Invite your students to take a look at the characteristics of different kinds of communities. These resources can help them recognize the features of urban, suburban and rural communities. They’ll learn about the advantages and disadvantages of living in each environment from the people who call those places home.
Urban, Suburban, Rural
City, Suburban and Rural Communities | SchoolVideos
Take a closer look at the characteristics that define each of the 3 community types and meet kids from each. This video shows students all the great, and not-so-great things about living in a city, in a suburb or on a farm. If you don’t have a Flocabulary account, this video is a great alternative.
Compare urban, suburban, rural areas | iXL*
Use this as an alternative to the other iXL interactive quiz, especially for 2nd-grade students or others who are able to read independently. This one doesn’t involve images and instead asks students to choose a community type based on a brief description.
My Neighborhood, My World | Scholastic
This lesson plan contains 3 activities that can be used to teach this topic, as well as some other suggestions. From diagram books to group work, each activity is designed to help students better understand the similarities and differences, as well as explore their own communities.
Extension Activity: City Country Rap | PBS LearningMedia
Teaching both Social Studies and English? Here’s a great music video that combines the study of communities, specifically the city and the country with an analysis of the sounds the letter “C” can make. Rhymo, a hip-hop-singing rhinoceros and his friend, Hip, the hippo rap about the hard “c” and soft “c” sounds, giving examples of objects that use the hard “c” (like country) and the soft “c” (like city).
Eboni Hogan
Content Specialist
Eboni has extensive experience in curriculum development, with a focus on culturally-responsive and arts-based approaches. Having spent years creating academic content and providing professional development to teachers, she now curates themed playlists meant to provide educators with valuable, time-saving resources.
