Community Helpers
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Topic or Unit of Study: Citizenship and Community
Grade/Level: 2
Objective: Students will develop social skills such as
citizenship, honesty, respect for others, kindness, cooperation, generosity,
courtesy and respect for home, school and community.
Students will help others by enthusiastically participating in a public
service activity.
Students will improve their reading, spelling, vocabulary, grammar skills
and technology skills.
Students will recognize the need for good citizenship and civic responsibility.
Summary: This lesson is meant to help students visualize
their town's government as a very important part of their everyday life,
a part that they can influence. Students will define the word "citizenship"
and be encouraged to become a helpful citizen by participating in community
service. Students will be given this opportunity through Web research
and a participatory activity promoting civic responsibility. Students
will identify characteristics of a good citizen and learn to appreciate
how community service can benefit their town.
IMPLEMENTATION
Learning Context: The focus of this lesson plan fits
very nicely into the general context of what I am teaching. My goal with
this unit is to get students to understand what their rights and responsibilities
are as citizens of this country and the role they play in their own communities.
This unit introduces students to key ideas that are important to developing
an understanding of what citizenship is all about. As a teacher, I noticed
how uninformed and clueless my students are when it comes to the whole
idea of citizenship so I found it necessary to intervene and do something
about it. With this activity, students are given the opportunity to play
an active part in their community and make a difference in the area of
need.
The activities
that came before this one dealt mainly with their role as students in
a school setting. Students learned about their role as a student at school,
what their responsibilities are and how those same rules and guidelines
can be applied to the outside community.
The activities
that come after this one go deeper into citizenship and the working of
this country. Topics that will be covered are: The principles of the Declaration
of Independence, the ideas behind voting and the rights they will eventually
have when they age.
Procedure: Assess the students' prior knowledge with questions like, "Who
are the helpers in our community?" "What do good citizens and
good neighbors do for each other?" Brainstorm a list of community
helpers. Students will then come up with a definition of citizenship and
community service.
Students and teacher will create a graphic organizer of all the community
helpers they can think of using the SMART Board and the software program
Kidspiration. Each student will be given a sheet of paper with the map
of their community and will write their names on it. At the bottom of
the map, they will write a "Citizenship Promise" explaining
a way that they, as students, plan to fulfill community responsibility.
Examples will be given in class and might include:
-Cleaning up the neighborhood playground
-Having a neighborhood walk to pick up the trash
-Donating goods to the local homeless shelter
-Raising money for an organization
Students’ “Citizenship Promise” maps should be posted
on a bulletin board for all to see.
Students should do some basic research about their area of community service
using the internet. For example, if their promise involves recycling,
students might research how many households are in the local community,
how many tons of garbage are taken away each year, etc. Students will
use their newly-acquired knowledge to cooperatively and actively participate
in a community project that will support the students' knowledge about
their chosen area of citizenship (recycling, pollution, visiting those
in need, etc). Students will use computer programs (KidPix, AppleWorks)
to design candy wrappers/labels to encourage local citizens to take a
more active role in the community. The item they choose to design should
have a clear message printed with appropriate graphics.
Each student will write a pitch on the service project they have chosen
after they finished creating their wrappers. The pitch should be written
in a way which will encourage people to participate in their cause. Students
will present their pitch to the class before the last day (culminating
event) and will be critiqued by their fellow students and teacher.
When all elements are complete, the finished student created items will
be distributed by passing them out at a public event such as: a school
assembly, during a neighborhood walk, government meeting or at the library,
as a result increasing community awareness. This would serve as a gentle
reminder about civic responsibilities. This participation in a public
event will be the culminating activity to the lesson. The specific event
will be chosen by the students and they will talk about their service
project as they distribute their items. What they will say will come straight
from their previous “pitch” assignment.
Two key components are assessed in this lesson; the presentation they
prepare for their “pitch” and the layout, design and content
of the “Candy Wrapper” products they distribute at the public
event.
Differentiated Instruction: Instruction will be differentiated
through the use of many technologies and activities.
There are
many videos available through UnitedStreaming.com which provide information
on almost every topic imagineable. Their website has videos that are organized
by grade level and content and make the learning experience a lot more
interesting for students.
The SMART
Board is also a great tool because it lends itself to diffferentiating
instruction. You can create lesson which have something for every learning
style. The visual, tactile, auditory learner can all benefit and participate
when the board is put into use.
Regular neighborhood
walks will also be scheduled to see the community and really explore what
is being taught in the classroom.
Having a
"career day" and allowing members of the community to come in
and explain what they do for a living and how they contribute to society
will also add to the learning experience.
Time Allotment: 4 class periods. 50 Min. per class.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
Instructional Materials: computer availability - Once
a week
Internet
access - Web Sites
SMART Board
The SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard is a whiteboard that is placed
on a wall, usually in a meeting room or conference room. It has a touch
sensitive surface that controls a computer. So, an individual's finger
can become a mouse that controls the computer's desktop, when the SMARTBoard
is touched.
Magazines
Time For Kids
Scholastic News
Links
Artists Helping Children GET YOUR CHILDREN INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SERVICE
AND VOLUNTEER HIS OR HER TIME - VOLUNTEERING IS A GOOD THING
Earth 911 It is the mission of Earth 911 to empower the public with community
specific resources to improve their quality of life.
Eco Cycle Eco-Cycle is now offering a groundbreaking new alternative to
traditional garbage collection service to businesses in Boulder and Broomfield
Counties in Colorado!
Energy Kids Page
Kaboose Has a list of fun ideas to help clean up the community and recycle.
Keep America Beautiful Keep America Beautiful, Inc. is the nation's largest
nonprofit community improvement and educational organization, founded
in 1953.
Keep Arkansas Beautiful Looking for ways to reduce waste? Learn about
littering issues and how to help improve your community through litter
prevention, waste reduction, recycling, and overall beautification.
Kids Connect KidsConnect strives to provide a variety of opportunities
for kids to learn these critical lessons with their parents. Both through
active participation and attentive spectating, kids can "get it".
It is never too early to involve kids in activities that benefit the community.
Paper Recycles
Recycling with Kids Recycling with kids is a great way to develop awareness
and understanding for our environment. Teaching kids to recycle builds
a respect for the local environment today's society needs so desperately.
Resources: Technology resources:
AppleWorks, Digital Cameras, Inspiration, Internet Explorer, Kid Pix,
Kidspiration, SMART Board, Laptops, Ipods
The number of computers required is 1 per student.
Students Familiarity with Software Tool:
Students have technology education classes once a week and are very familar
with the basic functions of most software programs.
STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT
Standards:
NY- New York State Standards
• Subject: Social Studies (1996)
• Learning Standard 5 : Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental
system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic
civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights,
and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
• Level : Elementary
• Key Idea : Central to civics and citizenship is an understanding
of the roles of the citizen within American constitutional democracy and
the scope of a citizen’s rights and responsibilities.
Performance Indicator : Examine what it means to be a
good citizen in the classroom, school, home, and community
Performance Indicator : Understand that effective, informed
citizenship is a duty of each citizen, demonstrated by jury service, voting,
and community service
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