Where I Live, Work, and Play

By Donna Shouse and Nancy Gilligan, Social Studies Content Specialists

How can I make the places where I live, work, and play better?

1. What does my family do for me?

2. What should I do for my family? Why?

3. What rules are needed in the classroom? Why?

4. How can I be a good citizen in my neighborhood?

5. What does my community do to make my life better?

6. How can I make my community a good place to live?

7. What does my neighborhood and/or community look like?

8. Describe the people who live in your neighborhood and/or community. In what

ways are they like you, and in what ways are they different then you?

Goal 2-Social Studies:

2.14 Students understand the democratic principles of justice, equality, responsibility, and freedom and apply them to real-life situations.

• Recognize oneself as part of a group and demonstrate cooperation with others.
• Recognize the existence of and the need to follow rules.
• Demonstrate democratic behavior.
• Determine rights and responsibilities in real-life situations.

2.19 Students recognize and understand the relationship between people and geography and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

• Recognize that everything has a location.
• Use geographic sources of information and data for a purpose.
• Identify physical and human characteristics

 

Goal 5--Thinking and Problem Solving:

5.1 Students use critical thinking skills such as analyzing, prioritizing, categorizing, evaluating, and comparing to solve a variety of problems in real-life situations.

• Discover patterns in life situations.
• Examine cause-and-effect relationships

5.2 Students use creative thinking skills to develop or invent novel, constructive ideas or products.

• Generate a variety of ideas and products.
• Expand and analyze ideas and products.

 

-SS-E-1.1.1 Democratic governments function according to the needs and wants of the citizens and provide for society's needs (e.g., police and fire departments, education, highways).

-SS-E-1.1.2 The purpose of a government's rules and laws (e.g., U.S. Constitution, school rules) is to establish and maintain order.

-SS-E-1.3.1 Rights and responsibilities of the individual are determined by specific roles within various groups, including family, peer group, class, school, community, state, and country.

-SS-E-1.3.3 In order for a democratic form of government to function, citizens must play an active and responsible role (e.g., participating in election process, obeying the law).

-SS-E-4.1.1 Simple physical, political, and thematic maps, globes, charts, photographs, aerial photography, and graphs can be used to find and explain locations and display information.

-SS-E-4.1.4 After looking at spatial factors, decisions (e.g., where to locate a store, house, playground, or equipment on a playground) are made about where to locate human activities on Earth's surface.

-SS-E-4.2.1 Every place is unique and can be described by its human (e.g., language, religion, housing) and physical characteristics (e.g., landforms, climates, water).

Students will gather information about their neighborhood or community from appropriate sources and make a display illustrating the physical and human characteristics of the chosen area.

In small groups the students will develop a set of classroom rules and justify their rules to the class. The class will select the rules in the small groups they think are most important.

Have each student draw picture showing the student fulfilling a responsibility toward other people (family, neighborhood, community). The student should show their picture to the class and explain what the responsibility is in their picture and describe what might happen if that responsibility was not fulfilled. (Explanation can be written in open response form if desired)

Divide the students into pairs. Give each pair of students a picture of a community helper and tell them to talk to their partner another about what the community helper does that helps them. The pair of students should decide how to act out the service provided, or what would happen if the service was not provided. (Primary 1-2)

Open Response (Third Grade) Select three services your community provides and explain why each service is important.

Level 4:

Student identifies three services the community provides.

Student explains using extensive detail why each service is important

Student communicates information in an organized manner so others can understand.

Level 3:

Student identifies three services the community provides.

Student explains using broad detail why each service is important

Student communicates information, with some lapses in organization

Level 2:

Student identifies two services provided by the community

Student provides a basic explanation for why each service is important

Student communicates reasonably, but has poor organization and some inaccurate information.

Level 1:

Student identifies one service provided by the community.

Student gives a minimal, or no, explanation why the service is important.

Student has poor organization and some inaccurate information.

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