Students explore community character and investigate ways that communities, including their own, are responding to growth and development pressures.
This is one of 8 activities that can be found in PLT’s Exploring Environmental Issues: Places We Live module. To get the activity, attend a training and receive PLT’s Places We Live secondary module. Below are some supporting resources for this activity.
Download the copyright-free student pages that are included with this activity:
Case Study: Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (PDF)
Case Study: Gateway Communities of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (PDF)
Questions to Consider (PDF)
Case Study: Local Land Use Issue (PDF)
Character Search (PDF)
Expand your students’ learning and imaginations. Help students meet their reading goals, while building upon concepts learned in this activity, with the following children’s book recommendations:
The following tools and resources may be used to enhance the activity.
Generate: The Game of Energy Choices is a board game from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that teaches students about the costs and benefits of the energy choices we make; what happens if the mix of energy sources changes in the future; and what energy choices mean for our climate, air, water, and overall environmental quality. Teachers can download a printable version of the game and accompanying materials.
Looking for questions to evaluate your students’ awareness of the world in which you live? Here are 30 Questions to help get you started.
“What Happened to Our Village Green?” is an article in the Huston Chronicle by C.E. Hunt that discusses the loss of “green space” for children to learn and play.
Orion magazine has reinstated its popular column called “The Place Where You Live.” This is a space where students and educators can share thoughts and experiences related to their communities or personal places. First-hand feelings are shared, such as what connects individuals to their special place, the history it holds, their hopes and fears for it, as well as resources necessary to protect it, prepare it for the future, and/or improve it.
EPA’s new EnviroAtlas tool is designed to help communities and researchers make informed planning and policy decisions related to the environment and ecosystems. EnviroAtlas provides datasets and interactive tools to allow users to explore the many benefits people receive from nature, often referred to as ecosystem services. EnviroAtlas includes over 300 data layers, letting users analyze how decisions affect ecosystems and their ability to provide goods and services. Key components include:
As we know, trees represent more than just beautiful natural elements of our land, they also provide shade, manage water, stop erosion, protect streams, soothe the soul, clean the air, protect the quality and health of water, and attract homeowners, renters, and shoppers. Check out this Doodle Lecture created by Alabama Cooperative Extension that unveils the many benefits of having trees in our communities.
Combine lessons from these two resources to stimulate higher level thinking in your students and spark discussions about the value of trees where you live.
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