Rural Communities

Ages 5–7 · 9 minutes

Explore rural communities in this lesson

There are three types of communities. This lesson focuses on rural communities and some of the characteristics associated with rural life.

Part of

Types of Communities

Standards alignment

Common Core State Standards

D2.Geo.6.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Identify some cultural and environmental characteristics of specific places.
D2.Geo.8.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Compare how people in different types of communities use local and distant environments to meet their daily needs.
D2.Geo.9.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Describe the connections between the physical environment of a place and the economic activities found there.
D2.Eco.4.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Describe the goods and services that people in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities.

Alabama

SS10.1.7 — Describe how occupational and recreational opportunities in the local community and state are affected by the physical environment. (Alabama)
SS10.2.10 — Identify ways people throughout the country are affected by their human and physical environments.

Alaska

1 — know that places have distinctive geographic characteristics;
AH. PPE 5 — comparing and contrasting the differing perspectives between rural and urban areas. [DOK 2] (H. B1b, C. E4)
7 — understand that a region is a distinct area defined by one or more cultural or physical features; and
3 — interpret population characteristics and distributions;

Arizona

1.G3.1 — Explain why and how people, goods, and ideas move from place to place. • Key concepts include but are not limited to transportation, immigration, education, technology, and natural resources
1.G2.1 — Compare how human activities affect culture and the environment now and in the past. • Such as agriculture, industrialization, urbanization, and human migration Arizona History and Social Science Standards modified 8/23/19 Page 16 Examining human population and movement helps individuals understand past, present, and future conditions on Earth’s surface.
1.G1.1 — Use, explore and construct maps, graphs and other geographical representations to support content focus. • Key concepts include but are not limited to physical features (rivers, lakes, mountains, landforms, desert) and human features (dams, cities, parks, hospitals, schools, railroad tracks, farms, factories, houses)

Arkansas

G.1.1.2 — Describe the physical and human characteristics of a place including roads, buildings, and borders using maps, globes, and photographs.
G.1.2.8 — Compare and contrast reasons and methods that people, goods, and ideas move from place to place.
G.1.K.2 — Identify and describe the physical characteristics of a place such as rivers, mountains, and forests using maps, globes, and photographs.

California

2.2.4 — Compare and contrast basic land use in urban, suburban, and rural environments in California.
1.2.4 — Describe how location, weather, and physical environment affect the way people live, including the effects on their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation.
2 — Students identify the human and physical characteristics of the places they are studying and explain how those features form the unique character of those places.
2.4.1 — Describe food production and consumption long ago and today, including the roles of farmers, processors, distributors, weather, and land and water resources.

Colorado

SS.1.2.2 — Describe the characteristics of a community and how they are influenced by the environment.
PGS.4 — Examine the characteristics of places and regions, and the changing nature among geographic and human interactions.
SS.K.2.2 — Identify how the environment influences the way people live.
SS.2.2.2 — Explain how people in communities manage, modify, and depend on their environment.

Connecticut

GEO 1.2 — Use maps, graphs, photographs and other representations to describe places and the relationships and interactions that shape them.
GEO 2.6 — Identify cultural and environmental characteristics of a place/region.
GEO.K.2 — Use maps, graphs, photographs and other representations to describe places and the relationships and interactions that shape them.
INQ.K-2.10 — Construct an argument with reasons.

Delaware

G.3.K-3a — Students will identify types of human settlement, connections between settlements, and the types of activities found in each. Grade 3
H.4.K-3b — Students will develop an awareness of major events and people in United States and Delaware history. • Who lives here and how did they get here? (immigrants, demographics, ethnic and religious groups) • Important people in our past • Different kinds of communities in Delaware and the United States
SL.K.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

Florida

SS.1.G.1.6 — Describe how location, weather, and physical environment affect the way people live in our community.
SS.K.E.1.1 — Describe different kinds of jobs that people do and the tools or equipment used.

Hawaii

SS.1.2.14.3 — Investigate cultural and environmental characteristics of your community
SS.K.3.15.4 — Describe how and why people move from place to place
SS.K.1.7.3 — Compare roles and responsibilities of self and others at home, at school, and in neighborhood settings

Idaho

1.SS.2.2.1 — Describe ways people adjust to their environment.
3.SS.2.3.3 — Compare and contrast city/suburb/town and urban/rural.

