Walking in the City with Jane A STEM Challenge based on the picture book ‘Walking in

the City With Jane, by Susan Hughes

Walking in the City With Jane – STEM PROGRAM – Program Duration – 2 days

1. Teacher Reading – Jane’s W

alk in the City

2. ‘G

olden Rules’ of Urban Planning

3. Planning Phase 1 – Including landform

s and landmarks

4. Zoning – residential, com

mercial, industrial

5. Planning Phase 2 – Developing areas for building

6. 2D planning

7. Troubleshooting and editing for liveability

8. Building it up – 3D m

odelling

BIG IDEAS:

• Town planning is the planning and control of the construction, growth, and development of a town or other urban area.

• A town planner or urban planner develops plans and programs for the use of land. • The goal of planning is to guide the development of a city or town so that it furthers the welfare of its

current and future residents by creating convenient, equitable, healthful, efficient and attractive environments.

KEY INQUIRY QUESTIONS:

• What is a built environment? • What purpose does it serve? • What factors influence the design of built environments (social and environmental)? • How can built environments be designed and constructed on a budget, while incorporating sustainable

environmental practices?

Cross Curricular Outcomes – SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SKILLS

ST3-2DP-T plans and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity

ST3-3DP-T defines problems, and designs, modifies and follows algorithms to develop solutions

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ST3-4LW-S examines how the environment affects the growth, survival and adaptation of living things

ST3-2DP-T plans and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity

ST3-7MW-T explains how the properties of materials determine their use for a range of purposes

WORKING SCIENTIFICALLY SKILLS CONTINUUM

Questioning and Predicting

• Pose testable questions

Planning and conducting investigations

• Manage resources safely

• Select appropriate measurement methods, including formal measurements and digital technologies to record data accurately and honestly

• Manage investigations effectively, individually and in groups

Processing and analysing data

• Present data as evidence in developing explanations

Communicating

• Communicate ideas, explanations and processes, using scientific representations including multimodal forms

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION SKILLS CONTINUUM – (‘ENGINEERING’)

Identifying and defining

• examine and critique needs, opportunities or modifications using a range of criteria to define a project

• define a need or opportunity according to functional and aesthetic criteria

• consider availability and sustainability of resources when defining design needs and opportunities

• examine and determine functional requirements to define a problem

• investigate materials, components, tools, techniques and processes required to achieve intended design solutions

Researching and Planning

• research, identify and define design ideas and processes for an audience

• consider functional and aesthetic needs in planning a design solution

• develop, record and communicate design ideas, decisions and processes using appropriate technical terms

• produce labelled and annotated drawings including digital graphic representations for an audience

• consider sustainability of resources when researching and planning design solutions

• manage projects within time constraints

Producing and implementing

• select and use tools competently for specific purposes

• accurately cut, join, bend and measure a range of selected materials to construct the designed solution

• demonstrate safety and sustainability when choosing resources to produce designed solutions, managing

constraints and maximising opportunities

• develop project plans that consider resources when producing designed solutions individually and collaboratively

• work collaboratively to share, appraise and improve ideas to achieve design purposes

• identify, organise and perform strategic roles within a group to solve a problem

Testing and Evaluating

• negotiate criteria for success, based on defined needs, sustainability and aesthetics

• develop appropriate and fair processes to test a designed solution according to criteria

• evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions according to criteria for success

• explain how students’ solutions and existing information systems meet current and future local community needs

CONTENT- LIVING WORLD ST3-4LW-S examines how the environment affects the growth, survival and adaptation of living things

• investigate how people in design and technological occupations address considerations, including sustainability, in the design of products, services and environments for current and future use (ACTDEK019) SciT

• understand that scientific and technological knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal

and community decisions (ACSHE083, ACSHE100) SciT

CONTENT – MATERIAL WORLD ST3-2DP-T plans and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity ST3-7MW-T explains how the properties of materials determine their use for a range of purposes

• investigate characteristics and properties of a range of materials and evaluate the impact of their use DesT SciT

• identify and evaluate the functional and structural properties of materials, for example: (ACTDEK023) shade cloth for shelter aluminium for playground seats canvas for boat sails

• critique needs or opportunities for designing using sustainable materials DesT

• design a sustainable product, system or environment individually and/or collaboratively considering the properties of materials SysT DesT

• select appropriate materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and apply safe procedures to produce designed solutions DesT

Walking in the City With Jane – STEM PROGRAM

BIG IDEAS:

• Town planning is the planning and control of the construction, growth, and development of a town or other urban area.

• A town planner or urban planner develops plans and programs for the use of land. • The goal of planning is to guide the development of a city or town so that it furthers the welfare of its

current and future residents by creating convenient, equitable, healthful, efficient and attractive environments.

