Geography · Week 12 · Physical Systems and Human Populations
How Towns Grow
Analyzing why settlements like Indio grew along water, rail lines, and highways and weighing growth decisions where neighbors want different things.
- Students will
- Students explain how water, rail lines, and highways shaped where Indio grew, place events in time order, and weigh a hypothetical growth decision using more than one neighbor's view.
- SEL skill
- Weigh two points of view and name the consequences before choosing a fair option
- What it looks like
- Students practice using emotions as information to make fair, thoughtful decisions when people want different things.
- Content focus
- How Towns Grow
- Format
- Small group problem-solving
Responsible decision-making
Responsible decision-making means making caring, constructive choices by thinking about ethics, safety, and the consequences for everyone involved. More responsible decision-making activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- NGS.12: National Geography Standard 12
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: CST2 Analyze how change happens at different rates at different times, and how it affects values and beliefs as well as technology and politics. (Chronological and Spatial Thinking)
- C3 Framework (national): D2.Geo.8.9-12 Evaluate how economic activities and political decisions shape spatial patterns within and among urban, suburban, and rural regions.
- Literacy in history: RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis, such as charts and maps, with information in a text.
More responsible decision-making activities for Geography
- Maps Tell Stories Responsible decision-makingComparing map projections and who made them, and noticing how choices about what a map shows can shape feelings and judgments.
- Water in a Thirsty Land Responsible decision-makingExamining how wells, canals, and Colorado River water turned the desert into farmland and how different groups negotiate scarce water fairly.
- Planning the Valley's Future Responsible decision-makingUsing geography to propose a plan for a cooler, greener neighborhood and setting a hopeful goal students can work toward.
Previous: Cultures Side by Side · Next: Water in a Thirsty Land
RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.