Kindergarten

Social Studies

Unit: 05 Lesson: 01

Lesson Synopsis:

In this lesson, students compare the physical characteristics, human characteristics, celebrations and customs of their local community to those characteristics inother communities.

TEKS:

K.5 / Geography. The student understands physical and human characteristics of place. The student is expected to: expected to:
K.5A / Identify the physical characteristics of place such as landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, and weather.
K.11 / Culture. The student understands similarities and differences among people. The student is expected to
K.11A / Identify similarities and differences among people such as kinship, laws, and religion.
K.11B / Identify similarities and differences among people such as music, clothing, and food.

Social Studies SkillsTEKS:

K.14 / Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
K.14B / Obtain information about a topic using a variety of valid visual sources such as pictures, symbols, electronic media, print material, and artifacts.
K.15 / Social studies skills. The student communicates in oral and visual forms. The student is expected to:
K.15A / Express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences.
K.15B / Create and interpret visuals, including pictures and maps.
Getting Ready for Instruction
Performance Indicator(s):
  • Compare the features of the local community to another community using a Venn Diagram. Explain the Venn Diagram orally. (K.5A; K.11B; K.14B, K.15A, K15B)
  • 1C

Key Understandings and Guiding Questions:

  • Las características humanas (creadas por el hombre) y físicas (naturales) dan forma a nuestra comunidad y afectan la manera en que vivimos en la comunidad.

—¿Cómo luce nuestra comunidad?

—¿Qué son las características físicas de lugar?

—¿Cuáles son los lugares importantes en el vecindario?

—¿Cuál es la importancia de estos lugares?

—¿Qué hace única a nuestra comunidad?

Vocabulary of Instruction:

© 2012, TESCCC 05/12/11page 1 of 6

Grade/Course

Social Studies

Unit: Lesson:

  • características físicas
  • características humanas
  • empleos
  • comunidad
  • ubicación

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Grade/Course

Social Studies

Unit: Lesson:

© 2012, TESCCC 11/01/12page 1 of 6

Grade/Course

Social Studies

Unit: Lesson:

Materials

© 2012, TESCCC 11/01/12page 1 of 6

Kindergarten

Social Studies

Unit: 13 Lesson: 02

  • Completed Celebrations Quilt class project (from Unit 7)
  • Completed Handout: Celebrations Matrix (from Unit 7)
  • Refer to the Notes for Teacher section for materials.

(Appropriate materials may be substituted as needed to incorporate district resources and availability.)

Attachments:
  • Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Regions of Texas
  • Handout: Texas Map
  • Handout:Comparing Community Celebrations
  • Handout: Venn Diagram

Resources and References:
  • Suggested children’s books:
  • Tumbleweed Tom on the Texas Trail by Jackie Hopkins
  • The Armadillo from Amarillo by Lynne Cherry
  • The Inside-Outside Book of Texas by Roxie Munro
  • “Landscapes of Texas Photographs” from Texas Highways Magazine, Texas A&M University Press, 1980.
  • Websites for community celebrations in Texas

Advance Preparation:

1.Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson.

2.Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.

3.Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.

4.Preview websites according to district guidelines.

6.Gather books to read aloud.

7.Locate a map of Texas, preferably with the different regions outlined.

8. Locate completed Celebrations Matrix and Celebrations Quilt (from Unit 7).

9.Prepare handouts and materials as needed.

Background Information:

Physical characteristics of places are features such as soil, landforms, bodies of water, types of vegetation and climate. Human characteristics of places include the types of houses people build, the ways they earn a living, the games children play, the languages people speak, their religious beliefs, their ethnicity, the daily schedules they follow, the foods they eat, and how they govern themselves.The activities people engage in in a community depend of the geographic location and the physical characteristics of place.

Similarities and differences among people can be seen in their kinship, laws, religion, and belief systems as well as in music, clothing and food. The culture of a community is evident in the celebrations they have.

Definitions courtesy of the Social Studies Center [defunct]. (2000). Glossary. Austin: Texas Education Agency.

Getting Ready for Instruction Supplemental Planning Document

Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.