KEY INQUIRY QUESTIONS:

• What is a built environment? • What purpose does it serve? • What factors influence the design of built environments (social and environmental)? • How can built environments be designed and constructed on a budget, while incorporating sustainable

environmental practices?

1. Teacher Reading – Jane’s W

alk in the City

2. ‘G

olden Rules’ of Urban Planning

3. Planning Phase 1 – Including landform

s and landm

arks

4. Zoning – residential, com

mercial, industrial

5. Planning Phase 2 – Developing areas for building

6. 2D planning

7. Troubleshooting and editing for liveability

8. Building it up – 3D m

odelling

Cross Curricular Outcomes – MATHEMATICS

WORKING MATHEMATICALLY Communicating MA3-1WM describes and represents mathematical situations in a variety of ways using mathematical terminology and some conventions

Problem Solving MA3-2WM selects and applies appropriate problem-solving strategies, including the use of digital technologies, in undertaking investigations

Reasoning MA3-3WM gives a valid reason for supporting one possible solution over another

NUMBER AND ALGEBRA Whole Number MA3-4NA orders, reads and represents integers of any size and describes properties of whole numbers

• explore square and triangular numbers using arrays, grid paper or digital technologies (Communicating, Problem Solving)

Addition and Subtraction MA3-5NA selects and applies appropriate strategies for addition and subtraction with counting numbers of any size

• use selected words to describe each step of the solution process (Communicating, Problem Solving)

• select and apply appropriate mental and written strategies, with and without the use of digital technologies, to solve unfamiliar problems (Problem Solving)

Multiplication and Division MA3-6NA selects and applies appropriate strategies for multiplication and division, and applies the order of operations to calculations involving more than one operation

• use the appropriate operation when solving problems in real-life situations (Problem Solving)

• use inverse operations to justify solutions (Problem Solving, Reasoning)

• apply appropriate mental and written strategies, and digital technologies, to solve division word problems

MEASUREMENT AND GEOMETRY Length MA3-9MG selects and uses the appropriate unit and device to measure lengths and distances, calculates perimeters, and converts between units of length

• select and use the appropriate unit and measuring device to measure lengths and distances

• describe how a length or distance was estimated and measured (Communicating, Problem Solving)

• question and explain why two students may obtain different measures for the same length, distance or perimeter (Communicating, Reasoning)

• calculate perimeters of common two-dimensional shapes, including squares, rectangles, triangles and regular polygons with more than four sides (ie regular polygons other than equilateral triangles and squares)

• explain that the perimeters of two-dimensional shapes can be found by finding the sum of the side lengths (Communicating)

• investigate and compare perimeters of rectangles with the same area

• determine the number of different rectangles that can be formed using whole-number dimensions for a given area (Problem Solving, Reasoning)

Area MA3-10MG selects and uses the appropriate unit to calculate areas, including areas of squares, rectangles and triangles

• establish the relationship between the lengths, widths and areas of rectangles (including squares)

• explain that the area of a rectangle can be found by multiplying the length by the width (Communicating, Reasoning)

• recognise that rectangles with the same area may have different dimensions (Reasoning)

• solve a variety of problems involving the areas of rectangles (including squares) and triangles

Three-Dimensional Space

MA3-14MG identifies three-dimensional objects, including prisms and pyramids, on the basis of their

properties, and visualises, sketches and constructs them given drawings of different views

• identify the 'base' of prisms and pyramids

• name prisms and pyramids according to the shape of their base, eg rectangular prism, square pyramid

• recognise a cube as a special type of prism (Communicating)

• determine that the faces of prisms are always rectangles except the base faces, which may not be rectangles (Reasoning)

• determine that the faces of pyramids are always triangles except the base face, which may not be a triangle (Reasoning)

• use the term 'apex' to describe the highest point above the base of a pyramid or cone

• Connect three-dimensional objects with their nets and other two-dimensional representations

• examine a diagram to determine whether it is or is not the net of a closed three-dimensional object

• recognise whether a diagram is a net of a particular three-dimensional object (Reasoning)

• visualise and name prisms and pyramids, given diagrams of their nets

• create prisms and pyramids using a variety of materials, eg plasticine, paper or cardboard nets, connecting cubes

• construct as many rectangular prisms as possible using a given number of connecting cubes (Problem Solving)

Two-Dimensional Space MA3-15MG manipulates, classifies and draws two-dimensional shapes, including equilateral, isosceles and

scalene triangles, and describes their properties

• measure an interval on an original representation and its enlargement to determine how many times larger than the original the enlargement is (Problem Solving, Reasoning)

CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING LEARNING CONTINUUM (ACARA)

