Student voice and choice dominated this project as the second graders became mayors of their own towns in the new state of Secondgradia. This activity was a culmination of our studies of landforms, economics, and civics…hitting upon many different standards and practicing the always-important skills of critical thinking and creativity.
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The “mayors” made decisions as they planned their towns around existing landforms of volcanoes, rivers, glaciers, mountains, and much more. They had to consider certain restrictions during their town planning, such as no airports near neighborhoods, and certain rules, such as having a freeway that had to run from one side of town to the other and the mandatory purchasing of a town hall. The rest was up to them.
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Students were given a project planning sheet and a budget of $12,000 to plan and create their town. Hearing the reasoning behind what they purchased and where they placed it was very entertaining and well-thought-out. We may have some future city planners in our class!
The final piece of this project was to play “The Game of Life,” in which random situation cards were pulled, and all of the mayors had to follow what was laid out on the card. Some cards benefited everyone – “Your highway has been voted one of the most scenic in America. Pay yourself $25 for every highway square you own.” Some cards benefited only some – “The Oreo cookie company wants to start putting Oreos in bakeries nationwide. Pay yourself $200 if you own a bakery.” Other things were decided by spinners and coordinates – “Earthquake! Spin to see where it’s at. You’ve lost whatever is in that area.” Students waited anxiously as the spinners landed on coordinates (ie. F4), and cheers and groans filled the room as they located the correct spot on their maps.
After the game, students reflected and talked about how hard it is sometimes to make decisions for groups without knowing what might happen. They practiced respectfully hearing the opinions of others as they discussed why they placed things a certain way or why they didn’t purchase certain facilities. They agreed that people in leadership positions have a hard job and many choices to make.
This project is the precursor to the next PBL focus of our “2nd Grade Store”. Students will continue to make choices and practice their critical thinking skills as they create their own businesses. They will go from a community-wide focus as a mayor to the narrower focus as a business owner. Stay tuned to see how they do!