Illinois

SS.1.G.3 — Compare how people in different types of communities use local and world-wide environments to meet their daily needs.
SS.K.G.2 — With guidance and support, explain how people and goods move from place to place.
SS.2.G.2 — With guidance and support, identify some cultural and environmental characteristics of your community and compare to other places or regions.

Indiana

1.G.4 — Identify and describe physical features and human features of the local community, including home, school, and neighborhood.
2.G.3 — Compare neighborhoods in your community/region, and explain how physical features of the community affect people living there. (E)
K.G.5 — Identify and compare similarities and differences in families, classmates, neighbors and neighborhoods, and ethnic and cultural groups.

Iowa

Evaluate Human Environment Interaction
SS.1.17 — Describe how environmental characteristics and cultural characteristics impact each other in different regions of the U.S.
Analyze Human Population, Movement, and Patterns

Kansas

Benchmark 5.1 — The student will recognize and evaluate dynamic relationships that impact lives in communities, states, and nations.
Standard 3 — Societies are shaped by the identities, beliefs, and practices of individuals and groups.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.

Kentucky

1.G.KGE.1 — Compare the physical and human characteristics of communities in Kentucky.
K.G.HE.1 — Identify ways humans interact with their environment.
K.G.KGE.1 — Identify physical and environmental characteristics of communities.

Louisiana

K.21 — Identify rural, suburban, and urban areas.
1.31 — Explain how and why people and goods move from place to place.
1.7 — Compare the lives of Louisianans today in urban, suburban, and rural parishes.

Maine

SL.3.K.a — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
L.5.1.c — Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy).

Maryland

explaining how transportation is used to move people from place to place.
identifying means of transportation available both in their community and beyond.
identifying communities that are unique and common to students.
DCI.LS1.C.K-2.1 — All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.

Massachusetts

K.T4.1 — With prompting and support, describe some things people do when they work inside and outside of the home, drawing on personal experience, literature, and informational texts.
SL.K.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SL.K.2 — Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

Michigan

1–G2.0.1 — Distinguish between physical and human characteristics of places.
2–G2.0.1 — Compare the physical and human characteristics of the local community with those of another community.
2–G4.0.1 — Describe land use in the community.
2–G4.0.2 — Describe the means people create for moving people, goods, and ideas within the local community.

Minnesota

0.3.2.3.1 — Identify the physical and human characteristics of places, including real and imagined places. For example: Physical characteristics—landforms (Rocky Mountains, Mount Everest), ecosystems (forest), bodies of water (Hudson Bay, Indian Ocean, Amazon River), soil, vegetation, weather and climate. Human characteristics—structures (Great Wall of China, Eiffel Tower), bridges (Golden Gate Bridge), canals (Erie Canal), cities, political boundaries, population distribution, settlement patterns, language, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs.
2.3.1.1.4 — Use maps, photos, or other geographic tools to answer basic questions about where people are located. For example: Where are we? What is this location like? What are the characteristics of this location? How has this place been affected by the movement of people, goods and ideas? How do people modify the environment to fit their needs? How do people organize locations into regions? How is this place similar to or different from other places?
3. — Places have physical characteristics (such as climate, topography and vegetation) and human characteristics (such as culture, population, political and economic systems).

Mississippi

1.G.2.3 — Describe how location impacts daily life for residents in various communities (e.g., shelter, clothing, food, activities, etc.).
2.G.1.3 — Define urban, suburban, and rural.
K.G.1.4 — Examine routes and modes of transportation between home and school.

Missouri

1.EG.5.C.a — Identify physical characteristics of your community
1.EG.5.C.b — Describe human characteristics of your community
2.EG.5.E.a — Describe different types of communication and transportation and identify their advantages and disadvantages.

Montana

SS.G.2.2 — describe how geography and human activities impact each other.
SS.G.K — The geography content standard for kindergarten is that each student will use maps, and other representations, to describe place characteristics.
SL.K.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SS.E.1.2 — describe goods and products that are produced in local regions.

Nebraska

SS 2.3.2.b — Describe local places and regions.
SS 2.3.4 — Describe different groups of people and the different settings where they live.
SS K.3.4.b — Identify places in the community where people may live.
SS 2.3.2.a — Identify and differentiate between physical and human features of neighborhoods and communities.

Nevada

SS.1.20 — Describe how the environment impacts how we live and the work we do.
SS.1.19 — Use simple geographic models to describe environmental and physical characteristics of the community.
SS.K.18. — Explain why and how people move from place to place within the community.