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas element

1. Teacher Reading – Jane’s W

alk in the City

2. ‘G

olden Rules’ of Urban

Planning

3. Planning Phase 1 – Including landform

s and landmarks

4. Zoning – residential, com

mercial, industrial

5. Planning Phase 2 – Developing areas for building

6. 2D planning

7. Troubleshooting and editing for liveability

8. Building it up – 3D m

odelling

• pose questions to clarify and interpret information and probe for causes and consequences

• identify and clarify relevant information and prioritise ideas

• analyse, condense and combine relevant information from multiple sources

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions element

• combine ideas in a variety of ways and from a range of sources to create new possibilities

• identify situations where current approaches do not work, challenge existing ideas and generate alternative solutions

• assess and test options to identify the most effective solution and to put ideas into action

Think about thinking (metacognition)

• reflect on assumptions made, consider reasonable criticism and adjust their thinking if necessary

• identify and justify the thinking behind choices they have made

• apply knowledge gained from one context to another unrelated context and identify new meaning

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures element

• assess whether there is adequate reasoning and evidence to justify a claim, conclusion or outcome

• scrutinise ideas or concepts, test conclusions and modify actions when designing a course of action

• evaluate the effectiveness of ideas, products, performances, methods and courses of action against given criteria

REEC Incursion – Program Outline Walking in the City With Jane – STEM and Story books

BIG IDEAS:

• Town planning is the planning and control of the construction, growth, and development of a town or other urban area. • A town planner or urban planner develops plans and programs for the use of land. • The goal of planning is to guide the development of a city or town so that it furthers the welfare of its current and future residents by creating convenient,

equitable, healthful, efficient and attractive environments.

KEY INQUIRY QUESTIONS:

• What is a built environment? • What purpose does it serve? • What factors influence the design of built environments (social and environmental)? • How can built environments be designed and constructed on a budget, while incorporating sustainable environmental practices?

Suggested Learning Experiences Suggested Website Links for

Learning – following incursion Language focus – Word Wall

Suggested Teacher Resources

Setting the Scene – 10 min Use of introductory PowerPoint.

• Slide 1- What is STEM? Discuss • Slide 2 - Give students a preview of learning for the

day. Goal – to work together in teams to produce the most ‘liveable’ city.

Teacher Reading – 10 min • ‘Walking in the City with Jane – A Story of Jane Jacobs’,

by Susan Hughes. • Review: Who are the people listed as her imaginary

friends – Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Cerdic?

Let’s Build a City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnnUid8Hof0 How to Make an Attractive City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy4QjmKzF1c

NB – Word Wall words should be introduced one at a time in context, not displayed in whole. For great tips on how to make a Word Wall work, see the following link: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/word-walls-work/

‘Walking in the City with Jane- A Story of Jane Jacobs’ –by Susan Hughes ISBN 978-1-77138-653-1

(Franklin – invented lightning rod, bifocals, stove. Jefferson – 3rd President of the USA. Cerdic – First King of the West Saxons around 519AD).

• Slide 2- Jane’s realisation that the city is an ‘ecosystem’. What is an ecosystem? How can the city be an ecosystem?

Learning the ‘golden rules’ of good urban planning – 15 min • The importance of planning – View the video embedded

in Slide 3. Discuss ‘liveability’. • Move to Slide 4 – What happens when urban planners

get it wrong? Observe each picture and determine what might have gone wrong in the planning process: Picture 1 – city built in flood zone Picture 2 – not planning for population increase Picture 3 – traffic flow. No traffic lights or roundabout Picture 4 – Airport built close to housing – noise Picture 5 – lack of public transport access. Increased pollution Picture 6 – major highways built through residential areas Picture 7 – sewerage treatment facilities built near residential area/ or residential area built near sewerage treatment works Picture 8 – high density residential area encroaching on old cemetery

Planning – Phase 1 • Natural aspects – Discuss some of the natural landforms,

landscapes and geographical landmarks that could be present. Urban planning would need to accommodate these. List some of these features so that students may refer to these when deciding how their inclusions in their landscape will shape decisions when planning for building. Some of these features might include:

App recommendation for urban planning on iPads:

City Island 4 – (play offline on tablet) ‘As mayor, you need to solve real life challenges like buildings maintenance, fires, provide services and other community needs to keep your citizens happy, boost your population with parks and decorations, provide transportability with roads, railways with trains, walking paths, canals, docks and cargo ships and solve fun challenges with friends to grow and shape your society.’

