Our Community1st Grade

Connecting the community to the classroom

ByKristina Stieger

Table of Contents

• History• People in Societies• Geography• Economics• Government• Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities• Social Studies Skills and Methods

HistoryStudents use materials

drawn from the diversity of human experiences to

analyze and interpret significant events,

patterns and themes in the history of Ohio, the United States and the

world.

D 6. Relate Stories of the heroism and the achievements of the

people associated with state and federal

holidays.

Activities• Invite a serviceman/woman from the local

community to come in and speak with the class to discuss their job and role in society

• Invite a veteran from the local community to come in and speak with the class to discuss their service to our country

• Discuss with the class the national holidays in honor of those who have served our country (i.e. Veterans Day and Memorial Day)

• Take a class field trip to place flags on the graves of veterans

• Make care packages and cards to send to servicemen and women currently serving our country. Try to find a unit that has a local connection to be the recipients of the care packages.

Websites• City of Centerville, Veterans Memorial Page:

http://www.ci.centerville.oh.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=657&Itemid=753

• Online Learning Haven, History of Memorial Day: http://www.funsocialstudies.learninghaven.com/edu/history-of-memorial-day.html

• Online Learning Haven, Veterans Day: http://www.funsocialstudies.learninghaven.com/edu/veterans_day.html

• Blue Star Mothers of America: http://www.bluestarsouthbayla.org/calendar.html

• Ohio Legion News (Veterans Site): http://www.ohiolegionnews.com/district3.htm

• Amvets: http://www.amvets.org/

People in SocietiesStudents use knowledge of perspectives, practices and products of cultural, ethnic and social groups to analyze the impact of their commonality within local, national, regional and global settings.

•B3. Describe family and local community

customs and traditions

Activities• Discuss the different holidays around the world

(i.e. Christmas, Kwanza, Chanukah, etc). Have the students compare the holidays they celebrate with one another.

• Have a family/community member come in and share the main aspects of a Chanukah celebration with the class

• Have a family/community member come in and have a mini Chinese New Year Celebration with the class

• Have the students research the local community festival(s) and why it is a tradition

• Make holiday cards and go to visit a local nursing home prior to winter break

Websites

• Social Studies for Kids, Holidays: http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/holidays.htm

• Centerville-Washington Township Americana Festival (pictured above): http://www.americanafestival.org/

• Kaboose Family Network, Chinese New Year: http://holidays.kaboose.com/chinese-new-year/chinese_new_year.html

• Kaboose Family Network, Chanukah: http://holidays.kaboose.com/chanukah-index.html

• Holidays for the Classroom: http://www.kathimitchell.com/holidays.html

GeographyStudents use knowledge of

geographic locations, patterns and processes to show the interrelationships

between the physical environment and human

activity, and to explain the interactions that occur in an increasingly interdependent

world.

•A2 Construct simple maps and models using

symbols to represent familiar places (e.g., classroom, school or

neighborhood)•A3 Identify and use

symbols to locate places of significance

Activities

• Have students create a map of their classroom

• Have students create a map of their school

• Have students locate on a map where the servicemen and women whom they sent care packages to are located

• Have students use a map to locate the US and Ohio

• Have students map their route to the nursing home before their visit in winter

Websites

• Social Studies for Kids, Modern Maps: http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/mapsmodern.htm

• Mapquest, World Atlas: http://www.mapquest.com/atlas/?region=world

• National Geographic, MapMachine: http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html

• Google Earth: http://earth.google.com/• Topozone (topographical maps):

http://www.topozone.com/

EconomicsStudents use economic

reasoning skills and knowledge of major

economic concepts, issues and systems in order to

make informed choices as producers, consumers,

savers, investors, workers and citizens in an

interdependent world.

