Heather Antunez SPED- 275 Subject/Grade Level

Title: Our Community Kindergarten - Grade 2

Big Ideas

1. Students will define what community means and understand that people must respect each

other and work cooperatively to have a good community.

2. Students will evaluate the people and places around us around us and discuss differences in urban and rural communities.

3. Students will explore community helpers and understand the different roles of people in the

community.

4. Students will choose and study a career choice and learn about what skills they need to work in that career.

5. Students will describe ways in which the members can work together to make a community

a better place to live.

Essential Unit Questions

• What is a community?

• Who are the people in you neighborhood that you meet each day?

• What job are their job responsibilities in the community?

• How do people in the community help each other?

• What do you want to be when you grow up?

• What do you need to do and what skills are needed for your career choice?

Unit Introduction: What is a Community?

Iowa Common Core Essential Concepts and Skills: Geography

Materials Needed: White board Dry Erase Marker Book: Town Mouse and the Country Mouse by Jan Brett. Paper Crayons or markers

• Concept and/or Skill: Understand how human factors and the distribution of resources affect the development of communities and the movement of populations

History • Concept and/or Skill: Understand the role of culture and cultural diffusion on

the development and maintenance of societies. 21st Century- Employable Skills

Communicate and work appropriately and productively with others: • Demonstrate good listening skills • Share thoughts and ideas with others • Describe the concept of community

Objective: Students will define the word community and recognize communities can be different. Anticipatory Set- Accessing Prior Knowledge Begin by writing the word community on the board and ask students to help you create a word web to construct meaning of the word. Accept all student answers and encourage discussion. Read aloud the book the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse by Jan Brett. Review the concept map and see if students want to make any changes or additions. Explain how the words in the concept web that define the word community. Modeling & Instruction Do a Venn Diagram and discuss the differences between rural and urban communities as a large group. Involve the students to get ideas and have them think–pair-share with a partner to get ideas and make connections.

Guided Practice In small groups have students generate ideas and identify characteristics and name what type of community we live in by providing examples to support their ideas. Independent Practice Have students to divide a piece of paper in half and draw a picture showing an urban and a rural community. More advanced students can construct their own booklet showing the different differences between the two communities. Have students share their products and display their work on a class bulletin board. Closure Review and discuss as a large group how community is a group of people living in one area with the same interests. People who live in different communities may have different interests like the town mouse and the country mouse. Social Studies Vocabulary Defined with Pictures: http://dalygrove.epsb.ca/datafiles/kindergarten_social_studies_definitions.pdf Assessment The teacher will observe students during classroom interactions and informally assess student discussion during instruction and during guided practice. The teacher will also review each student’s booklets showing the differences between two communities at the end of the lesson.

Lesson One:

Iowa Common Core Standards: Behavioral Sciences

• Essential Concept and/or Skill: Understand all people have individual traits. 21st Century- Employable Skills

• Learn leadership skills and demonstrate integrity, ethical behavior, and social responsibility.

• Use interpersonal skills to influence and guide others toward a goal.

Materials Needed: Book: All the Colors of the Earth (Mulberry Books) By Sheila Hamanaka Paper Markers Glue Yarn of assorted colors

Objectives: Students will recognize diversity of a group and understand the benefits of working cooperatively with others. Introduction: Ask students how they think we are alike and different from classmates? What is the best thing about differences? What do you like about you? Think -Pair -Share and tell a friend sitting next to you something you like about them. Ask students how they would like it if we were all exactly the same? Read Aloud Activity Children’s Literature: All the Colors of the Earth (Mulberry Books) By Sheila Hamanaka After Reading Ask students how the children in the book are the same and different? Ask students if they think children are as different in the inside as they are on the outside? In what ways other than hair color and skin color are we different and what ways are they the same? Emphasize the beauty of differences in our appearance and personalities. Give students paper, markers and yarn of assorted colors, and have students draw portraits of each other. Other activities and books will be read aloud and complete over the course of the week to reinforce the concepts of teamwork and appreciation for diversity.

