This project allows Grade 3 to think about the city where they live and are introduced to concepts such as diversity, change and social organisation in the context of what makes Prague and other places the way that they are.
Students are asked to consider the factors that influence the development of a place over time, such as geography, people and demographics, resources and what qualities make places unique.
Students look at several elements of understanding what makes a place unique and are encouraged to think about architecture and landmarks, stories and legends, art, history and even food. Students are also mentored to consider how cities are planned and managed through visits to historic places in downtown Prague. Groups of students visit Malá Strana, Vyšehrad and Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square) along with teachers and other experts.
Based on these field trips and what piqued the individual students’ own interest, students are supervised while carrying out independent research where they are encouraged to ask questions and make connections on what they have seen. For instance Dongha compared Prague Castle with the Gyeongbok Palace in South Korea, their home country.
Each student researches a different place in the world they are interested in learning more about about then create a presentation or model to help explain their research. Then they each give a speech sharing their information and how it connected to what they studied in Prague. Ultimately all students present about their place be it a Prague landmark or another place in the world. Students paraphrase the information so it is in their own words which is quite challenging (and rewarding!) for 8-9 year olds.
