Know Your Neighborhood is a showcase initiative designed by Community Works to support standards-based English language arts/mathematics teaching and learning through an in-depth study and celebration of local history, traditions, and arts.

School staff members are trained to carefully guide students through a proven-effective program that involves the following high quality inquiry-based activities:

examining the art and culture of various neighborhoods

examining the traditions and families of various neighborhoods

creating local maps

creating historical time-lines

visiting local institutions

interviewing local leaders, local heros, and local residents

students writing (essays, interviews, poems, narrative descriptions, et al) about local historical milestones

local walking tours of historically significant sites

student art work celebrating local history, traditions, and cultures

photography involving local sites of historical significance

creation of a neighborhood guide including maps, photographs, student art, and student writings

Know Your Neighborhood promotes student engagement in standards-bearing work related to the following English language arts standards: E1c - Read and comprehend informational materials; E2c - Produce a narrative account; E3b - Participate in group meetings; E4a - Demonstrate a basic understanding of the rules of English language arts in written and oral work; and E5b - Produce work in at least one genre that follows the conventions of the genre. The program also supports the following mathematics standards M2 c - Uses simple two dimensional coordinating systems to find locations on a map ...; and M2 k - Uses scales in maps, and uses, measures, and creates scales ...

Know Your Neighborhood also allows students the opportunity to meet the New York State Arts Standards associated with creating, appreciating, and understanding art. The program also contains activities associated with the social studies curriculum in the area of local history.