Envisioning Community

Fourth graders took on the role of city planners this week. Students began by brainstorming aspects of a community or town around three different topics: members, environment/buildings and services. The students were instructed to set their imaginations free, so they could write country and urban. The idea wasn't to choose, but to consider the possibilities, at least in the beginning.

The groups were then reconfigured and the students were told they could only pick three aspects from each topic to include in their community. What were the most important services? What would you be willing to leave behind? Is it more important to have a doctor in the community or a teacher? The discussions, were rich and varied.

The students will use this information to create a short radio ad explaining why their community is a great place to live. They don't have to include all nine aspects they chose, but they can only choose from those nine to share. This activity pulls on students' creative and critical thinking skills and prepares the students for a future project that will tie into their class study of Philadelphia.