Words for your Word Wall (A-Z) 2D - 2 dimensional 3D – 3 dimensional accessible building city commercial community construction consultation convenience council development ecosystem elevation engineer environment facilities geographical growth historical industrial infrastructure landform landmark landscape landscaping liveability maintenance neighbourhoods planning population public residential sustainable terracing traffic transport rural

REEC Teacher Package -Walking in the City with Jane’ program (digital attachment in email) -Word Wall file for printing

Suggested Picture Books for Post-Visit activities

Belonging – Jeannie Baker This is a great book to explore. No text, students notice the changing urban landscape over the lifetime of the main character of the story.

Elevations - Mountains, hills Waterbodies – Rivers, creeks, dams, wetlands Coastline and coastal landforms Islands Significant rock features Waterfalls Aboriginal sacred sites – modified trees, rock

grinding sites, ceremonial areas etc Habitat for key species of the area Places of local historical importance National Parks

• Students will begin to join large pieces of paper or cardboard together to create the base for building. Draw in any of the natural aspects or historical areas of significance over this base. All urban planning will need to accommodate these areas – ie no areas of the built environment will encroach on the natural landscape.

• Slide 5 – Zoning – Discuss the need for specific zoning following the previous discussion. Residential areas need to be designed so that the high density areas and low density areas are not together; commercial and industrial zones are set up to be away from residential areas. This is all done on large grids provided.

• Sorting – Using the box given for each group, students will sort through small laminated flat ‘pieces’ that represent the shops, houses, health and education facilities, parks, emergency services, etc. Each of these pieces will need to be sorted according to whether students believe they would be best zoned to residential, commercial or industrial areas.

• Roads and Highways – roads to link areas of your new city can be created via pencil outlining. 1x1 square in width for local roads, so 2x2 square width for double lane main roads or highways. Roads can be ‘bent’ or ‘rounded’ if students wish, but they must stay close to the same width overall. Roundabouts or traffic lights can be included to ease traffic congestion on main roads.

urban utilities waterbodies zoning

Resources from REEC • PowerPoint introduction to

project • Grid sheets for building • 2D ‘buildings’ (residential,

commercial and industrial) • 2D nets for creating 3D

buildings • A3 sheets for base • Sticky tape for attaching

base sheets • Blutack for placing 2D

buildings on grids • Word wall .pdf

Resources from classroom • Smartboard (ppt intro) • Scissors per student

Window – Jeannie Baker Similar to ‘Belonging’ – Students can make ‘text to text’ connections between these books, as Window explores changes over time in a more ‘rural’ setting.

My Place – Nadia Wheatley The author has embedded major Australian history (decade by decade) through the eyes of several characters that live in the same house/area from 1788-1988.

Planning - Phase 2 • Placement of buildings into zoned areas– Students

should be encouraged to look for future growth and development when planning, whilst trying to preserve aspects of the natural environment and areas of historical significance.

• Grids blocks can be cut and adjusted to align around natural features such as hills, coastline, rivers, lakes, dams, designated national parks etc. These grids will act as land that has been ‘developed’ ready for building. This might include landscaping, terracing or land levelling. The assumption is that these areas may also include service connections to public utilities like gas, electricity and water.

• 2D buildings (laminated in packs) can be placed into the gridded areas; carefully observing that they are in the correct zones.

• A separate sheet including 1x1 squares with a ‘B’ (bus stop), ‘T’ (taxi rank) or ‘P’ (carpark) label is included in each pack. Students need to cut out individual squares as necessary. Students should target areas where public transport would be well used.

• Troubleshooting and editing - Students will be encouraged to look for possible ‘problems’ in the design space when locating particular zones, areas and buildings, according to what has been learned about urban planning ‘rules’. They will receive a worksheet titled ‘Liveability’. Students should refer to the ‘liveability’ indicators on the worksheets provided and ‘edit’ building placements wherever conflicts are noted. It is expected that there will be several ‘edits’ after troubleshooting.

• Community consultation - The ‘community’ needs to adopt the plan as an official statement of policy in order for it to take effect. This is usually done by the City Council and through public hearings. The City Council may choose not to adopt the plan, which would require planners to refine the work they did during previous

steps. In this case, the teacher will ask the groups who have finished their draft plan to explain their reasons for all inclusions and their placement choice. The teacher may at this time ask the students to reconsider any of their decisions if they have perhaps not met the ‘golden rules’ for planning a liveable city.

Modelling – Phase 3 (if applicable) • At this time, the 2D plan can be converted to a 3D

model. Students are asked to take worksheets of 3D nets and ‘build up’ some or all of their buildings. Nets used should fit (in perimeter and area) the 2D space designated on the gridded plan.

• Geographical or historical landforms and landmarks that were originally included in the plan should be now coloured or painted so that they are more obvious in the design.

• Street names can be penned into the final model. • Finally, students should look carefully at the final

product and decide on an appropriate name for their city.