•B2 Describe the ways people produce,

consume, and exchange goods and

services in their community

Activities

• Have a local baker come in and discuss his business. Have the children compare how a baker produces products today to the ways a baker operated in the past

• Have a local banker come in and talk about the services offered to the community

• Have a mail carrier come in and discuss their service to the community

• Have a local physician come in and discuss their service to the community

• Invite the leader of a local non-profit organization to come in and share how they serve the community (i.e. Hannah’s Treasure Chest, St Vincent DePaul, etc)

• Have students participate in a local community service project (i.e. collect can foods, adopt-a-family)

Websites• City of Centerville, Volunteer Page:

http://www.ci.centerville.oh.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=524&Itemid=713

• Hannah’s Treasure Chest: http://www.hannahstreasure.org/

• The Banking Kids Page: http://www.bankingkids.com/index_m.html

• Home Baking Association- Educators Resources: http://www.homebaking.org/foreducators/bakers_dozen_dvd.html

• United States Postal Service, Classroom Resources: http://www.usps.com/communications/community/classroom.htm

GovernmentStudents use knowledge of the

purposes, structures and processes of political systems

at the local, state, national and international levels to

understand that people create systems of government as

structures of power and authority to provide order,

maintain stability and promote the general welfare.

•A1 Recognize the role of authority figures in

providing for the safety and security of individuals.

•C4 Recognize the need for rules in

different settings and the need for fairness in

such rules•C5 Discuss the consequences of

violating rules

Activities

• Take a trip to the local police department and have a police officer discuss their role in the community

• Invite a judge to come in and speak with the class about their role in enforcing rules and laws

• Have the class interview the Principal• Review/write classroom rules. Discuss how they

can be written so that they are fair to all in the class

• Invite a bus driver to come in and speak with the class. Discuss bus safety, practice a bus evacuation, Show the students around the bus (i.e.: the area around the driver seat) and talk about why the rules in place are important

Websites• Montgomery County Juvenile Court:

http://mcjc.mcohio.org/default.asp• Centerville Police Department Youth Programs:

http://www.ci.centerville.oh.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=706&Itemid=1080

• Sugarcreek Township Police Department: http://www.sugarcreektownship.com/fw/main/Police_Department-11.html

• School Bus Safety Web: http://itre.ncsu.edu/ghsp/NCBUSSAFETY.html

• Education World, School "Rules"! Ten Activities for Establishing Classroom Rules: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson274.shtml

• Read, Write, Think, Creating Class Rules: A Beginning to Creating Community: http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=136

Citizenship Rights and

ResponsibilitiesStudents use knowledge of

the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in order to

examine and evaluate civic ideals and to participate in

community life and the American democratic system.

•A1: Demonstrate the importance of fair play, good sportsmanship,

respect for the rights and opinions of others and the idea of treating others the

way you want to be treated•Demonstrate citizenship

traits including: Trustworthiness; fairness; self-control; respect for

those in authority

Activities

• Have the Guidance Counselor visit and discuss positive character traits with the students

• Make posters that explain what the hallway “names” mean (i.e. Respect Way, Patience Path…)

• Read Enemy Pie and discuss how it could relate to the students and their friendships

• Have students write a friendly letter to another student complimenting them on something they have done well this week

• Read The Recess Queen. Have students discuss what happened in the story and use a ven diagram to compare the two main characters.

Websites

• Character-in-Action Program: http://www.character-in-action.com/

• Character Education through Children's Literature. ERIC Digest: http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-3/character.htm

• Enemy Pie Book Site: http://www.enemypie.com/

• Stephen Bell Elementary Guidance Page: http://www.sugarcreek.k12.oh.us/148620523165537413/site/default.asp

• Character Counts: http://www.charactercounts.org/

Social Studies Skills

and MethodsStudents collect, organize, evaluate

and synthesize information from multiple sources to draw logical

conclusions. Students communicate this information using appropriate social studies terminology in oral,

written or multimedia form and apply what they have learned to societal issues in simulated or real-world

settings.

•A1: Obtain information about a topic using a variety

of oral and visual sources

•B2: Sequence information

•C5: Communicate information orally or

visually

Activities

• Have students make a short storybook about the history of their school with information learned from the Principal

• Have students make a short storybook about the history of their town with information learned from a trip to the local library

• Have students work with their parents to fill in a family tree

• Have students create a mini family scrapbook either with real pictures from home, or hand drawn pictures

• Have students take a walking tour of the historical area of town

Websites

• Genealogy for Kids: http://www.kidsturncentral.com/topics/hobbies/genforms.htm

• PBS Kids, Family Ties: http://pbskids.org/wayback/family/tree/index.html

• Family Tree Lesson Plans: http://genealogy.about.com/od/lesson_plans/

• The Centerville-Washington Township Historical Society: http://www.mvcc.net/Centerville/histsoc/

• Ohio Historical Society: http://www.ohiohistory.org/