Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Cities and Different Urban Spaces

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Objectives stage is crucial to clearly establish what students should be able to achieve by the end of the lesson. By defining and explaining the main objectives, the teacher ensures that both they and the students have a clear understanding of what is expected. This guides the focus of activities and discussions in the classroom, ensuring a more directed and efficient lesson.

Main Objectives:

1. Empower students to identify and describe the characteristics of different urban spaces, such as shopping centers, residential areas, industrial zones, and green areas.

2. Develop the ability to establish connections and hierarchies between cities, using practical and comparative examples.

Side Objectives:

1. Foster the capacity for critical analysis of urban organization, encouraging students to think about the impact of urban planning decisions on everyday life.
2. Stimulate students' curiosity and interest in the urban environment and its evolution.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The Introduction stage serves to engage students and review key concepts that have been studied at home. Through problem situations, students can apply their prior knowledge in a practical and contextualized manner, preparing them for classroom activities. The contextualization, in turn, seeks to connect the theme with the real world, increasing interest and relevance in studying urban spaces.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine you are an urban planner and need to redesign a part of your city to make it more pedestrian-friendly. Which spaces would you modify and why?

2. Think of an area in your city that could be considered an 'urban desert' due to the lack of green spaces. How could you transform this area to include more nature and improve the quality of life for its residents?

Contextualization

Understanding different urban spaces is essential to comprehend how cities function and how their structures affect the daily lives of their inhabitants. For example, by observing a map of your city, it is possible to clearly identify the division between residential, commercial, and industrial areas, each with its own dynamics and needs. Additionally, interesting facts such as New York having over 1 million trees on its streets help illustrate how urban planning can impact the environment and the quality of life of citizens.

Development

Duration: (75 - 85 minutes)

The Development stage is designed to put students in practical situations that make them apply and deepen their knowledge acquired at home. By using active and collaborative learning methods, this stage allows students to explore, discuss, and create, developing critical analytical and synthesis skills regarding urban spaces. Each activity proposes an engaging and playful approach to the study of urban geography, ensuring meaningful and lasting learning.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Interactive City Map

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Identify and classify the different urban spaces of a city and understand their functions and interconnections.

- Description: In this activity, students will create an interactive map of a fictional city, identifying and classifying various urban spaces such as residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational areas. The objective is to understand the different functions of each space and how they interconnect within a city.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Distribute materials such as paper, colored pens, and magazine clippings to simulate different types of constructions and green areas.

• Ask each group to draw a map of the city, identifying and coloring the different urban spaces.

• Each group should present its map to the class, explaining the function of each space and how they contribute to the functioning of the city.

• To make the map interactive, students can add small explanatory notes or even create tabs that lift to reveal additional information.

Activity 2 - The Great Urban Zones Debate

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop argumentation skills and understanding of the different needs of conflicting urban sectors in urban planning.

- Description: Students will hold a simulated debate where each group will represent the interests of a specific urban sector (residential, commercial, industrial, recreational) in a city expansion project. They will need to argue about the importance of their sector and how it should be prioritized in planning.

- Instructions:

• Organize the class into groups of no more than 5 students, each representing a different urban sector.

• Explain that they will debate the importance of their sector in the city’s development.

• Distribute cards with fictional data about each sector, such as served population, jobs created, environmental impact, and infrastructure needs.

• Allow each group time to prepare their arguments based on the provided data and research they can conduct during the lesson.

• Conduct the debate in two rounds, allowing each group to present their arguments and respond to questions from other groups.

Activity 3 - Urban Spaces in 3D

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Visualize and understand the spatial and functional organization of different types of urban spaces, using three-dimensional thinking.

- Description: Using recyclable materials, students will build models representing different urban spaces. Each group will be responsible for one type of space (residential, commercial, industrial, recreational), and the model should demonstrate internal organization and interaction with the surroundings.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students and assign each group a type of urban space to represent in a model.

• Provide materials such as boxes, papers, fabrics, sticks, and other recyclable materials for building the models.

• Guide students to think not only about appearance but also about the function and interaction of the space with other types of urban spaces.

• At the end of the activity, each group will present its model, explaining construction details and how they represent urban life and the use of space.

• Other groups may ask questions and comment on the presented models.

Feedback

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The purpose of this stage is to consolidate learning, allowing students to articulate the knowledge acquired and reflect on their experiences. The group discussion helps develop communication and argumentation skills, as well as providing an opportunity for students to critically assess the impact of different urban spaces on people's lives. This moment also serves for the teacher to assess the overall understanding of the class on the topic and clarify any remaining doubts.

Group Discussion

To start the group discussion, the teacher should gather all the students and ask each group to share the main discoveries and challenges faced during the activities. Encourage students to discuss how the different functions and characteristics of urban spaces impact everyday life and city planning. It is important that each student has the opportunity to express their ideas and hear their peers' perspectives.

Key Questions

1. What were the biggest surprises or discoveries you had when mapping and classifying urban spaces?

2. How can the interaction between different types of urban spaces influence the quality of life for citizens?

3. What challenges did you face in trying to balance the needs of different urban areas in the debate and in building the models?

Conclusion

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of the Conclusion stage is to consolidate the acquired knowledge, reinforce the connection between theory and practice, and emphasize the applicability of the studied concepts. This moment allows students to reflect on what they have learned, understand the importance of studying urban spaces, and prepare to apply this knowledge in future situations. Additionally, it helps to end the lesson in a structured way, ensuring that all objectives have been achieved and that students have a clear understanding of the content.

Summary

In conclusion, the teacher should summarize the main points discussed about different urban spaces, reiterating the functions and characteristics of residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational areas. They should also recap the activities, such as creating interactive maps, debating urban planning, and building models, highlighting what each activity added to the students' understanding.

Theory Connection

During the lesson, students were able to practically experience theories studied at home, such as the hierarchical organization of urban spaces and the importance of urban planning. Interactive activities allowed for a direct connection between theory and application, reinforcing knowledge and clarifying how decisions in urban planning have real impacts on people's lives.

Closing

Finally, it is crucial to highlight the relevance of studying urban spaces for the daily lives of students, showing how understanding the organization of the city can help them better comprehend the challenges and advantages of living in urban areas. This knowledge is essential so that, in the future, they can actively participate in building more sustainable and humane cities.