New Hampshire

SS.GE.2.2.2 — Recognize that areas of the Earth's surface share unifying geographic characteristics, e.g., towns, deserts or woodlands. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment)
SS.GE.2.4.1 — Explore the distribution of a population, e.g., city or farm. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment)
SS.CV.2.4.1 — Examine the responsibilities of individuals as members of a family, school and community, e.g., community helpers or chores at home and school. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, C: People, Places and Environment)
SS.GE.2.2.1 — Explore the physical and human characteristics of place, e.g., roads, schools or mountains. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment, E: Cultural Development, Interaction, and Change, G: Science, Technology, and Society)
SS.HI.2.4.1 — Identify different segments of the United States economy, e.g., farm, manufacturing, or retail. (Themes: D: Material Wants and Needs, G: Science, Technology, and Society)

New Jersey

6.1.2.Geo.HE.3 — Identify cultural and environmental characteristics of different regions in New Jersey and the United States.
6.1.2.GeoPP.1 — Explain the different physical and human characteristics that might make a location a good place to live (e.g., landforms, climate and weather, resource availability).
6.1.2.Geo.HE.2 — Describe how human activities affect the culture and environmental characteristics of places or regions (e.g., transportation, housing, dietary needs).
6.1.2.EconEM.2 — Describe the goods and services that individuals and businesses in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities.

New Mexico

K.21 — Explain why and how people move from place to place within a community.
2.29 — Identify different types of jobs performed in their community.

New York

2.1 — A community is a population of various individuals in a common location. It can be characterized as urban, suburban, or rural. Population density and use of the land are some characteristics that define and distinguish types of communities.
2.1c — Rural communities are characterized by large expanses of open land and significantly lower populations than urban or suburban areas.
2.1d — Activities available for people living in urban, suburban, and rural communities are different. The type of community a person grows up in will affect a person’s development and identity.
2.8a — The availability of resources to meet basic needs varies across urban, suburban, and rural communities.
2.5c — Humans modify the environment of their communities through housing, transportation systems, schools, marketplaces, and recreation areas.

North Carolina

2.G.1 — Understand how interaction between humans and the physical environment is impacted by movement and settlement.

North Dakota

1.R.1 — Listening comprehension standard is met in 1.R.2-1.R.5.
K-LS1-1 — Describe patterns, through observation, of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Ohio

1.5 — Places are distinctive because of their physical characteristics (land forms and bodies of water) and human characteristics (structures built by people).
2.6 — The work that people do is impacted by the distinctive human and physical characteristics in the place where they live.
1.6 — Families interact with the physical environment differently in different times and places.
3.7 — Systems of transportation and communication move people, products and ideas from place to place.

Oklahoma

1.2.4 — Compare the features of urban and rural communities.
K.2.5 — Describe what makes one’s community alike or different than other communities.
K.4.R.3 — Students will begin to acquire new vocabulary and relate new words to prior knowledge.

Oregon

1.SL.2 — Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
2.11 — Use basic information on maps and other geographic tools to locate, identify and describe physical and human features of the community.
K.SL.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

Pennsylvania

7.3.3.C — Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their settlement characteristics.
6.4.3.G — Identify local geographic patterns of economic activities.
7.3.3.A — Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their population characteristics.
7.3.3.D — Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their economic activities.

Rhode Island

SS1.1.1 — Understanding community Explain what makes a community a community
SS1.5.2 — Learning about other communities in the United States Analyze the similarities and differences in the characteristics of communities throughout the United States
SSK.3.1 — Neighborhood boundaries and nearby neighborhoods Analyze the relationship between geography, location, and resource availability in how neighborhoods and communities are defined

South Carolina

1.G.3 — Identify and differentiate between rural, suburban, and urban areas within South Carolina. This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the characteristics of urban, rural, and suburban areas within South Carolina.
1.E.3 — Research and describe how goods and services differ in rural, suburban, and urban areas in South Carolina. This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into how goods and services vary in different communities. This indicator was also designed to promote inquiry into the identification of the goods and services available in their community and compare these to other South Carolina communities, such as farming in rural communities and shipping in coastal communities.

South Dakota

2.G.3.1 — Compare the physical and man-made characteristics of the local community with those of another community
K.SL.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events. With prompting and support, provide additional detail.

