Unit Planning Chart
Social Studies:· Define & identify communities, culture, equality, & diversity
· Role play community members
· Timeline of changing communities/cultures
· Make a culture pizza about family diversity
· Map making of their community, home, classroom, school
· Discuss: What does it mean to be a good citizen / community member?
· Study the communities our ancestors lived in, locate them on a map
· Identify some customs, symbols our community has created. / Science:
· Weather, climate, animals of different communities
· Discuss how a “pond” is a community within a community and what is needed.
· Book: The Pond Community
· Geology-how the area has changed through the years of the community’s existence / Math:
· Measure distances for maps of classroom.
· Use a scale to make a map of school, community.
· Measure distance of an imaginary trip around community
· Problem solving questions involving community
· Voting- count votes in class, divide up a community for voting / Written Language:
· Make a class book about “Our Community”
· Letter to a community official or leader
· Write a poem about their community
· Write thank you notes to class visitors
Oral Language:
· Learn words of different languages of those members of our community
· Give class presentation using aspects of community learned
· Readers’ Theater on a book about community or our class community book
· Oral interview with family members about their community
· Oral interview with elderly at nursing home visit / Art:
· Explore arts of different cultures/communities-compare-contrast
· Draw pictures of own community and members within
· Design a community
· Discover what arts are in the local community-types, visit / Student Reading/Literature:
· Books about community and how they have changed/ evolved
· Internet sites on community
· Reading maps
· Books about the people in our community-generations / Music:
· Create a song to represent our local community
· Create a song to represent our classroom community Ex: Mrs. Jones’ 3rd grade Community of Learners
· Listen to music of different cultures/communities
Social Skills:
· Equality
· Respect
· Cooperation
· Service
· Responsibility
· Fairness / Teacher Resources:
· City Hall/ Council
· Nursing home
· Mayor, police station, fire station, post office, hospital
· Parents
· Internet sites about local community / Technology:
· Discuss: How has technology changed our community? Made it better?
· Use computers to create a simple community
· Take a walk around community and take pictures of modern technology in our community-Ex: stoplights, electricity / Physical Education/Health:
· Go on a walk around community sites
· Discuss: How can we make a more healthy community?
· Community Fun Run
Field Trips/ Guests:
· Community members visit class
· Parents visit class and share family diversity traits- teach a skill
· Trip- Nursing Home
· Trip- Community functions-cultural / Accommodations for Learners:
· High use of pictures with simple labels
· Time extension for writing projects, art
· Aid with oral presentation, readers’ theater
· Enlarged maps around classroom
· Books on various reading levels / Read Alouds:
· Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
· The Gnats of Knotty Pine by Bill Peet / Culminating Activity/ Unit Projects:
· Put on a program for parents, school, or community about valuing everyone in our community
· Visit nursing home and share “Community Book”