Glossary Terms:

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This lesson is designed to link previous knowledge of concepts surrounding urban environments with local cities and new urban initiatives. This is the middle lesson of a mini-unit on urbanism. The previous lesson is titled “Origins of Cities and Stars.” Its objective is to show students that some processes in our urban world and in the universe are very similar, so students can understand that humans are not disconnected from nature and the universe but are part of them.

The follow-up lesson is, “The Science Behind the Fiction of Future Cities.” Its objective is to expose students to part of a design project where we use the design process (empathize, defi ne, ideate, prototype, test) to let them use their imaginations to visualize and construct models of sustainable cities of the future.

For more on these lessons, contact the author at Stephens.jim@scienceandtech.org

Students will practice a variety of information literacy skills along with small and large group collaboration, while gaining a better understanding of what a sustainable city is through current examples of sustainable cities globally and locally.

Besides practicing skills and devloping a deeper understanding of content, this lesson is designed to illustrate the role of innovation and problem-solving locally. The sustainable initiatives found locally will be supported later in the term with visits from designers of various local organizations and site visits to local sustainable projects.

Computers with Internet and PowerPoint Large Table Top WhiteboardMarkersErasersWord WallPaperPencilsMultiple Choice Mastery Check

Classroom

90 to 100 Minutes (this will vary depending on the needs of your students)

By James Peckham Stephens

SUBJECTS HistoryBiologyEarth Science

Cities of Today

Evolving Cities Lesson 1

Objectives

Overview

Materials and Resources

Setting

Time Needed

CityHuman ParadoxSustainableWebQuest - A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the Web: http://webquest.org

Physical Environment

Community& Sustainability

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This unit is part of a course that explores the history of the universe with a concentration on the place of humans in the universe and on Earth. The formation of cities is described as similar to the formation of stars, solar systems and planets in earlier units. But once our course arrives at the Neolithic Revolution, we concentrate on the history of cities and how it influences the relationship among humans, other species and the planet.

The history of humanity is depicted as the “human paradox.” The title refers to the idea that humans are amazing and unique in their achievements, physical and intellectual abilities and adaptability while also connected to something much larger and destructive during our innovative past. This backdrop provides students not only a “doom and gloom” interpretation of human history but also one that is future-oriented and optimistic.

The “human paradox” concept and its application to urbanization is important to urban teens because it provides them with an opportunity to see how humanity is responding to current environmental challenges through the development of sustainable cities. Building off Paul Gilding’s thoughts from his book The Great Disruption and his TED Talk “The Earth is Full” (http://www.ted.com/talks/paul gilding the earth is full.html), these units provide a balanced perspective on the past, present and future.

*Remember to model all activities as needed!PRE-LESSON NOTE: There may be difficulty for some students relating to the concept of sustainable cities if they have no possibility of interacting with them. One possibility might be to have students do some research on two or three of the sustainable cities and report back to the class, or perhaps exchange some emails with students in those cities. Another option is to use another lesson in this section, “Perception of Place.”

Do Now (Optional Practice and Participation Grade): WebQuest (20 minutes)1. Students individually locate the definition and key terms for the phrase “sustainable city.” 2. Students rewrite definition in their own words on whiteboards or chart paper, and terms are

placed around the definition.3. Students share and compare the definitions and terms, highlight the top ten terms and

come to a consensus for a definition of sustainable city.4. Students then photograph whiteboards using phones and email the image in a formal email

to their teacher (modify as needed depending on your school’s rules regarding cell phones).

Post Discussion Questions (These questions can be revisited at the end of the lesson): •Whatfactorsmakeacitysustainable?Why? •How/whyweshouldaspiretosustainablecities?

Background Information

Urban Relevance

Procedure

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Activity One (Optional Practice and Participation Grade): Group Presentations (20 minutes)Using the rubric and information gathered from “Do Now,” each group will collaborate to create a visual representation of a sustainable city. Though it is important for students not to feel frustrated about what to do, it is also important not to drive the process with too many instructions. Simply ask them what they think a sustainable city looks like. The representation can take the form of a diagram with captions or, if you can dedicate more time and resources to it, could be either a computer-generated or 3D model. Let students be creative.