Instructional Procedures
Instructional Procedures / Notes for Teacher
ENGAGE–Introduce other communities / NOTE: 1 Day = 30 minutes
Suggested Day 1 – 5 minutes
  1. Read aloud one or more of the suggested children’s books to facilitate student access to learning from the previous lesson in this unit on the geographic characteristics of their local community.
  2. Ask students what they think they might find in other communities in Texas. Encourage discussion with these or similar questions:
  • Have you visited other communities in Texas?
  • Does it look the same as our community?
  • Does it look different from our community?
  • How was it the same?
  • How was it different?
/ Materials:
  • Tumbleweed Tom on the Texas Trail by Jackie Hopkins
  • The Armadillo from Amarillo by Lynne Cherry
  • The Inside-Outside Book of Texas by Roxie Munro
  • Landscapes of Texas Photographspublished byTexas Highways Magazine,Texas A&M University Press, 1980.
Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students to think about how communities are similar and different.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
EXPLORE– Examine regions of Texas / Suggested Day 1 (continued) – 15 minutes
  1. Display a large map of the state of Texas. Direct attention to the different regions of Texas. Point out: Big Bend Country, the Hill Country, the Gulf Coast, Panhandle Plains, Prairies and lakes, Piney Woods, and the South Texas Plains.
  1. Display the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Regions of Texas.
  1. Guide students to recognize that the name of each region is usually related to the physical features found in that region. Place a label on the location of the local community in the proper region. Locate and briefly describe each of these or another community in each region of Texas:
  • Corpus Christi is located on the coast of Texas. It is located by the water, close to the beaches, and the surrounding area is flat.
  • Nacogdoches is located in the Piney Woods of East Texas. There are forests in that part of Texas.
  • Lubbock and Amarilloare located in the Panhandle Plains of Texas where the land is very flat with some canyons.
  • Presidio is located in Big Bend Country in the very western part of the state, often called West Texas. Much of the area is desert and it has the highest mountains in Texas.
  • Granbury is located in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. As the name implies, this part of Texas is prairieland.
  • San Marcos is located in the Hill Country. The Hill Country is known for its rolling hills.
  • McAllen is located in the South Texas Plains. Plains are found in this part of Texas.
  1. Throughout the discussion note differences in the local community and the community being focused upon. Ask questions similar to these to encourage a comparison:
  • How is Corpus Christi different from our community?
  • Is our community close to a beach?
  • How do the beach and the ocean affect how the people live?
  • What jobs do people have who live near the ocean?
  • What kinds of homes do they live in?
  • Corpus Christi has a fleet of shrimp boats. Does Amarillo? Why or why not?
  • Corpus Christi also has the Bay Bridge, a big bridge that takes cars over the Corpus Christi Bay while still letting boats travel to the refineries and grain and cotton terminals. Does our community have a Bay Bridge?
  • How is El Paso different from our community?
  • Is our community close to mountains?
  • How do you think the mountains affect the people in El Paso?
/ Materials:
  • Map of Texas, preferably with the different regions outlined
Attachments:
  • Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Regions of Texas
Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students to identify the various regions of Texas and the physical characteristics of each.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
Instructional Note:
  • Conduct an internet search for a map of Texas using the keywords: regions of Texas. There are various designations used to divide the state of Texas. For the purpose of this lesson find a map and/or website that show the regions described.

EXPLAIN–Identify regions of Texas / Suggested Day 1 (continued) – 10 minutes
  1. Student pairs share a map of Texas and work together to identify each region of Texas. Students will write the number in the appropriate box to identify each region of Texas.
  1. Students name at least one physical characteristic of the region and one city or community located in that region.
  1. Teacher circulates monitoring, clarifying, and assisting.
/ Attachments:
  • Handout: Texas Map
Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students to locate and identify regions of Texas on a Texas map.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
Instructional Note:
  • If necessary, pair students so that readers are matched with non-readers.

