Teacher Resources

Encourage your students to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about planning. The deadline is January 15, 2009.

Create a Module Around the Essay

Teachers may wish to use the essay assignment to do a module on historic preservation planning in their community. Students can learn about:

• Community history
• Urban design and community character
• The environment and sustainability
• Civics and local governance

The instructions for students are detailed and suitable for classroom use. The instructions include:

• Step by step research strategy
• Reading materials
• Definitions of key concepts
• Links to useful online resources
• Outline for the essay

Following the instructions students will undergo a community planning process. Through their investigations and their writing assignment, they will be exposed to planners and preservationists and their work. They will gain insight into community governance. Further, students will learn about the goals, values, and policy issues related to the work of planning and preservation.

All of this material can also be expanded for classroom use. Don't forget the American Planning Association website is a rich resource with over 10,000 pages of information on community planning.

Essay Assignment and Instructions

See the guidelines and instructions for students competing for scholarships.

Warm-up Exercise—City Detective: Who Designed My Town? (pdf)

This three-hour lesson plan introduces students to plans and various maps, as well as planning, and community history. Use it is a warm-up exercise to your classroom module.

Student Coaching Tips

Students will need to learn several key concepts in order to complete the essay. These include:

1. understanding what planning is in their community
2. understanding historic preservation
3. connecting future actions to goals of preservation
4. understanding key tools of planning and preservation: maps, surveys, evaluation/ designation, problem definition, and research.

Teachers are encouraged to discuss the essay project with their students, even if they chose not to do a classroom module.

National Community Planning Month

The High School Essay Contest is part of APA's National Community Planning Month.

For more ideas on youth activities during the month of October

To learn more about the entire celebration

Past Contests

Read the winning essays from past contests and meet the winners. Interested in building a teaching module on affordable housing or green neighborhood planning? Read about previous contests and their instructional material.

ResourcesZine

Sign up for APA's free quarterly newsletter on educating and engaging youth in planning, ResourcesZine. Visit the extensive resource center full of projects, curriculum information, and activities.