Back to the History Kit Page

Activity #3: Videos: Communities and Town Histories

 

Meets EALR: Social Studies, History

2.1 investigate and research

locate, gather, and process information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including photographs, drawings, artifacts, oral accounts, and documents as grade level appropriate

 

Objective: In the video and activity “Communities,” students learn what makes up a community and how communities are alike and different.  They learn the differences between villages, towns, cities and suburbs.  In the video and activity “Town Histories,” students learn various ways to find out more about a town’s history, including street signs, town names, objects, maps, houses and buildings.  Use the development of Issaquah as an example of how a community begins and grows, changing and adapting with the times.

 

Materials: videos: “How Communities are Alike and Different” and ”Mysteries of Town Histories” (there should be copies of these at each elementary school, if not, contact the district curriculum library)

 

Procedure:

“How Communities are Alike and Different”

  1. As a class, brainstorm what makes a community.  All communities have… places to live, work, learn, and play.
  2. Discuss how big a community can be… village, town, city, suburb, in rural or urban settings.
  3. View the video “How Communities are Alike and Different.”
  4. Review what all communities have and what sizes they can be.

 

“Mysteries of Town Histories”

  1. Discuss how we can find information about our town’s history.  Suggestions may include; reading books, going to the local museum, asking a librarian, asking people who have lived here for a long time, etc.
  2. Explain to the students that they will be adding to this list after viewing the video.
  3. View the video “Mysteries of Town Histories.”
  4. Continue the brainstorm of how we can find information about our town’s history.  Suggestions after viewing the video may include; maps, terrain features, street names, town names, neighborhoods, houses, buildings, objects, photos, newspapers, journals, diaries, roadways, disasters, etc.
  5. Explain that in this unit, students will be using many of these strategies to learn more about their town’s history.  They will be using the development of Issaquah as an example of how a community begins and grows, changing and adapting with the times.

 

Extensions:

(For specific information on field trip sites, see the Field Trip section of the unit.)

  1. Go on a scavenger hunt on a walking tour of downtown Issaquah looking for evidence of mountains, streams, railroads, coal, old houses and buildings, old neighborhoods, buildings where the bottom half has changed, but the top half hasn’t, old street names, etc.
  2. Take a field trip to the Issaquah Historical Society Museums.
  3. Take a field trip to the Nordic Museum for timber/logging industry (displays came from the old Preston Mill).
  4. Take a field trip to the Museum of History and Industry for logging displays.
  5. Take a field trip to Newcastle Regional Park for coal mining (some mine openings are still visible today).
  6. Possible assessments include; diorama, mural, poster, bulletin board, model, etc. that shows understanding/knowledge of the forces that may contribute to the making of a community.

 

 

VIDEO PREVIEWS

 

 

“How Communities are Alike and Different”

 

A small boy named David is moving from his home in the city to the suburbs.  Will his life be the same?

 

The video explains the elements of a community: a place to live, work, and play.  It describes the ways in which David might find his new life the same and how it might be different.  There is some discussing about how communities are formed and the various kinds of communities that exist.  (Villages, towns, suburbs, and cities… rural verses urban areas.)

 

Not terribly entertaining but factual and useful as an introduction to the elements of a community.

 

 

 

“Mysteries of Town Histories”

 

This video is a good tie-in to Issaquah community studies.  It could be used as an introduction to the unit, a lead-in to the scavenger hunt or as a summarization.

 

It is a decent overview of those key elements that identify the roots of a community.  The video shows that by looking at the following features one can find how a community grew and flourished or passed into oblivion.