Phoenix Growth and Environment (two-day lesson)

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Overview

In this two-day lesson, students will discuss the relationship between Phoenix’s particular history of growth and the environmental issues it faces today. Students will read and examine documents and charts with demographic information. Students will propose solutions to some of Phoenix’s urban growth issues.

Learning Goals:

  • Students will learn about the relationship between technological advances and a city’s growth.
  • Students will read and analyze charts with demographic information.
  • Students will learn about the environmental effects of urban growth on a desert biome.

DAY ONE

Website Materials:

Step 1: 10 minutes: Introduction

a) Hand out “Washington Street” and have students answer questions.

b) Share answers.

c) Tell students that today the metropolitan region of Phoenix has over 3 million residents. Have students brainstorm in response to the following question: What factors have contributed to Phoenix's growth?

d) Write student ideas on board.

Step 2: 20 minutes: Read documents

a) Arrange students in groups of three and hand out the following worksheets for students to divide up and complete:

  • “Automobiles”
  • “Dams and Reservoirs”
  • “Air Conditioning”

b) Have students share answers in their group.

Step 3: 15 minutes: Discussion

a) Review student answers, guided by the opening question: What factors have contributed to Phoenix's growth?

b) Emphasize that the technological developments they just read about are only some of the factors that contributed to Phoenix’s growth. Jobs and affordable housing are some other factors that contribute to growth.

c) Tell students that jobs and housing also determine where in a city people will choose to live.

Homework

Hand out “Population Distribution” and “Commuting.” Have students complete both worksheets for homework.

DAY TWO

Website Materials:

Step 1: 10 minutes: Review homework

a) Have students draw a rough sketch of Greater Phoenix in their notebooks. (This does not have to be accurate. A simple box will do).

Ask students to use last night’s homework to mark on the map where people live in Phoenix according to race, median income, age, and occupation.

b) Draw a large sketch of the Greater Phoenix on the board and ask students to share what they marked on their maps. Be sure to have students support their answers with evidence from the homework worksheets.

Students should take away that people on the metropolitan fringe tend to be wealthier, white, and often older.

Step 2: 10 minutes: Transition

a) Say to students: "Clearly, people want to move to Phoenix. But one of the problems that arises is that as a city grows, it demands more water and more electricity and more resources. Also, urban growth affects the environment in other ways."

b) Hand out “Desert Phoenix” and have students read silently.

c) Ask students: How do you think urban growth has affected Phoenix’s environment?

Step 3: 20 minutes: Read documents

Divide students into four groups and hand each group one of the following worksheets and have them answer the questions:

  • “Air Quality”
  • “Groundwater Pumping”
  • “Impervious Ground Cover”
  • “Land Use”

Step 4: 10 minutes: Share out (whole class)

Each group has 2 ½ minutes to summarize their document in terms of the effect of urban growth on Phoenix’s environment.

Homework

You have been invited to address the Mayor of Phoenix to speak on the issue of urban growth. Write 2-3 paragraphs that address the following questions:

  • What are the critical urban growth issues facing Greater Phoenix today?
  • What should Phoenix do to address these problems?

Evaluation Criteria:

For this assignment to meet standards, a student must fulfill the following criteria:

  • Identify growth on the urban fringe, increased traffic congestion, and environmental impacts on water, land, and air, as key issues facing Greater Phoenix.
  • Address one or more of these problems, and balance the demand for housing with a consideration of the environmental consequences of urban growth in the desert.
  • Write persuasively and demonstrate an awareness of the audience.

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