Social Studies Lesson Plan
Chantal Harris
Morris, R. (2006). The Land of Hope: Third-Grade Students Use Walking a Tour to Explore Their Community. Social Studies, 97(3), 129-132.
Grade 1: Unit 4 Community
Objective:
1.4.1. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding that the way people live in their community evolves over time.
Resources:
Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Paperwork, transportation, supervisors etc needed for field trip.
What is the point?
Students will be able to understand the difference between past and present. They will also now have a first hand experience of what their community was like in the past and what it is like now, in the present.
It is important for students to know that communities change over time and that it is a natural process. Students need to understand that change is natural so that they are not afraid when something changes in their lives or in their community.
Warm-Up:
Read aloud Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. This book will help the students relate to then and now.
Lesson Overview:
Using examples from the Grouchy Ladybug, talk to students about past (then) and present (now).
Explain to the students that they are going on a field trip around downtown Fredericton to discover what has changed over the years, and what has stayed the same.
Create a chart: Using headlines
Past (then) and Present (now).
Explain to the students that after the field trip as a class we will be completing the chart with the information that we have learned.
Students will travel down to City Hall and begin a walking tour, guided by one of dressed soldiers from the 1900's. The tour will give students an idea of what Fredericton used to look like and how some of the buildings are still the same, but serve a different purpose. Students will then end the walking tour at the Historical Garrison District. From there students will go to the York-Sunbury Historical Society Museum. The museum is located in the Historical Garrison District and used to be the Officer’s Quarters. The students will learn the history of the building during their walking tour. Inside a guide will walk them through various rooms that contain artifacts from different cultures to give students an idea of how people lived in the past.
The day after the field trip engage students in a discussion of what they learned about how people lived in the past. As students are giving their answers begin to record their answers on the chart mentioned above. Then engage students in the discussion about how people live now. Discuss with students if they notice any changes in the way people used to live in Fredericton compared to today. Are there any similarities?
Closure:
Talk about how it would have been interesting to live through changes in the community like the ones that they mentioned.
Homework:
Students will talk to an elder about one of the biggest changes they noticed through their lives and how it affected them.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed during the field trip to see how well they are cooperating and listening. Students will also be assessed through the group activity.
Did the student:
· Understand the concepts past and present.
· Give valid examples of what they experienced on the field trip.
· Understand that communities change over time.
· Understand that there are differences between how people lived in the past and how they live in the present.
· Understand that there are similarities between people in the past and present.
Adaptation:
If the student had a physical disability and was confined to a wheelchair I would make sure that there was wheelchair access throughout the walking tour and in the museum. The York-Sunbury Historical Society Museum is an old building though and may not have wheelchair access, if this was the case I would go to another museum in Fredericton like the School Days Museum or the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame Museum. Another option would be to have a guest speaker come into the classroom and bring in some artifacts.
Reflection:
Through this lesson students will see and learn first hand how communities change over time. They will also learn about how people in the past lived compared how people in the present live. Through the class discussions, story book, and their experiences on the field trip the students will have the opportunity to meet the requirements of 1.4.1., which states that “students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding that the way people live in their community evolves over time.” The reviewing of the information learned on the field trip, through the chart and then discussion, will also help students remember and understand that people and the way they live in their community changes.