Tennessee

K.01 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events within a student’s home, school, and community.
K.04 — Identify and explain how basic human needs of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are met.
SSP.06 — Develop geographic awareness by: • Identifying geographic symbols on maps and globes • Understanding relationships between people, places, and resources
K.06 — Recognize and describe different types of jobs, including work done in the home, school, and community.

Texas

1.5B — identify and describe how geographic location influences the human characteristics of place such as shelter, clothing, food, and activities.
K.4B — identify how geographic location influences human characteristics of place such as shelter, clothing, food, and activities.
1.5A — identify and describe the physical characteristics of place such as landforms, bodies of water, Earth's resources, and weather; and
K.6A — identify jobs in the home, school, and community; and

Utah

2.3.1.b — Describe how geographic aspects of the area affect a community and influence culture (e.g., river, mountain, and desert).
3.1.3.a — Identify ways people use the physical environment (e.g. agriculture, recreation, energy, industry).

Vermont

D2.Geo.6.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Identify some cultural and environmental characteristics of specific places.
D2.Geo.9.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Describe the connections between the physical environment of a place and the economic activities found there.
D2.Eco.4.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Describe the goods and services that people in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities.
D2.Geo.8.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Compare how people in different types of communities use local and distant environments to meet their daily needs.

Virginia

Skill.K.e — The student will apply history and social science skills to the content by identifying similarities and differences to explain content.
Skill.K.i — The student will apply history and social science skills to the content by using content vocabulary to demonstrate comprehension.
Skill.K.b — The student will apply history and social science skills to the content by applying geographic skills to identify and understand geographic features.

Washington

G2.2.1 — Identify some common and unique cultural and environmental characteristics of specific places.
G3.1.2 — Identify the common and unique characteristics of different global environments.
G3.2.1 — Explain how and why people, goods, and ideas move from place to place.
G3.2.3 — Describe the connection between the physical environment of a place and the economic activities found there.
G3.2.2 — Compare how people in different types of communities use local and distant environments to meet their daily needs.

Washington, D.C.

1.1 — Explain what constitutes a community and describe characteristics of different local and global communities.
1.23 — Describe how location, weather and physical environment affect the way people live, including the effects on their food, clothing, shelter, transportation and recreation.
K.21 — Identify geographic characteristics of the local community (e.g., climate, population, landforms, vegetation, culture, industry), and explain how these characteristics shape our interactions with our environment and communities.
K.27 — Identify products that we use in our daily lives, where they come from, and how they connect us to local and global communities.

West Virginia

SS.K.12 — Explore similarities and differences of life in the city (urban) and the country (rural).
Describe the goods and services that people in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities.

Wisconsin

SS.Geog2.d.1 — Identify and explain differences between rural and urban areas.
SS.Geog2.a.K-1 — Analyze where and why people live in certain places. Classify the local community as rural, suburban, urban, or tribal.
SS.Geog3.b.2 — Compare and contrast the different modes of transportation and communication used by families in work and daily lives.
SS.Geog4.a.2 — Categorize characteristics of the local community (e.g., weather and climate, population, landforms, vegetation, culture, industry). Describe how certain places have meanings that distinguish them from other places. (e.g., shopping mall, park, places of worship).

Wyoming

SS2.5.2 — Physical Place and Region Identify, describe, and use local physical and human characteristics to discuss the similarities and differences between parts of the community (e.g., neighborhoods, schools, towns, and reservation communities). RL.1.2, RL.2.3 RI.1.3, Rl.2.2, RI.2.10 W.K.2, W.K.7 W.1.1, W.1.7 W.2.1, W.2.7 SL.K.4, SL.1.4, SL.2.2
SS2.4.2 — Identify tools and technologies, including those of Indigenous Tribes of Wyoming, that made or make life easier and sustainable (e.g., cars for getting one place to another, washing machines for washing clothes, flashlights to see in the dark, and usage of bison and natural resources). 2.MD.7 – 8 K-2-ETS1-1 – ETS1-3
SS2.5.3 — Human Place and Movement Use the human features of a community to describe what makes that community unique (e.g., cultural, language, religion, food, clothing, political, economic, population, and types of jobs in an area) and why others move to or from that place. RL.1.2, RL.2.3 RI.1.3, Rl.2.2, RI.2.10 W.K.2, W.K.7 W.1.1, W.1.7 W.2.1 W.2.7 SL.K.4, SL.1.4, SL.2.2 K-2-ETS1-1