Indiana Social Studies GHW.5.1
The Standard
Ask and answer geographic and historic questions about the origin and growth of towns, cities, and metropolitan areas in different regions of the world and in different time periods. Compare and contrast the factors involved in the location and growth of towns and cities for different time periods.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students ask where and when cities began, then use maps and historical records to find answers. They compare what drew people to each place and what helped it grow later.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given maps and timelines for ancient Rome and present-day Lagos, a student explains why each city began where it did. They use evidence to compare the factors behind each city's later growth.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat a city's starting location and its later growth as the same question. They may use today's roads to explain a settlement that began long before those roads existed.
How to Assess It
- Give students a map and three dated facts for each city. Ask: “What helped Rome and Lagos begin where they did, and what later helped each grow? Use two clues.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs maps of ancient Rome and Lagos; have them mark the Tiber River and Lagos's coast, then label one location factor for each.
Ask students to write: “Why did Rome's river matter, and why do port jobs matter in Lagos? Use one map clue for each.”
Have teams sort river crossing, rail hub, factory, and port cards into starting-location or later-growth factors, then defend two choices.
Print an old and a current map of a nearby city; have students circle an early transport link and a newer growth area.
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Printable GHW.5.1 Worksheet
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