Invite a long-time resident of an area most students are familiar with, such as the town where their school is located, to talk about changes to the community.

Prepare for the interview by reviewing current and historic maps of the area. Local historical societies may have old maps that include names of property owners and types of businesses that will allow students to see in general how the "landscape" of their community has changed. Help them to find buildings and landmarks that still exist and note what buildings were not there in the past. This information may also help them to develop questions for the interview. Ask the resident (or another person or a local historical society) if there are photographs that can be shared with the class.

Activity extension: At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, "Birds-Eye" view maps were very popular. These were overhead depictions of streets and buildings with larger drawings of important buildings and places around the border. Each student in the class could be asked to draw one of several buildings (from the past or present) to create their own "Birds-Eye" interpretation of their town.

Standards: Social Studies-Geography; Social Studies-History; Language Arts-Research; Language Arts-Written and Oral Communication