The unit began with the exploration and defining what a community is. Communities, we discovered, begin at the core with ourselves, our families and within our homes. Enlarging our circle of self and family, we also elaborated upon the social, emotional, and physical aspects of our neighborhood, our school community, and the city of Sheboygan.

Guided by thinking routines, students generated a vast compilation of places within Sheboygan which they wanted to visit and explore. The location criteria was that it needed to be affordable, located within the city of Sheboygan, was a public location, and was accessible/open with COVID restrictions.

Students documented their learning through thinking routines, journaling, illustration, cartography, and photography. They were asked to think critically about the sites and focus on whom this location might be enticing to...babies, young children, older children, adults, people with special needs, cost, parking, ease of getting to location, etc... For the final product of the unit, students created a website which includes photography, persuasive opinions, and travel reviews, which will help visitors, as well as current local families, find the amazing gems Sheboygan has to offer the community.