Based upon the curriculum supplied by C.U.B.E. (The Center for Understanding the Built Environment) and assistance from several other planners in North America who had participated in Box City, the following is an Outline of the six weeks.  This outline was originally developed for grade five, and therefore was adapted for the grade three’s at Sister MacNamara School.  It should be noted that this is not the Box City Curriculum, it is an adaptation of some of the available lessons and activities that are in the Curriculum.  For a more in depth look at the curriculum, please contact C.U.B.E. at (913) 262-0691 or email Ginny Graves.

Week One:  Introduction

Objectives:

1. Define Planning.

2. What do Planners Do?

3. How to become a planner.

4. Introduction of Box City Project.

Activities:

Show Box City Video (tentative)

Assignment:

1. What is in your community? ( an inventory of the area around the School, use the handout to keep a record of the inventory).

2. What is the name the students want for their new community?

Week Two Community Inventory/Land Uses

Objectives:

1. To learn what goes into a community. (result of the inventory)

2. Making land use categories.(Residential, Commercial, Community, Industrial)

Activities:

1. Sorting land uses. (handout)

Assignment:

1. Finish Handouts.

Week Three Maps/Land Use Plan

Objectives:

1. To learn about maps?

2. How to use a map in a plan.

Activities:

1. Show several different types of Maps and why they are different? (Photo, Land use etc...)

2. Make a land use map for Box City Site.

Assignment:

1. What kind of buildings go into a community?

2. Finish Land Use Map.

3. How do Communities start?

Week Four Building Types

Objectives:

1. To learn about the kinds of buildings there are in a community.

Activities:

1. Assign building types. (Commercial, Residential, Community and Industrial)

2. Slide Show on the history of the community around the School.

Assignment:

1. Who else is involved in making a community?

2. Work on building types.

Week Five: Planning a Community

Objectives:

1. People who are involved in building communities.

2. Group Plan

3. Class Plan

Activities:

1. Divide class into groups and make one plan from all the individual plans.

2. Groups Meet to elect a leader.

3. Leaders meet to make a class plan

Assignment:

1. Finish Building Types

Week Six Build Box City

Objectives:

1. Place Building types on Box City Site according to the class plan.

2. Amend Plan.

3. Compare Plan to what was finally built.

Activities:

1. Build Box City

2. Planner keeps record of changes to class plan

3. Planner meets with class to talk about changes from plan to final product.

As this outline is intended to only give you a very simple picture of the six weeks Michael Gray taught, it should be noted that the Box City Curriculum should be purchased from C.U.B.E. in order to best develop your own plan. Box City can work with all ages and be done in three weeks or longer.