Comparing Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities
Compare population density, housing, transportation, and land use across urban cities, suburban towns, and rural areas in Massachusetts.

Compare population density, housing, transportation, and land use across urban cities, suburban towns, and rural areas in Massachusetts.
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2nd Grade · Social Studies · US-MA-SS
10 lessons
Investigate how local communities were founded, how diverse populations shaped them over time, and how historical inquiry helps us learn about community life.
On a current map of Massachusetts, use cardinal directions, map scales, legends, and titles to locate and describe the city or town where the school students attend is located, its local geographic features and historic landmarks, and their significance.
Research the demographic origins of the town or city (e.g., the Native People who originally lived there or still live there, the people who established it as a colonial town, its founding date, and the free, indentured, and enslaved women and men who contributed to the well-being of the town). Explain that before the mid-19th century most of the settlers were of Native American, Northern European, or African descent; describe the current population and immigrant groups of the 20th and 21st centuries and interview family members, friends, and neighbors to obtain information about living and working there in the past and present.