Materials Needed: Wet Construction Paper Water Colors Materials Needed: Multi colored balloon of various shapes and sizes Materials Needed: After walk-paper, colored pencils Materials Needed: Paper for Bulletin Board Paint

Diversity Paint Activity: Purpose- Develop an appreciation for diversity. Divide students into small groups. Give each group a sheet of wet construction paper. Have the students use watercolors to paint the wet page. The color will blend together. Explain to students how even though things may seem different they come together to make a beautiful picture. Guided Game: Purpose- The important things about others have little to do with physical appearance. Students will participate in a game where the goal is to identify classmates without looking at them. Have the student hide while the other students have their eyes closed. Students will ask the child to name favorite foods, friends and activities (not physical characteristics) to find him /or her. Balloon Teamwork Activity: Purpose- Practice Teamwork. Divide students into groups of 10 give students 5 different colored balloons to hit in the air. Players must keep the balloons form hitting the ground. Nature Walk: Purpose: Appreciation for diversity Take students on a walk outside to investigate the color of nature. Have students to identify the colors of leaves, rocks, grass, sky etc. See if students can identify other objects the same colors as nature. Students later can draw pictures of the items they saw from the nature walk. Handprint Collage: Purpose-Working together to make a final product and respecting diversity. Students will make a handprint collage for a bulletin board to represent diversity in the classroom. Each student will choose a color of paint and add their handprints to the collage. The bulletin board will be a reminder of the beauty of diversity in the classroom community.

Other Books about Building Community for Working Together to Read Aloud: The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll Yo! Yes by Chris Raschka Assessment The teacher will informally observe student interactions throughout the week during the cooperative learning activities and games to determine if students understand the benefits of working cooperatively with others. The teacher will look for teachable moments to embrace the concept of teamwork.

Lesson Two: Exploring Different Roles of Our Community Materials Needed: White Board Dry Erase Markers Elmo Projector

Iowa Common Essential Concepts and Skills:

Geography • Recognizes different roles and responsibilities and is open to change

• Adapt to varied roles, responsibilities, and expectations. 21st Century- Employability Skills

• Recognizes different roles and responsibilities and is open to change

• Adapt to varied roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

Objectives: Students will identify places where people in their community gather together. Students will explore their community through understanding the different roles of its members. Introduction and Class Discussion Begin a classroom discussion and ask students where their parents work in the community and what to they do? Generate a list of names of places their parents work and what they do.

Shoeboxes and Cereal Boxes of various shapes and sizes Paint Scissors Paper other Art Supplies

What paces do they go in the community? Why do they go there? Generate another list of places they go, and the people who work there. Ask students what tasks or roles do these people have at the places that they visit in the community? i.e. bank- count , borrow and save money, post office- delivers mail , library-borrow books, grocery store- get food, doctor’s office- to keep you healthy or take care of you when you are sick etc. Tell students to think back about the book we read The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Have students compare and contrast the where the town mouse lived and the country mouse lived. Ask students if we live in a rural or urban community? Explain the live in an urban community with lots of buildings, etc. Modeling and Instruction Show a map of our community on the Elmo Projector Identify buildings and places in the community Guided Practice Have students bring in shoeboxes and cereal boxes and decorate them like buildings in our community. Students will make a model of an urban community and identify people we might find there. Have students put all the finished boxes on a table and made streets and labeled them. Put the model on display for everyone to see. Independent Practice Students will draw a map or picture of their own neighborhood. Assessment The teacher will informally assess the community models and pictures to assess the students’ knowledge of their local community. The teacher will assess student understanding of people’s roles in the community through discussion, models, pictures and interactive role-play.

Lessons Three: Community Helpers Materials Needed: White Board & Markers

You  Tube  Video-­‐Community  Helpers  –  (Theme  Song  from  Toy  Story)  

Book:  Helpers  in  My  Community  (My  World  

Iowa Common Core Essential Concepts and Skills: 21st Century Skills-Employability Skills • Develop initiative and demonstrate self-direction in activities.

• Perform work without oversight. • Work Productively and are accountable for their actions. • Deliver quality job performance on time • Demonstrate accountability for individual performance

• Recognize different roles and responsibilities and is open to change. • Adapt to varied roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Health Literacy

• Identify influences that affect personal health and the health of others

• Indentify trusted individuals who can help. Objectives: Students will define what it means to be community helper. Students will identify different community helpers and some characteristics of their jobs. Introduction Who are the people in you neighborhood that you meet each day? What job are their job responsibilities in the community? Play the You Tube Video-Community Helpers – (Theme Song from Toy Story) Engage students in a discussion and have them brainstorm a list people in our neighborhood community who are community helpers. Modeling & Instruction Read Aloud Book: Helpers in My Community (My World Series) by Bobbie Kalan

