Sprawl Gets Personal!

Teachers...

Bring your lessons alive by using what students know best—the environment they live in--to teach critical thinking, writing, and speaking. Discover and examine with your students the impact of current development patterns on their lives. All materials you will need are included on this website – See links below.

This study unit uses recent history and current events to help students place their style of living in the context of how society goes about developing our land and cities.

The materials fit requirements of the Ohio Department of Education's Academic Content Standards for Social Studies, grades 11-12. So, you're not a teacher? The materials in Sprawl Gets Personal will guide you. Go ahead and give it a try with any group! You may use the materials in any useful manner as long as the League of Women Voters is given credit as the source.

You may download each unit individually by cicking on the links below or you may download:

All documents | All images

  1. Teacher's Script
    1. Narrative
    2. Outline for a Five-Day Unit
  2. History
    1. Background Essay for Teachers
    2. Population Timeline for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County
  3. Project Ideas
    1. History, Science and Sprawl: The Creative Arts and Sprawl
  4. Teaching Arts and Materials
    1. Sprawl Speak: Word and Concept Glossary
    2. Bibliography
    3. Websites
    4. Factoids
    5. Five Articles
      1. Article - Day of reckoning
      2. Article - European cities
      3. Article - On sprawl, Forum Page
      4. Article - Goodman obesity
      5. Article - Smart growth Bentayou
    6. Small-Group Worksheet
    7. Academic Content Standards, Grades 11-12, Social Studies
  5. Visual Aids
    1. Sprawl Spawned Words
    2. Map showing acres of Farmland Converted to Developed Land
    3. Photos/Cartoons/Discussions
      1. All Photos' Discussion
        1. Photo Discussion - Cartoon
        2. Photo Discussion - Farmland sale to developer
        3. Photo Discussion - Oberlin Town Square
        4. Photo Discussion - Ohio City Homes
        5. Photo Discussion - Personal Estate
        6. Photo Discussion - Rockside Road
        7. Photo Discussion - Shaker Square
        8. Photo Discussion - Townhomes
        9. Photo Discussion - WalMart
      2. Photos and Cartoons
        1. Cartoon
        2. Farmland for sale to a developer
        3. Oberlin Town Square
        4. Ohio City Homes
        5. Personal Estate
        6. Rockside Road
        7. Shaker Square
        8. Townhomes
        9. Walmart
    4. American Dreams worksheet

End Note

This study unit is based on a two year study by members of Ohio's Cuyahoga County League of Women Voters. The results aree published in a book, Land Use and Transportation Policy in Cuyahoga County, A Close Relationship. This book and other publications of the League can be found on the publications page.

The League of Women voters Cuyahoga Area thanks the George Gund Foundation for their original support of Sprawl Gets Personal. Photographs were donated by EcoCity Cleveland.