Learning Activities Bank

 

Lesson 1-

 

 

Title of Lesson: Who’s important in our community?

Teacher: Abigail Jones

Date: Day 2, Week 1

Time Allotted: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Grade Level: 2nd grade (could adapt to k-4)

Number of Learners: 30

 

Unit Theme: “How can we value everyone in our community?”

Standards Met:  (see below)

Goal: The Learners will be able to give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups (NCSS Ie); identify and describe ways family, groups, and community influence the individual’s daily life and personal choices (NCSS IVe); recognize how groups and organizations encourage unity and deal with diversity to maintain order and security (NCSS VId).

Objectives: Given [materials], the learners will take on roles of members in the community, answer questions about the importance of each person, and brainstorm ideas for class community book, in order to describe behaviors that influence relationships with family and friends and characteristics of healthy relationships (Utah 2.1).

Materials Needed: community member role labels (30), extra pencils (30), paper for community class book, and community journal notebook for each student (30).

Motivation: Ask students to close their eyes and picture the community in which they live, the people they might see, places, streets, family, homes, etc.  Have students share their thoughts.  Review the “members of the community” that they discussed on the first day of week 1. (3 minutes)

Procedures: 

  1. Have students gather to group interaction area of classroom.  Teacher chooses 3 students to come to the front of the class to begin role play activity.  Teacher distributes a community member role label (tag) to each student to wear.  Have them tell the class what role they are and if they know someone who does this role in our community. (3 minutes)
  2. Have the students one by one demonstrate or tell what the person who holds their role does for and in our community.  Ask for any additional knowledge from class. (2 minutes)
  3. Teacher restates roles and asks a question to entire class: “Which member here is most important?”  Give appropriate wait time for students to think.  Listen to responses, guide students in discussion- All are equally important, we need everyone.  Make sure they understand this answer by their responses. (3 minutes)
  4. Go through additional groups of 3 students (total of 10 groups) to take on roles of the community and ask the class the same question or rephrase it. “Is this role more important then this one?”  They will begin to see the idea that every time, everyone is equally important. (15 minutes)
  5. Introduce the idea of the class book-“Our Community”.  Tell them they will be adding to the book every week and they will share it in a final program they put on for their parents, school, and community. These first few pages will be shared with the elderly at a nursing home. (5 minutes)
  6. Brainstorm with the class what they would like to include in the class book.  Write these ideas on chart paper to post in classroom for students to refer to later. (5 minutes)
  7. May want to write several of the roles and vocabulary for people on the board.  Also, write the phrase “We value everyone on our community”.  Students should also draw pictures to accompany their words. Vocabulary should be added to word wall. (3 minutes)
  8. Teacher should model a brief example for students. (2 minutes)
  9. Have students return to their tables.  Distribute paper to students at their tables and have them begin making their first pages for the class book.  These pages will focus on the people in the community and various roles. (15 minutes)
  10. Have students write a quick response in their community journal about their feelings about everyone being important in our community.  They can write which role they played in the activity. (10 minutes)

Accommodations: For students that have difficulty reading, writing or spelling-include pictures with the titles of roles and members of the community.  They may illustrate a community page without words or give them a card with a role written on it.  If a student is not able to role play in front of class, allow them to pick another student or teacher chooses another student to do role.  Have extra materials.

Closure: Invite a few students to share their community book pages and tell about them. Discuss how our classroom is a community and we are all important too.(3 minutes)

Assessment/Evaluation: Teacher will observe the student responses to questions about roles, importance of each role, responses during brainstorming time, evaluate book pages and journal entries for understanding.  Teacher will also conference with students while working at tables.

Extension: Have students who finish early make additional book pages, write about additional roles that they want to hold in the future in their journal, or read books on community in book box area.

Teacher Reflection:

Lesson 2-

 

Title of Lesson: Culture Pizza- How communities differ?

Teacher: Abigail Jones

Date: Day 1, Week 2

Time Allotted: 1 hour

Grade Level: 2nd grade

Number of students: 30

 

      Unit Theme: “How can we value everyone in our community?”