Series)  by  Bobbie  Kalan   Themed Games Themed Books- Unit & Independent Reading Community Helper Dress Up Clothes and Accessories Themed Listening Center Activities Writing Journals Art Supplies Optional Guest Speakers who are Community Helpers Field Trip-Optional Games

After reading the book refer back to the list of community helpers that the students helped to generate before reading the book Choose two or three community helpers from the list and ask students what are their jobs? What do they do? How do they help people in our community? Have students to look at the original class brainstormed list and ask them which helper they think is most important? Independent Practice Tell students that they are going to spend the next week or two learning about community helpers from A to Z. Students will have to choose which helper that they think is most important and why? Finally each student will create a presentation of his or her favorite community helper. Community Helper Activities The teacher will arrange in advance for a few guest speakers who are a community helpers to come to the class each day i.e. postal worker, police officer, firefighter, dentist and briefly share with students what they do to help people and possibly bring either some tools or clothing that they might wear to show students. If possible a field trip to visit a place of work of a community helper would be a great learning experience for students. Other activities during the week will include read alouds about community helpers, role play activities, listening centers with audio books, costumes for dress up in play areas, coloring pages and themed booked for independent reading and discovery time. During Learning Centers Students Can Play the Following Types of Games with Classmates: Community Helper- Picture Bingo Community Helper Board Game at ed.Helper.com Community Worker Vehicles –match the worker with the vehicle Match the Hats with the Community Helpers Match Buildings with People Who Work There Listening Center Activity Community Helpers-by Nicole Mays

Children’s’ Literature Themed Book Units; Community Helpers  at  edHelper.com  

Children’s’ Literature Community Helpers From A to Z by Bobbie Kalman I Want to Be (Book Series) by Dan Lieberman Show Me Community Helpers My First Picture Encyclopedia by Clint Edwards Themed Book Units; Community Helpers at edHelper.com • Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Grades K-2) • Fireman Small (Grades K-2) • Fireman Small Fire Down Below! (Grades K-2) • Katy and the Big Snow (Grades K-2) • Otis (Grades K-2) • Thank You, Mr. Falker (Grades K-2) • The Lemonade Club (Grades K-2) • Whose Hat Is This? A Look at Hats Workers Wear - Hard, Tall, and Shiny (Grades K-2) • A Day in the Life of a Doctor (Grades K-3) • Helpers in My Community (My World) (Grades K-3) Writing Activity Students will define community helper in daily writing journals and find job names for each letter of the alphabet. Assessment: The teacher informally observe and monitor students with daily activities, and will perform a formative assessment of student writing journals to monitor student progress and evaluate their understanding of characteristics of jobs and knowledge of community helpers.

Lesson Four – Working Together Members of A Community

Iowa Common Core Essential Concepts and/or Skills:

Science

• Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in the environment

• Students should answer their questions by seeking information from their own

Materials Needed:

Read  Aloud:  The  Magic  School  Bus  Gets  Ants  in  His  Pants    

 

 

 

 Insect  Lore  Ant  Kit  

observations, investigations and from reliable sources of scientific information.

Employability Skills

• Communicate and work appropriately with others to complete tasks.

• Use different perspectives to increase innovation and quality of work.

• Use all the appropriate principles of communication effectively.

Objectives: Students will identify the different relationships that can be found in a community. Students will talk about their jobs and how we need them. Students will learn about the importance of responsibility and independence. Introduction Read Aloud: The Magic School Bus Gets Ants in His Pants Discussion Questions: What do we know about ants? How do the ants communicate and work together in their community? The teacher will introduce the Insect Lore Ant Colony and students will observe the ants forage for food, excavate sand and problem solve to keep the colony going. The teacher will introduce the ant colony lesson and continue through out the unit plan until students have come to the conclusions. Students will observe and ants in the Insect Lore Kit during the week and come to the following conclusions trough investigative inquiry: • Every ant has a job to do to keep the nest going. • Forager ants find food and take it back to the nest. • The Queen lays the eggs. • Nurse ants take care of the young.

