Distribute and go over Contract for Field Study (Handout Two). Instruct students that their task is to collect as much data as possible about their community. Tell them they will be asked to develop a map of the community upon return to the classroom. They will be asked to draw the layout of the community including all structures and landforms. Ask them to also watch for the general upkeep of the community. This may include the condition of the roads and structures, as well as cleanliness. Divide students into groups of three to five. You may have to organize the groups according to the number of chaperones you are able to get. Take students into the community and have them complete the tasks from the direction sheet. Collect all materials upon return to the classroom to be used in following activities. If standard film was used, get it developed before next class session.

Have students review their findings of the community. Distribute a large sheet of butcher-block paper to each team. Instruct them to create a labeled black outline map of the community. Buildings should be represented with an empty square or rectangle that can be colored in later. (The map should be presented from a birds-eye view, as if students were looking at the community from an airplane.) Be sure they are using only pencils or black felt markers. Maps should include general map features such as orientation (compass rose), title, and key. (It might be helpful to have a purchased map of the community hanging in the room for student reference.)

Instruct students to create a thematic map of the community by color-coding the four different sectors. Choose the colors for each sector as a class so that students can identify information at a glance. Example: government may be blue, market may be green, etc.

Explain the concept of common property versus private property. Have students identify areas of each in the community. (Common properties would be places such as parks, schools, or other places where the public has access. Private properties would be those that were individually owned and may not allow the general public to access without the owners' permission.) Ask students why communities have both private and common property. What are the benefits and disadvantages of each? Help students identify how the community benefits from private ownership, i.e., taxes, jobs, revenue spent within the community.