      Standards Met:  (see below)

      Goal: The learners will be able to give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups (NCSS Ie); identify and describe ways family, groups, and community influence the individual’s daily life and personal choices (NCSS IVe); recognize how groups and organizations encourage unity and deal with diversity to maintain order and security (NCSS VId).

Objectives: Given [materials], the learners will discuss how communities can be different, why this occurs, and begin creating a culture pizza describing how their family makes our community a more diverse place, in order to examine important aspects of the community and culture that strengthen relationships and compare communities (Utah 2.2).

Materials: blank culture pizza sheet (31 copies), pencils, markers, crayons (extra), scratch paper.

Motivation: Gather students to group interactive area of classroom.  Ask students question: “What makes our community different?” , “What would our community be like if everyone was the same?” (5 minutes)

Procedures:

  1. Take responses from motivation and direct discussion to the people of our community. (5 minutes)
  2. Ask students to talk with their neighbor about one thing that is different about them.  Have groups share out their answers with class. (3 minutes)
  3. Discuss how we each have some similarities and many differences that make us unique and valuable to those around us. (3 minutes)
  4. Have students come to the board or chart paper and write words that represent things about their families that might make them different. Discuss how these differences can make us better people and a better community.  (10 minutes)
  5. Introduce the idea of the “Culture Pizza” to students and model an example for them. (10 minutes)
  6. Tell students that they will be able to begin on their family culture pizza today in class and then they are to take it home and ask their parents to help them learn some things that make their family different that they can include. They are to illustrate it and color it.  Tell them they will be able to share them with the class on day 5, week 2 and display them in the classroom. (5 minutes)
  7. Allow students to go back to tables, give them scratch paper to practice on and give them the blank culture pizza sheet to put in folder to take home. (2 minutes)
  8. Time for culture pizza. (15 minutes)

Accommodations: Allow students to draw pictures about their family instead of writing words if they are unable to write.  When using chart, include pictures and allow students more time for culture pizza if needed.  Some children will not have access to parents at home to help them or an unhealthy working environment at home so teacher may assist this student.

Closure: Invite students to share the beginnings of their culture pizza and ask students to share one thing they learned about someone else in the class today from discussion.

Assessment/Evaluation: Teacher will be able to observe student responses to discussion and sharing of differences in class for understanding of concept.  Teacher will conference with students while working on culture pizza.

Extension: Allow students to begin a culture pizza on our community or one about themselves.

Teacher Reflection:

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 3-

 

Title of Lesson: How have communities changed over time?

Teacher: Abigail Jones

Date: Day 1, Week 3

Time Allotted: 1 hour

Grade Level: 2nd grade

Number of Students: 30

 

Unit Theme: “How can we value everyone in our community?”

Standards Met: (see below)

Goal: The learners will be able to give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups (NCSS Ie); identify and describe ways family, groups, and community influence the individual’s daily life and personal choices (NCSS IVe); recognize how groups and organizations encourage unity and deal with diversity to maintain order and security (NCSS VId).

Objectives: Given [materials], the learners will discuss a brief history of Logan and its changes, view pictures, maps, timelines, and create a timeline as well, in order to examine important aspects of the community and culture that strengthen relationships, and explain how families and communities change over time (Utah 2.1, 2.2).

Materials Needed:  Internet access in classroom or print off overhead pictures, maps, timelines of Logan, Chart paper, markers, crayons, community journal.

Motivation: Show students a few pictures of early Logan, Utah, but do not reveal to them it is Logan yet.  Ask students to guess where they think these pictures are taken? Discuss with students that our community has greatly changed from back then. (5 minutes)

Procedures:

