Lesson 1
At the beginning of the year I divide my class into five different groups.  Each group is responsible for using cardboard and papier-mache to create a model of a section of land which has various topographical features including some type of body of water.  Throughout the rest of the year we follow this "land" through the historical changes that occur as different communities settle and live on it. The buildings for the communities are made using a computer program called The Community Construction Kit. The progression is a three step process from historical Native American community, to colonial community, and finally to modern community.  Throughout the process the class discusses the needs of the community , how those needs are addressed, the technology that is appropriate to the time period, and families within the community. The assessment for this particular lesson is informal, students' success is measured by the end product, the model the group produces.