Thursday, November 10, 2016

Using Local History in Your Classroom

A human community is a group of people who live and interact with one another in a specific region under relatively similar environmental, social, and political conditions. A natural community is a group of plants and animals that live and interact with one another in a specific region under similar environmental conditions.

Our human communities are essential for our daily life. They satisfy our needs for food, and shelter, as well as provide social interactions. Human communities are dependent on the larger natural community which contains the soil, water, air, plants, and animals on which the human community is sustained. The natural community supports itself and our civilizations.


Every community is unique. Each has its own historical background, natural resources, attractions and unique features.

Explore your community’s history with your students. Check out these websites to help get you started.
Project WILD is also a great resource. Look under Historical Values of Wildlife in the Expanded Topic Index.

Aquatic WILD suggested activities:
  • Watered-down History- investigate the history of a chosen waterway through research methods, recorded personal interviews, and public records
  • Where Does the Water Run?- design and implement a field investigation involving relationships between levels of precipitation, runoff, and percentage of impervious ground cover