Look into your Community's History through its names
One way to learn more about your community is to look
into its past. How much do you know about your: town, borough, city or county's
history? Become an expert by researching the facts.
Dex Nilsson has written a book called Names of Washington, DC - It gives the stories behind the names (275) of the streets, circles, squares, buildings, bridges, neighborhoods, galleries, Metro stations, theaters, and statues in the city.
Who are the streets, post offices, bridges, waterways, schools and parks named for in your town or county?
In Washington D.C., streets that are oriented north/south are designated by numbers. Examples: 1st St NW, 2nd St SW.
Streets that are oriented east/west use a single letter of the alphabet.
Can you detect a strategy or plan about how streets are named in your area?
Now that you have assembled all this information, share it.
- Write a poem based on your town.
- Create a mural that depicts famous residents or local landmarks.
- Make a website full of facts about your town.
- Make a web based children's book based on your research. Example of a simple web based book.
- Or discuss your findings in a class wiki. See Wiki Wiki teaching.
Research Helpful Hints: Most counties have a local
historical society. The members are very interested in your community's
past.
They often have detailed records and love to share what they know
about the area. You may also find some helpful resources in the
Links
section of Pennsylvania Projects | National Register of Historic Places
Conundrum: What factors should be considered when naming a street, a school or a political subdivision? GIS info
Extra:
What is the policy at your school district about naming buildings or facilities?
Write a proposal for the name of the next new street in your community or a new bridge or a school.
Internet
Hunts / Nature
/ Plants & People / Project and Problem based Learning / Puzzles & Projects / Civics
Studies / Computers / Site map / Home
posted 2/2007 by Cynthia J. O'Hora, released
to public domain
Save a tree - use a digital answer format - Highlight the text above. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Answer on the word processing document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or font. Avoid fancy fonts like: Symbols, , or . Save your work frequently. You may be working on this project at home, the public library and at school. Consider using free Google Docs.
Proof the project. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets work.
Make Your Own Answer Sheet Form using Word Processing
Aligned with the following Pa
Academic Standards - Reading, Writing Speaking, History, Civics and
Government, Mathematics, History, Science and Technology
Aligned with the National Standards for Civics and Government |