Presentation Rubric: Standard Exceeds Meets Approaches

Participation All Members Equal All Members Unequal Not All members

Clarity/Concision Both Clear & Concise Clear or Concise Not Clear or Concise

Creativity Entirely Unique Some Unique Aspects Unoriginal

Activity Two: Venn Diagrams (1 minute each) 1. Students have one minute to identify the similarities and differences between cities of old

(“old” does not have to refer to a certain era , but should be students’ choice, whether the Middle Ages or the 1950s) and today.

2. Students have 2 minutes to compare their newly created definitions of a sustainable city to their own home cities.

Students will then “Trade and Grade” using the answer sheet. The “Grade” part of this does not need to be anything formal. Students should give each other feedback and an overall assessment of each other’s diagrams.

Activity Three: Group WebQuest (20 minutes)Each group of 3 to 4 students will be given the name of a major sustainable city around the globe. They must find Web sources for the following inquiries:1. Characteristics of the city before sustainability, current characteristics and future projections2. Engaging images before sustainability and now

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Urban architecture and design continues to evolve.

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List of Sustainable Cities (Source: Sustainable Cities http://sustainablecities.net/ )Badulla, Sri LankaCalgary, CanadaCampbell River, CanadaCanmore, CanadaChihuahua, MexicoCochrane, CanadaColima, MexicoCuritiba, BrazilDakar, SenegalDar es Salaam, TanzaniaDurban, South AfricaEdmonton, CanadaGatineau, CanadaIqaluit, CanadaLos Cabos, MexicoMatale, Sri LankaMatara,Sri LankaMetro Vancouver, CanadaMontpelier, United StatesMoratuwa, Sri LankaNiagara Region, CanadaNuwara Eliya, Sri LankaOkanagan Indian Band, CanadaOlympia, United StatesPort Alberni, CanadaPorto Alegre, BrazilSalvador, BrazilSan Jose, Costa RicaSuncheon, South KoreaTalcahuano, ChileTown of Olds, CanadaTulancingo, MexicoVernon, Canada

Activity Four: Develop Zenlike (minimalist) PowerPoint (30 minutes)Students must design:

•astoryboardofthehistoryofthecitythatincludescontentandimages•afourslide/2minutePowerPointpresentation•dropboxpresentationwhendone

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Activity Five (Formative Assessment or Practice & Participation Grade): Student Presentations (8 to 16 minutes)

Extension ActivityStudents evaluate these “sustainable” cities against the definitions they created at the start of class. This activity might result in stronger definitions and critical analysis of how well these cities model sustainability.

Activity Six (Formative Assessment Grade): Exit Ticket (5 minutes)Each student will individually construct an outline for a paragraph that defines what a sustainable city is and gives three supporting details, with parenthetical citations, from the cities researched and presented.

Homework: Research Denver’s (or your city’s) sustainable history using Cornell Notes. (For a detailed explanation of Cornell Notes, visit The Learning Toolbox http://coe.jmu.edu/LearningToolbox/cornellnotes.html.)

Practice and Participation: Do Now & Class Activities/PresentationsFormative Assessment: Exit Ticket Outline with Citations

Asssessment

Presentation Rubric: Standard Exceeds Meets Approaches

Clarity/Concision Both Clear & Concise Clear or Concise Not Clear or Concise

Images Very Effective Images Effective Images Some Effective Images

Content Then, Now & Future Then, Now & Future One of three

T E AC H I N G TO L E R A N C E

Montgomery, Alabama

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofi t civil rights organization founded by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr. in 1971dedicated to fi ghting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. Our innovative Teaching Tolerance program produces

and distributes – free of charge – documentary fi lms, books, lesson plans and other materials that promote

tolerance and respect in our nation’s schools. We are based in Montgomery, Ala., the birthplace of the

modern civil rights movement, and have offi ces in Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, Fla., and Jackson, Miss.

www.tolerance.org

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