Designed for use with sixth grade students, this multidisciplinary unit combines independent study of urban areas with activities to develop students' higher level thinking skills. Following suggestions to teachers on strategies for introducing the unit, four options for independent study are described. The first is a study of a topic related to cities. Students can present their findings in a variety of forms such as songs, radio shows, a guide book, or a skit. The second option is a study of any well-known city. An outline is provided of the major findings which should be included in such a report. In the third option for independent study, students learn about their own community by conducting interviews with various city officials and public servants. For the final option, a series of task cards provides short activities on urban study. Each activity is tagged to a specific thinking skill. A bibliography concludes the unit. This document is one of a collection of materials from the Iowa Area Education Agency 7 Teacher Center project. (LP)