Grade 5 · Social Studies · Lesson 6

Urban and Rural Communities

Stand in the middle of New York City and look around — skyscrapers, yellow taxis, a subway rumbling under your feet. Now drive 30 minutes out and the buildings shrink, the yards appear, and rows of houses line quiet streets. Drive another hour and the houses disappear into open fields, barns, and long dirt driveways. You have just traveled across three different kinds of community: URBAN, SUBURBAN, and RURAL. Today we will learn what makes each one unique and why people choose to live in them.

What this lesson teaches

1Define urban, suburban, and rural communities using everyday clues
2Compare the jobs, transport, and landscapes of each community type
3Classify real places and features into urban, suburban, or rural
4Explain why people choose to live in each kind of community

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