CITY LIFE AND COUNTRY LIFE

Overview

In this unit, you will read a story about two mice. One lives in the country, and the other lives in the city. See what happens when they visit each other. Like the mice in the story, we live in the country, in the city or somewhere in between. Let’s take a look at how the land is used in each of these places.

Message to Adult Mentor

This unit stresses the differences among rural, urban and suburban environments. In your discussions with the students, stress that each environment uses the land in different ways.

Where Do You Live?

Do you live in the country, in the city or somewhere in between? No matter where your home is, sometimes you might wish you lived somewhere else. That is the case with Marcie and Katie, two mice who want to try something different. Read about their adventures in the story below.

The Country Mouse and the City Mouse

A little mouse named Katie lived in the country next to a field of corn. She lived in a small cottage where she felt comfortable and safe. Her life was very quiet and peaceful. One day her cousin, Marcie, came from the city for a visit. She wore a beautiful hat and carried a large suitcase. The two mice were happy to see each other and said hello.

The city mouse thought this would be a very nice place to take a vacation. “I love this fresh, country air,” she said. Just then a tractor with big tires came by. Then, a cow mooed loudly in her ear. This scared the little mouse from the city!

Katie led Marcie to her home just in time for supper. She placed big bowls of nuts, berries and grains on the table. These were Katie’s favorite things to eat. She thought her cousin would enjoy the things she picked from the garden outside her door, but Marcie thought the food was too plain. “Come and stay with me in the city. Life is much more interesting there,” the city mouse said.

The very next day Marcie and Katie hopped into a truck going to the city. Katie could not believe how busy everything seemed. She was surprised to see that there were so many cars and so many people! The little country mouse was afraid of being crushed when a large, noisy bus rumbled by. Finally, they arrived at the house where Marcie lived.

The house was also the home of a large family. Katie was shocked to see a big cat sleeping near the fireplace. The two little mice were hungry after their long trip and were helping themselves to a piece of cheese in the kitchen when the cook saw them. The cook screamed and woke the cat. The cat bounded across the floor, and the mice scooted into a mouse hole to escape his sharp claws. Katie was really frightened now!

Katie and Marcie stayed up very late and talked far into the night. The country mouse realized that she was happy in the country; the city mouse realized that she was happy in the city. Katie was so glad to get back to her country cottage, and Marcie was content to stay in the city in spite of the cat!

(Adapted from Aesop’s Fables)

Go to Questions 1 through 4.

Different Ways to Use the Land

Just like Marcie and Katie in the story, we choose different places to live. Some of us like country life with its fields and farms. Others enjoy living in the city where there are busy streets and tall buildings. Some of us prefer being part of smaller communities. Almost all the neighborhoods we call home can be described by one of the following words: rural, urban or suburban. In each of these settings, people use the land in different ways. Let’s explore each one!

Go to Question 5.

Rural Life

About one-third of the world’s population lives in the countryside. There are no big cities, but there are small towns and villages. This is known as a rural environment. Most of the land is taken up with farms and fields. People use the land to grow crops and to raise animals like cows, horses and pigs. There are also forests, mountains and lakes. The land is also used for hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. The countryside is usually cleaner and quieter than the city. You can even have large animals like horses for pets.

Sometimes those who live in the country may live long distances from the nearest town. In some places, there are few roads and schools. Today, the Internet helps to keep everyone connected. Farmers have access to the latest information concerning their cattle or their crops. Notice in the picture below the farmer is using a laptop in middle of a wheat field!

Children who live long distances from schools are able to keep in touch with their teachers and to complete their school work online. You can also observe cell phone towers throughout the countryside. It can be hard to find jobs in rural areas, and many young people leave to look for work in the cities. To learn more about rural communities, click on the icon below.

Go the Questions 6 and 7.

Urban Life

An even larger part of the world’s population lives in cities or urban environments. Many people come into the city during the day to work. Here the physical environment has been changed to construct large buildings and roadways. This leaves little room for plants, trees and lawns. Parks and green spaces give people places to exercise and to play. Little dogs, cats and birds that are happy in small spaces are popular pets.

Cities are busy, noisy and crowded areas where the land is used for stores, offices, hotels, restaurants, museums and theaters. These are often located in very tall buildings called skyscrapers. Professional sports teams play in large stadiums and baseball parks. The streets are packed with cars, trucks, taxis and buses. All this traffic often makes the air dirty and breathing difficult. In some urban areas around the world, people use bicycles to get to work. This makes the air cleaner and healthier.

The sidewalks are busy both above and below the ground. Underneath the city, there are miles of cables that bring electricity, telephones and television to the buildings. There are also underground road and rail tunnels called subways. Pipes in the ground below the city are used to carry gas and water. If you click on the icon below, you can learn more about life in the city.

Go to Questions 7 through 9.

Suburban Life

As you can see, rural environments and urban environments are very different. Is there somewhere to live that is in between the country and the city? Yes! It is known as the suburban environment or the suburbs. Suburban areas are less crowded than cities but have more people than the countryside. When people choose to live here, they may have to travel a distance to get to work.

There are some businesses and offices, but most of the land is used for homes, churches, and schools. It is also used for good roads so people can go to jobs in the city easily. Houses are built with yards surrounding them so the lawns can be used for gardens and playgrounds. Parks, baseball fields and community swimming pools give everyone places to play and to enjoy time with friends. There is also enough space to share with pets like dogs and cats. To discover more about life in suburban areas, click on the icon below.

Go to Questions 10 and 11.

Let’s Review

Do you remember the three types of environments you read about in this unit and how the land is used in each of them?

· Urban environments: urban environments have cities that use the land for offices, apartment buildings, businesses and large sports stadiums. There are large numbers of people and cars on the busy streets.

· Suburban environments: suburban environments use the land for family homes, schools and churches. There are also parks and places to play. There are fewer people here than in the city.

· Rural environments: rural environments use the land for farming and for raising livestock. It is less crowded here, and there is space for hunting, fishing and camping.

Go to Questions 12 through 18.

Katie and Marcie, the two mice in the story, learned that there were things they liked and things they did not like about where they lived. Do you feel the same way?