Comparing Communities: City, Suburb, and Country
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This is a paper reading activity. You will read three short stories about places where people live. Then you will look at a picture chart and answer with a pencil. You do not need a computer or a book. Everything you need is in this packet. Work by yourself. If a question is hard, skip it and come back. You may read the parts quietly to yourself.
Start Look & Notice 5 min
Warm up before you read. A community is a place where people live, work, and play together.
1Think about the place where you live. Write one thing you see near your home.
2How do you get to school? Circle one. Then finish the sentence.
🚶 walk 🚌 bus 🚗 car 🚲 bike
I get to school by ______________________________.
Build Read the Community Stories 10 min
🏙️ A City (urban) — written for this packet
A city is a big, busy place. Many people live close together in tall buildings. The streets are full of cars, buses, and people walking. There are many shops, jobs, and things to do. People in a city often work in stores, offices, hospitals, and restaurants. Many people ride a bus or train, or they walk, because places are close together.
Type: original community story · Place: city (urban)
🏡 A Suburb (suburban) — written for this packet
A suburb is near a city, but not as busy. Most homes have a yard, and the streets are quieter. People often drive a car to get to work, school, or the store. Some people who live in a suburb drive into the city for their jobs. There are schools, parks, and small shops close to home.
Type: original community story · Place: suburb (suburban)
🌾 The Country (rural) — written for this packet
The country is a place with lots of open land. Homes are spread far apart, so you can see fields, farms, and trees. Many people work on farms or ranches, growing food or caring for animals. Because places are far away, people usually drive a car or truck to get where they need to go.
Type: original community story · Place: country (rural)
Word Bank
- community
- a place where people live, work, and play together.
- city
- a big, busy place with many people and buildings.
- suburb
- a quieter place near a city, often with yards.
- country
- a place with open land, farms, and homes far apart.
- job
- the work a person does.
- travel
- to go from one place to another.
- fact
- something you can check to see it is true.
- opinion
- what a person feels or likes; not proven true.
Table 1 — Comparing the communities (written for this packet)
| Community | What it looks like | Common jobs | How people travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| City (urban) | Tall buildings; homes close together | Shops, offices, hospitals, restaurants | Bus, train, or walk |
| Suburb (suburban) | Houses with yards; quieter streets | Schools, shops; some drive to the city | Drive a car |
| Country (rural) | Open land; homes far apart | Farms and ranches | Drive a car or truck |
Type: original comparison table · Use it with the picture chart to answer the questions.
Apply Use the Chart & Table 20 min
3Read the chart. Look at Figure 1. Which community has tall buildings close together?
Answer: ______________________________
4Read the table. Use Table 1 to fill in each blank.
a) People in the ______________________ do jobs on farms and ranches.
b) In the ______________________, homes have yards and people drive a car.
c) In a ______________________, many people ride a bus or train.
5Compare. Use the stories and Table 1.
One way all three communities are alike:
Two ways the communities are different:
6Cause and effect. Why do jobs differ from place to place? Pick one community and tell how the land or buildings there help make the jobs. Write 1–2 sentences.
Sentence starter: "In the ______, there is ______, so people ______."
7Fact or opinion? Write F for a fact you can check in the packet, or O for an opinion (what someone feels or likes).
____ a) In the country, homes are spread far apart.
____ b) The city is the best place to live.
____ c) Many people in a city ride a bus or train.
____ d) Farms are more fun than tall buildings.
8Check the claim. A student says: "People travel the same way in every community." Does the packet agree?
- Yes — the packet says everyone travels the same way.
- No — the packet shows city people often ride a bus, suburb people drive a car, and country people drive a car or truck.
- The packet does not talk about how people travel.
Tell why you picked your answer. Use one detail from a story or Table 1:
Explain Claim–Evidence–Reasoning 10 min
Question 9. Pick two communities. How is life different in those two places? Write a claim that names your two communities and tells one way life is different. Give two clues (evidence) from the stories, the picture chart, or Table 1. Then tell your reasoning — why the difference makes sense.
Sentence stems you may use: "In the ______ people ______, but in the ______ people ______." · "One clue is… (from a story / the chart / Table 1)." · "A second clue is…" · "This makes sense because the place has ______."
Close ACE Wrap-Up 5 min
In your own words, tell a friend what a community is.
Name one part of this packet (the chart, a story, or Table 1) that shows how a place changes people's jobs.
Is where you live most like a city, a suburb, or the country? Tell one reason.
Continue Early Finisher optional · ~15 min
Which community fits the job or hobby? On the back of this page, match each one to the community that fits best, and tell why using the packet: (1) a person whose job is to grow food on a farm, (2) a person who wants to walk to many shops and offices, (3) a family who wants a yard to play in but likes being near a city. For each one, name the community and give one reason from a story, the chart, or Table 1.