• Guard ants protect the nest. The teacher will lead the students with guided questions each day as they observe and learn about ants to get students to recognize that the ants live together in a nest, share work and cooperate to help the community. After the class has arrived at the main conclusions about the ants, the teacher will ask the students how the ants’ community is similar to the school building? The teacher will ask students to identify staff at the school and list their job title on the board. The class will take a walk through the school and look for people in the school who help the school keep running. Students will be prompted to look for staff personnel and to look and tasks what they are doing to discuss when they all get back to the classroom. After students get back to the classroom the teacher will ask students roles of the following school personnel: Principal Custodian

Secretary Librarian

Nurse Teachers

The teacher will guide discussion and ask students questions about the different school personnel, their roles and responsibilities and how they all work together to keep the school running. Students will be able to understand that everyone at the school cooperates works as a team. Team Project Activity Students will work together to create a school community booklet to identify the roles and relationships of the staff at their school. Students will share the work and work cooperatively to complete the school community booklet. Students will work in small cooperative groups of four students with each group member having an assigned role to complete the class project. Students will be given specific job duties and have to communicate and work cooperatively with classmates.

Closure Discuss with students that the staff at the school like the ants, must work together and cooperate to help have a good school community. Team Building Games to Play: Popcorn Tag Play: All players must hop up and down like popcorn at all times. Start with one ‘it’. ‘It’ hops around trying to tag pieces of popcorn. When ‘it’ tags someone, they join hands, forming an ‘it’ chain. Continue playing until everyone has become part of the ‘it’ chain. Frozen Bean Bag Materials: Beanbags (as many as people in the group) Play: Each person places a beanbag on their shoulder. Each person then walks around the playing area; if their bean bag falls off they are “frozen” until another member places their bean bag back on their shoulder. Variations: The bean bag can be placed on another body part such as the head, face, or elbow. Members can also be required to use a different kind of movement such as crawling or crab walking. Obstacles can be placed around the playing area. Yarn Ball Materials: Ball of yarn Play: One player holds one end of the ball of yarn. She/he states something good that they have seen someone else do during the previous social skill activities. She/he then tosses the ball of yarn to that person, while still holding on to the end of the ball. The second person wraps a piece of the yarn around a finger. That person then states something that someone other that the first person had done well. She/he still has hold of the ball of yarn. The third person then does the same thing. This continues with each person saying something good about a different person (no person will have the ball of yarn tossed to them twice.) The last person to receive the ball will then toss it to the first person along with a compliment. The end result will be a web (someone can drop their

piece of yarn to demonstrate), then the rest of the group will support them. If everyone drops their piece, then there is no one left to support the group. Compare this to real life situations. Name Choo-Choo Play: A leader should be chosen from the group to start the game. The leader walks over to a person in the group, sticks out his/her hand to shake hands, and says (very enthusiastically) “Hi! My name is ----------! What’s yours?” When the person (whose name, for example, might be Anne) responds, the leader cheers and yells the name as follows: Anne! Anne! Anne! Anne!, Anne! The leader then yells “Ready! Reverse!” and turns in the other direction. The person whose name was just cheered (in this case, Anne) puts their hands on the leader’s waist, and “choo-choos” with the leader up to another person. Play continues in the same manner until everyone is part of the train. Note that the person who leads the train will be different after the first two introductions because of the reversing. Assessment The teacher will have the students write a journal reflection about what they have learned about the importance of responsibility, having jobs and working together in the community. The students will identify the people and illustrate the important roles of the personnel that work at their school.

Lesson Five: Helping Out in the Community

Iowa Common Core Essential Concepts and/or Skills:

Geography • Understand humans impact the environment in positive and negative ways.

21st Century Skills

• Essential Concept and/or Skill: Communicate and work appropriately with others to complete tasks.

• Work appropriately and productively with others.

• Essential Concept and/or Skill: Learn leadership skills and demonstrate

integrity, ethical behavior, and social responsibility.

Book: Helping by James Levin Plan ahead for service experience activities

• Use interpersonal skills to influence and guide others toward a goal.

• Essential Concept and/or Skill: Develop initiative and demonstrate self–

direction in activities.