ENGAGE– Celebrations of the local community / Suggested Day 2 – 5 minutes
  1. Display the Celebrations Matrix and/or the Celebrations Quilt, both created in Unit 7 to trigger student background knowledge. Explain how the culture of a community is evident in the celebrations held by the community.
/ Materials:
  • Completed Celebrations Quilt class project (from Unit 7)
  • Completed Handout: Celebrations Matrix (from Unit 7)
Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students to recall celebrations of the local community.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
Instructional Note:
  • Celebrations were taught in Unit 7, Lessons 1 and 2. To aid in recalling information about celebrations, sources used in Unit 7 can be reintroduced. The completed Handout: Celebrations Matrix and/or the Celebrations Quilt from Unit 7, Lessons 1 and 2 can be presented again in this part of the lesson.

EXPLORE– Comparing Celebrations / Suggested Day 2 (continued) –10 minutes
1.Facilitate a discussion to help students recall content from Unit 7 regarding celebrations in the local community: Consider discussion of the following topics:
  • People celebrate different occasions depending on:
  • what country they live in or their country of origin
  • what community they live in
  • their religious beliefs
  • customs and traditions of their family
  1. As students learn about celebrations from various sources, ask them to consider the following:
  2. What kinds of clothing were the people wearing at the celebrations?
  3. Were the clothes similar or different from one celebration to another?
  4. What kinds of food were in the pictures?
  5. Was the food similar or different from one celebration to another?
  1. Guide students to recall information about celebrations in other Texas communities or display district-approved websites (or other sources) showing pictures of several celebrations in other communities. Students choose one celebration to compare to the celebrations of the local community using the questions above.
/ Materials:
  • Consider finding websites that have pictures depicting local cultural celebration of communities other than your own.
Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students to recall local celebrations in order to compare them with celebrations from other Texas communities.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
Instructional Note:
  • Refer to websites listed under Resources and References for Texas community celebrations:

EXPLAIN – Comparing community celebrations with a partner / Suggested Day 2 (continued) –10 minutes
  1. Students turn and talk to a partner to complete these sentences:
  • Our community is like (name of another community) because both our communities celebrate______.(name of holiday or other celebration the communities share)
  • Our community is different from (name of community) because we celebrate______and they celebrate ______.
  1. Students each complete Handout: Comparing Community Celebrations
/ Attachments:
  • Handout: Comparing Community Celebrations(one per student)
Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students to explain how community celebrations are alike and different.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
ELABORATE – Do I like where I live or would I prefer to live in another community? / Suggested Day 2 (continued) – 5 minutes
  1. Ask students to reflect on the communities in other parts of Texas.
  • Is there another community in Texas where you would like to live? Why or why not?
  1. Facilitate a discussion that focuses on the reasons students might like living in another community. Accept all answers as long as the student can justify the choice with supporting facts about the physical or human characteristics of or a celebration in the community. (Possible responses: I would like to live in Big Bend Country because I like mountains and would like to live on a ranch. I don’t like rainy weather. Or I would like to live in Austin in the Hill Country because I like hills and I like to go to lakes to swim.)
/ Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section isfor students to consider features of communities to determine if they would prefer to live in another place.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
ENGAGE – Venn Diagram / Suggested Day 2 (continued) – 10 minutes
  1. Draw a Venn Diagram on the board. Facilitate a discussion that compares the local community to another community focusing on the areas of:
  • Physical characteristics
  • Human characteristics
  • Celebrations and customs
  1. Scribe part of the discussion, but allow space and opportunity for individual student input.
/ Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students understand how to compare the local community with another Texas community.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
EVALUATE- Determine mastery / Suggested Day 3(continued) –30 minutes
  1. Distribute Handout:Venn Diagram(1 per student).
  2. Students compare the local community with one of the other communities studied in this lesson. List physical features of the local community and another community OR draw pictures of a local community and another community.
  • Compare the features of the local community to another community using the Handout: Venn Diagram. Explain the Venn Diagram orally. (K.5A; K.11B; K.14B, K.15A, K15B)
  • 1C
/ Attachments:
  • Handout:Venn Diagram, (1 per student)
Purpose:
  • The purpose of this section is for students to demonstrate learning by completing the Performance Indicator.
TEKS: K.5A; K.11A; K.11B; K.14B; K.15A; K.15B
Instructional Note:
  • Depending on the ability of the class, students can complete the Venn Diagram started in whole group or choose a different community to compare to the local community.

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