Willow Creek City Project

(At-Home Requirements)

It is time to build our third grade city! This project will take place over the next few weeks and will be finalized on Wednesday, February 25th. We will start working on the subdivision portion of our city the beginning of February, but wanted to give you plenty of time to plan ahead. For the at home portion of this project, each student will be creating aFICTICIOUS business in our community. The business can be anything, but cannot be a business already in existence. It must be made-up. We discussed a list of businesses that a community might need and looked at pictures today in class. Each student picked a type business they think they would enjoy making, with the help of their parents (you!). At the end of this letter, your child wrote their selection. If you have concerns with their choice, please feel free to call and we will let your child choose one from our list of businesses. We encourage you to take a drive around the community for inspiration. Parental help is required for this project because it is detailed and need precise cutting and placement of small objects. However, this is not intended to be a parent project. The majority of the work should be student-generated. Please let me know if you need construction paper or other school-provided materials sent home. Be sure to indicate the size, amount and color required. This is an open-ended project. There are limitless possibilities on how these businesses can be created.

This project will be graded using the rubric provided. Please use this as a guide for working on your project. Whenever possible, have your child practice using a ruler and cutting carefully. This project requires that your student: brainstorm ideas, create a plan, list needed supplies, follow logical steps, balance items within a space, and work carefully and neatly. Thank you for working with your child on this project. We truly hope you have fun! Enclosed are some sample pictures if you need some ideas. Please call if you have any questions (350-4410).

~ Third Grade Team

______has chosen to build a RURAL / SUBURBAN / URBAN _________at home for our city project. After discussing this choice, if you need make adjustments to the type of business, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher.It must be completed and returned to school on Wednesday, February 25th. *Due to spacing, please do NOT send projects before Wednesday, February 25th. Please make arrangements for projects to be taken home afterschool on Thursday, February 26th, after 4:00.
Guidelines (required elements):

  1. All businesses need to be constructed on a piece of cardboard or poster board. The building needs to be glued/attached to the land plot and the plot itself should not be greater than 18”x24” (standard-size poster board). It also needs to be light enough for your third grader to carry. Please secure as many decorative items as possible (trees, cars, fences, etc.) to your plot of land.
  2. Windows and doors need to be appropriate to the size of the business. “Framing” windows with another colored square behind or using other framing materials is required.
  3. The building must have a roof. Roof ideas: paper plates cut and colored for shingles, sand or gravel, sand paper, rounded or pitched paper roof.
  4. The business needs to have a parking lot if one is found in its real-life version. If the parking lot is “paved,” handicap parking is required.
  5. All businesses must have a sign with its name on it in a visible place. Please type and mount all signs. Feel free to jot me a note if your student needs to use a school computer for this.

Suggestions (not required):

General:

  1. Buildings can be made out of a box – wrapped in colored paper or painted.
  2. Fences can be made from popsicle sticks, toothpicks, twigs or wire.
  3. Parking lots can be made by painting spaces onto black paper.

Suburban/Urban Buildings:

  1. Most parking lots have lights. Lights can be made out of straw or q-tips.
  2. Consider putting a sidewalk by your business.
  3. Landscape your business area if it matches the style/type of business.
  4. Urban buildings typically build up rather than out due to space.

Rural Buildings:

  1. For farmland, try using cardboard with ridges showing (sometimes you can peel off one layer of cardboard to see the ridges inside). Attach wheat or “crops” with small balls of clay.
  2. Pringles or soda can make terrific silos. You can glue ½ of a Styrofoam ball to the top and spray paint them.

See the attached photos from a previous year’s community. We will hold an Open House for parents and families to view our project on Thursday, February 26th from 10:00 – 2:00.Be sure to bring your camera!

Business Project:Please use this as a guide for planning & constructing your business.

  • Home project was turned in on time. (Wednesday, February 25th)
  • Project showed mostly child work with parent support/supervision.
  • Items were drawn using a straight edge (ruler) and cut as best they could.
  • Coloring was neat and attention to detail is apparent and appropriate for third grade students.
  • Items were glued/adhered to construction paper using planning and care.
  • Requirements:
  • Business constructed on a piece of cardboard or poster board.
  • Building glued/attached to the land plot not be greater than 18”x24” and is light enough for a third grader to carry.
  • Decorative items (trees, cars, fences, etc.) secured to plot of land.
  • Windows and doors appropriate to the size of the business.
  • “Framed” windows.
  • The building has a roof.
  • The business has a parking lot with handicap parking, if required.
  • Business has a sign with its name in a visible place. Sign is typed.
  • The business construction reflects urban, suburban or rural design typical for that type of location.
  • Project cost should not exceed $10.00.

At-Home Business Grading Rubric
1 / Student put little to no effort into constructing business. It does not reflect any of the guidelines outlined in expectations. Student took little to no care in the planning or execution of business.
2 / Student put a fair amount of effort into the construction of the business. It reflects some of the guidelines outlined in expectations, but is missing a few important pieces. Student took a fair amount of effort in the planning and execution of the business. - OR - It is obvious a parent had much more involvement than expected and the student had little to no involvement in the overall creation of the project. Project far exceeds monetary restrictions outlined in guidelines.
3 / Student put an appropriate amount of effort into the construction of the business. It reflects most of the guidelines outlined in expectations with no missing pieces. Student took an appropriate amount of effort in the planning and execution of the business. It is obvious a parent and student involvement in construction was balanced and both contributed to the overall product. Project adhered to monetary restrictions.
4 / Student meets the expectations of a 3, but exceptional amount of details are included into the construction of the business. The project meets the expectations and clearly shows students went above and beyond. It is clear that the project is mostly student driven.