The students using this web site should possess basic computer skills and be familiar with navigating the Internet. Bookmark the "Chicago: Our Kind of Town" web site before the students begin the unit.
Day 1 Pretest (printout and give to students to complete)
Day 2 Give students a chance to talk about Chicago and some of their favorite places. Use the discussion to learn more about what students already know, and would like to know, and to get them excited about learning more.
Day 3 Using the LCD projector, introduce the "Chicago: Our Kind of Town" web site to the students.
Day 4 Take the students on a walking trip around the Woodlawn community. Students may take pictures using their disposable cameras and the classroom teacher may use the digital camera to keep a visual record of the trip.
Day 5 Using the LCD projector, go to the web site and take the students through the necessary navigation to the neighborhood ("The Hood") map. Ask students to name directions and locations as you move the mouse pointer around the map. When you feel the students are ready, have them return to their computers, open Netscape, and go to the Hood map to complete the activity.
Days 6-9 Continue in the same manner to complete the activities for the maps of the Loop, Illinois, United States, and the World.
Day 10 Begin with a discussion about the students' own histories in the neighborhood (e.g.: How long has his/her family lived here? What kinds of changes has he/she noticed in the last couple of years?). After the discussion, have students return to their computers, open Netscape, and go to "Woodlawn History". Read through the history with the students, discussing any unfamiliar vocabulary words as they read. Then allow them to compare and contrast Woodlawn today with the Woodlawn of a century ago.
Day 11 Open the Chicago History page. Read through the history with the students, discussing any unfamiliar vocabulary words as they read. When finished, review what a timeline is and ask the students to fill in the missing information on a (previously) printed copy of the Chicago History Timeline.
Day 12 Open the Nothing But the Facts page. Have the students look at the flag, flower, songs and nicknames. Although there is no activity for this page, it is a good opportunity for students to come up with their own flag, flower, song and nickname for Chicago and to give reasons for their choices.
Days 13-14 Use an LCD projector and open the Attractions page. Demonstrate how to navigate to learn more about different museums, attractions and sports teams. Have the students open Netscape and go to the Attractions page. Allow them some time to read more about the attractions or teams that interest them most. On the following day, have students complete the activities.
Day 15 Begin by asking students what they know about how the city is governed (e.g.: Who is the mayor? Who is their alderman? What does an alderman do?). Have the students open Netscape and go to Government. Give the students a printed copy of the activity and instruct them to answer the questions.
Day 16Use an LCD projector and open the Family Fun page. Go through the directions and complete the first 2 or 3 clues together. Ask the students if they can create any of their own. Give each student a copy of Family Fun to take home. Explain to them that this is a fun activity for the whole family. Give students more than one evening to find the answers and then ask them to return the papers. The class can see how many answers they have.
Day 17Posttest (printout and give to students to complete)
Resources
Chicago Public Library Learn Chicago's Symbols
Historical Information About Chicago
University of Chicago - City Life
Maps
MapBlast
CPS Intranet Structured Curriculum
Lonely Planet
www.theodora.com/maps
Enchanted Learning
Excite Maps and DirectionsWoodlawn history
John C. Spray (1920), The Book of Woodlawn.Chicago history
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_america/chicago/history.htm