  1. Ask students question: “What year do you think Logan was settled?”  Discuss with students a brief history of Logan. (see teacher background- websites).  You may include stories and relate events, homes, needs, etc to students and our community today.  (7 minutes)
  2. Show students additional pictures and have them guess where the buildings might be located in Logan today.  Ask students to discuss as a table what differences they see from the pictures between then and now.  Have groups share answers with class.  (7 minutes)
  3. Show students the timeline of Logan and explain what a timeline is and what it can show.  Go through timeline-pick out some key points. (10 minutes)
  4. Tell students that they are to make a timeline of some of the changes that occurred in Logan’s history that they particularly like.  They are to illustrate these as well.  Model for students the beginning of a timeline.  (7 minutes)
  5. Distribute chart paper to students (they may work in pairs if they wish, can spread out in classroom).  Allow them time to work on these timelines. (20 minutes)
  6. Ask students to clean up materials and return to tables. (5 minutes)
  7. Have students write in their community journals about a favorite event or change that they included on their timeline. (10 minutes)

Accommodations: Allow students to sit closer if have trouble seeing.  Allow students to use pictures on their timeline instead of word labels.  Allow students more time to work on timeline and less on journal entry if needed.

Closure: Invite a student to share their timeline with the class and walk us through the events that took place or changes that occurred to the community of Logan.  Ask students to respond on- Is our community better now? Should we value those people that worked hard to help our community grow?  (5 minutes)

Assessment/Evaluation: Teacher will observe responses to comments during discussion, observe students’ interest in topic and visuals, group discussion and responses, evaluate timelines and conference with students as they are working. 

Extension: Ask students to write or draw a picture about the old community of Logan and share with a buddy.  Ask students to think about, write, and draw a picture about a kid their age back then and what they would be doing or what life was like.

Teacher Reflection:

 

 

 

 

Lesson 4-

 

Title of Lesson: Interviews with the Community

Teacher: Abigail Jones

Date: Day 3, Week 4

Time Allotted: 1 hour

Grade Level: 2nd grade

Number of Students: 30

 

Unit Theme: “How can we value everyone in our community?”

Standards Met: (see below)

Goal: The learners will be able to give examples and describe the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups (NCSS Ie); identify and describe ways family, groups, and community influence the individual’s daily life and personal choices (NCSS IVe); recognize how groups and organizations encourage unity and deal with diversity to maintain order and security (NCSS VId), recognize and interpret how the “common good” can be strengthened through various forms of citizen action (NCSS Xj).

Objectives: Given [materials], the learners will interview guests from the local community with questions they prepared on being a good citizen, valuing everyone in the community, and reflect on the experience in their community journal, in order to examine important aspects of the community and culture that strengthen relationships, and participate in activities that promote the public good (Utah 2.2).

Materials needed: community journals for each student, extra pencils, name tags for the students when guests arrive.

Motivation: Because students are already aware that guests are coming, ask them to put their interview questions in order of how they will ask them.  Have students practice their “community” song they wrote as a class because they will perform it for our guests. (5 minutes)

Procedures:

  1. Have students place their name tags in front of them on the table for guests to see.  Brief students on manners when we have guests come to our classroom.  Ask them what they recall first, then fill in the gaps.  (5 minutes)
  2. Have students welcome the guests to our classroom and ask guests to introduce themselves to class. (7 minutes)
  3. Tell guests what it is that we are studying and why we have our guests here with us today. (2 minutes)
  4. Ask students to begin asking their interview questions to our guests.  Let the interviews begin! (20-25 minutes)—(certain guests may have brought props or special “vehicles” to show the kids.  Allow them to show these and take students outside to view if needed).
  5. Once interviewing time is over, ask class to thank guests for coming and have them perform their “Community” song. (5 minutes)
  6. Ask students to come back to tables and write or draw in their community journals about the guests and what they learned about being a good citizen.  (10 minutes)

Accommodations: For this lesson, there are not many accommodations that should need to be made.  In the journal writing a student may draw instead of write.

Closure:  Ask students to share how they can be a good citizen?  Ask students how being a good citizen can help others to feel valued in our community? (5 minutes)

Assessment/Evaluation:  Teacher will be able to observe students asking their interview questions and look at their journals.  Also, teacher will observe the students’ understanding in the closure activity of asking questions for them to respond on what they learned.

Extension: Allow students to write a thank you note to a particular guest that visited our classroom today. They may illustrate as well.

Teacher Reflection: