Dear Parents, Our class has been studying Urban and Rural Communities in social studies for the

past two weeks, and will continue to do so for the next little while. The focus of our study is to identify distinguishing features of urban and rural communities, in terms of: Location, structures, transportation, natural resources, recreational activities, land use and population. For our culminating activity, students will be assigned an urban or rural community within the province of Ontario. They will be asked to do research in order to gain knowledge about the unique features of the community in question. In time, students will have the opportunity to present their findings. Students are encouraged to display their research in a creative way that they feel comfortable with. Presentation options include: Powerpoint presentation, speech, brochure, bristol board etc. We will also be using our research throughout Language Arts where students will be paired up with a friend in the class who is researching a different community. They will communicate by writing letters back and forth, as if they were pen pals. Students will be responsible for writing multiple letters a week, and will write a response to at least one of their partners letters as well. Students will have ample class time to work on this assignment. However, if at all possible, we encourage students to do research at home to learn more about their community, and bring in any resources they may have so that they can work on it in class. As always, your support is greatly appreciated! Kind Regards, Mr. _________ and Ms. Sazant (OISE Teacher Candidate)

Your child has been assigned the urban/rural community of ____________________________________ .