispute Former Student Ali Sherer presents on the factors of exponential population growth

45. Math Connection: Exponential Population Growth

46. Math Activity: Predicting Population Growth in your Town Helpful Website: http://online.redwoods.edu/instruct/darnold/INTALG/growthdecay/growthdecay.pdf

47. Connecting Math to Social Studies: • Students used their population growth calculations to predict what their community would look like in the future. • Former student, Ali Sherer, presented her PowerPoint to the students and answered questions. • Whole class filled out the following graphic organizer with their research materials and calculations in front of them…

48. Connecting Math & Social Studies: Predicting Consequences of Population Growth

49. The Student’s Version of the Comprehensive Plan • Students add their own goals and objectives • They review the maps, tables, data, etc. they are provided with and come up with their own plans. • Each group must back up their plans or changes with real data. It must also be feasible with the teacher’s endorsement. (Ex: Having the town build a Six Flag’s Amusement Park with town tax revenues would be rather difficult to pass.) • Student groups create a plan to attain these goals and objectives. (Ex: Where is a new school, park, etc. going to be located?)

50. Final Presentation to the Town Council & Planning Commission • Students present their PowerPoints and Posterboards. • The presentations are grouped by category. • Question and Answer session immediately following.