Question: How does my city serve the community?

Sources: Images of city employees performing their jobs (e.g. police directing traffic, firefighters using a hose to put out a fire, water treatment facilities worker testing water, garbage men collecting cans or large items); titles, logos, images, descriptions from websites/pamphlets of city departments (e.g. Housing Authority, Parking Authority, Public Works, Community Development, etc.)

Task: Work together to create a web identifying the different ways your city serves the community.

Vocabulary: Fire department, law enforcement, public utilities, public health, transit, libraries, recycling, sanitation, parks, animal control, agriculture extension, public works, permits and inspections, schools, emergency medical service, planning and zoning, recreation, public housing, social services, economic development, traffic, taxes, human relations, budget/finance, historic district coordinator

EXPLANATION: To increase students’ awareness of services that are provided by their community to improve quality of life. City government provides a wide range of services. Some city governments are very large organizations with thousands of employees and provide many different types of services. Other cities have only a few employees and provide only the most necessary public services, such as police and fire, wastewater treatment and garbage collection.