• Perform work without oversight. Objectives: Students will describe ways in which the members can work together to make a community a better place to live. Introduction We have learned that communities need to work together and cooperatively to make it a better place. How can you help in you your community to make it a better place? Read Aloud Helping by James Levin; photographs portray children helping at home, at school, and in the community. The book will be used as a visual aid to help students comprehend the concepts of helping and teamwork. After reading the book have a class discussion about what the children were doing in book to help in their community? Ask students what it means to be a friend? Guide discussion to lead students to recognize the needs of others and that helping out is being a good friend. Ask students what it means to volunteer? After students understand that volunteer means to give some of you time and help in the community. Ask students what they do at home to help and then ask for ideas of how can we help in the community? Service Experience Activities:

1. The class will collect canned food for local food pantry or clothing for a church or shelter.

2. The class will pick up litter at the park or playground with parents on for an hour one day.

Closure After the service experience, discuss the service experience with the class. Ask students how did it make them feel to help out in the community? How do they think the people felt that received our help? Do they think they will volunteer to help out in the community again in the future? Assessment Students will write and illustrate a reflection about at least two ways in which the members of a community can work together to make a community a better place to live.

Lesson Six: Choose a Career

Book:  When  I  grow  Up  by  Al  Yankovic  Student Writing Journals Pencils

Book:  Aloud  Career  Day  by  Anne  Rockwell        

 

Iowa Common Core Essential Concepts and Skills:

21st Century-Employability Skills • Develop initiative and demonstrate self-direction in activities

• Perform work without oversight. Introduction Read aloud the book: When I grow Up by Al Yankovic After reading ask students what they want to be when they grow up? Have students write a journal entry and draw a picture about what they want to be when they grow up. Have students share their picture with the class. Other Activities: Read Aloud Career Day by Anne Rockwell Before reading the book, ask students what kinds of work do people you know do? Allow students to share their knowledge. Tell students in the book we are going to find out how the children in Mrs. Madoff’s class learn about they kinds of work people do they the know by inviting visitors to the classroom. The teacher will read the book and then review what career day is in Mrs. Madoff’s class. The teacher will tell students that we are planning on having a career day at our school and having some visitors to come and share with us about their jobs.

Career  Day  Visitors                  

Computer  and  Internet  access  

Host a Career Day Invite parents or other members of the community to come and share about their career with students. Set a side half a day for the career day activity. Students will rotate in small groups to listen and talk with the career day visitors. Research and Discovery Students will research career possibilities and play games at the Dept of Labor website Exploring Career Information; picture and a description http://www.bls.gov/k12/index.htm Paws In Jobland® Students will explore careers at www.IHaveaPlanIowa.gov and build their own “clusters” to identify their own personal career interest areas. For classroom discussion, ask students how they decided which career cluster they are part of? How may clusters in Paws in Jobland® do we have and don’t have? Ask student why they think we have more clusters in some areas and none in other areas? Assessment Students will make a career choice and find two books in the library about their career choice. Students will write three fun facts that they learned about their career choice, and dress up and present to the class.

References/Resources

Iowa Common Core Standards: https://www.educateiowa.gov Social Studies Vocabulary Defined with Pictures: http://dalygrove.epsb.ca/datafiles/kindergarten_social_studies_definitions.pdf Activities that Teach Teamwork & Diversity: http://entertainmentguide.local.com/activities-teach-teamwork-diversity-kids-9646.html

References/Resources

All The Colors of the Earth Lessons & Activities: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods/study_guides/all_the_colors_of_the_earth.pdf http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/books-teaching-about-teamwork Community Helper-Large.m4v Video -Clip with music from Toy Story movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zoar0hsN4c&feature=share&list=PLF8B7BF74A0BBB29C Community Helpers Songs: https://www.kinderplans.com/p/58/preschool-kindergarten-song Book Units; Community Helpers http://www.edhelper.com/community_helpers.htm Listening Center Activity: Community Helpers-by Nicole Mays http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylmf0mexwCo&list=PLF8B7BF74A0BBB29C Find a Job Name for Each Letter Activity: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/communityhelpers.shtml Magic School Bus-Ants in the Pants Lesson: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/magic-school-bus-gets-ants-its-pants Ant Lore Kit: http://www.insectkits.com/contents/en-us/d28_Insect-lore-anthill.html PK-K Team Building Games: http://www.lumpkin.k12.ga.us/~fc/images/TeacherResourcesTB/pk_kgames.pdf Learning to Give and Help in the Community: http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit60/lesson3.html

References/Resources Paws In Jobland® https://secure.ihaveaplaniowa.gov Iowa Common Core Standards: https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/iowa-core/iowa-core-21st-centuryskills