A City by Any Other Name ... Wouldn't be the Same

Summary

Utah's municipalities exhibit rich cultural traditions, recreational choices, and economic opportunities. This lesson provides fun activities, which help students explore Utah's diverse municipalities.

Materials

• Nerf or tennis ball (to be furnished by the school or teacher)
• Game sheet: "A City by Any Other Name...Wouldn't be the Same!" (pdf)
• Teacher's answer sheet: "A City by Any Other Name...Wouldn't be the Same!" (pdf)
• Worksheet: "City Report" (pdf)
• Information sheets: "Municipalities and Population as of 2004" (pdf)
• Utah maps (to be furnished by the school or teacher)

Background for Teachers

Enduring Understanding

Climate, geography, economics, and culture influence the ways in which cities are named. Each Utah community is interesting and dynamic in its own way.

Essential Questions

In what ways are the culture and history of Utah municipalities a reflection of early residents?

Where are Utah cities and towns located?

Objectives

Students will discover Utah's rich cultural diversity by studying the origin of community names, comparing municipal populations, and by learning interesting facts about cities and towns.

Instructional Procedures

Setting the Stage

• Ask students to sit in a circle where they will play a game. Call a person's name and then throw a small Nerf or tennis ball gently to that person. This person will call someone else by name and toss the ball to them. Continue until all student names have been called and all have participated.
• After the game, discuss student names. Do some students share the same name? Were some students named after their parents or other relative? Ask students if they know how they got their name.
• Explain that names are very important to people and also to places. Explain that students will study a variety of Utah's cities and towns and learn how they received their names.
• Ask students to think of the names of Utah cities and towns and record as many names as they can remember. (This can be a group or individual activity depending on student knowledge and skills.)
• Stop students after five minutes. Check student scores and ask them to share the lists. Record community names on chart paper to be placed on the wall. (Allow space for new names to be added later.)
• Explain that Utah has a wide variety of cities and towns each with its own unique heritage and culture.

Activity: Cities and Towns Game Sheet

• Distribute "A City by Any Other Name...Wouldn't be the Same!" game sheet. (pdf)
• Explain that this is a word game where students must discover the name of a Utah city. They do so by reading the list of "false names" and looking for clues imbedded in the words. Some names will use words that are opposite from those listed, others will use synonyms for the city names. Students may use "A City by Any Other Name...Correct Names" (pdf) to help them discover the right answer.
• Allow students time to complete the task. (The word-play might be difficult for young children. Consider the age, sophistication, and general knowledge of the student when preparing for this task. You may wish to do the project together, in small groups, or even send unfinished games home so that parents can help the student complete their lists.)

Activity: Getting to Know Utah Cities and Towns

NOTE TO TEACHERS: Some Utah municipalities have their own home page. Students with access to computers will enjoy learning more about their assigned communities using computer research.

• Share the correct answers to the game. Teachers may distribute the list or project the answers onto the board using the "Teachers Answer Sheet". (pdf)
• Enjoy sharing the names of the cities and discuss how students discovered the answers.
• Divide the class into six groups. Assign each group six or seven municipalities listed in the game for them to study.
• Distribute "City Report" worksheet. (pdf) "Municipalities and Population as of 2004" information sheets, and Utah maps.
• Explain that students will use information sheets to learn simple facts about their assigned communities and use maps to locate their communities, determine mileage, and compare geography.
• Instruct student groups to prepare a creative presentation about their assigned city or town. For the presentation, students will describe each municipality, use a Utah map to show its location, and compute mileage between the municipality and the student's own community.
• Allow time for students to research their communities and prepare presentations. (Supplies may include overhead transparencies, computer projectors, maps, highlighters, poster board, art paper, etc.)
• Ask each group to share what they have learned while the rest of the class takes notes.

Extensions

• Ask students to guess which Utah city is the largest and which city is the smallest in population. Check the chart and then list all the municipalities discussed in this lesson from the smallest to largest population.
• Identify the county where each municipality is located.
• Use classroom resources (Utah history book, Internet) to identify how the cities in different locations around the state differ in climate, geography, and culture.
• Before students begin learning about their cities, read a few community names and ask students to guess the origin of the name.
• Continue to add new communities to the list.
• Make up name-games for other Utah cities and towns.
• Design a flag for your own municipality that reflects its name.
• Design a travel brochure for your own community.

Bibliography

This lesson plan is part of the Utah League of Cities and Towns This Must be Utah! A Teacher's Guide to Utah Cities and Towns

• Author: Sheri Sohm
• Editor: Sydney Fonnesbeck , Director of Training
  Utah League of Cities and Towns