ED 345 Calvin College Lesson Planning Form

Teacher:
Ms. Dean
Date: 4/25/16
Subject/ Topic/ Theme: Lets make our
community better!
I. Objectives
What is the main focus of this lesson?
Students learn about the services provided by the government, and how they can be a part of these
services!
How does this lesson tie in to a unit plan? (If applicable.)
Fourth lesson in civics unit- How do citizens live together in a community?
What are your objectives for this lesson? (As many as needed.) Indicate connections to
applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to only certain students write the
name(s) of the student(s) to whom it applies.
*I can statement: I can identify services provided by the government.
Students will be able to:
List government services
Identify ways they can make a difference in the community
2-C5.0.2 Distinguish between personal and civic responsibilities and explain why they are important in
community life.
2-C5.0.1 Identify ways citizens participate in community decisions.
2-C3.0.1 Give examples of how local governments make, enforce, and interpret laws (ordinances) in the
local community.
2-C3.0.2 Use examples to describe how local government affects the lives of its citizens
2-C3.0.3 Identify services commonly provided by local governments (e.g. police, fire departments,
schools, libraries, parks)

II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge
and skills.

Students understand what a law is, the importance of their local

government, and

Assessment
(formative and
summative)

Students brainstorm as a class, a way that they can make a difference in

their community
Game: Does my government provide this?
Universal Design for Learning Networks/Domains (see UDL Guidelines)

RECOGNITION
Multiple Means of Representation
Options for Perception
Students are able to discuss,
listen, and stand in areas of
the room to interact with the
material.

STRATEGIC
Multiple Means of Expression
(Action)
Options for action/interaction
Students are able to discuss,
listen, and stand in areas of
the room to interact with the
material.

AFFECTIVE
Multiple Means of
Engagement
Options for recruiting interest
Students each get their very
own service to sort into
government or private, and
can stand in the circle the
floor.

Options for Language/Symbols

Students can hear, see, and physically be
in the area of government and private
services.

Options for Expression

Students are able to discuss,
listen, and stand in areas of
the room to interact with the
material.

Options for Sustaining Effort &

Persistence
Students each get their very
own service to sort into
government or private, and
can stand in the circle the
floor.

Options for Comprehension

Students can hear, see, and physically be
in the area of government and private
services.

Options for Executive Function

Students need to listen to
hear about the other
government services or
private services to help them
sort their own service!

Options for Self Regulation

Students need to listen to
hear about the other
government services or
private services to help them
sort their own service!

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and do you have them?
Do you need to set up
your classroom in any
special way for this
lesson? If so, describe it.
III. The Plan
Tim
Parts
e
7
Motivatio
min
n
(Opening/
Introducti
on/
Engageme
nt)

Government, laws, and community definition signs

Tape
Papers- government service, not a government service
Service cards
Typical classroom set-up (may need to move some desks for a larger space)

The description of (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher
activities and student activities
Last week, we learned about what our community is, what our government is, and
what laws are!
Can anyone give me any characteristics about our community that make our
community special?
Put up community definition sign, and show students the anchor chart they
completed on their community.

Students will give answers based on the anchor chart.

Remember- each of you contributes to our class community and make our class
community special, and today, we are going to talk about way that we can make a
difference in our Grand Rapids community! We can do this using our government.
We learned about how important it is to have a government when we pretended
there was a Zombie Apocalypse! What is a government again?
Put up government definition sign, students will give examples from the scenario
and from the sign.
We also discussed one way that our government keeps us safe what was that
again?
Put up law definition sign.
Do you remember any of the real-life laws we talked about last week?
Today, we are going to be coming up with a way that we can make a difference in
our local community by using our local government! But first, we need to find out
what our government does, and what services they give to help our community. I
can think of one! The government keeps us safe by making sure there are
community helpers around can anyone think of some community helpers?
Police, fire fighters, ambulances
These people are all a government service! Now, we are going to play a game
where we sort services into government services (show definition sign) and private
services (not government services). This means that the government does NOT own
them. I can think of one- 3 mile project!
Developm
ent
18
min
.

On the floor there are two large circles. Each of you is going to get a notecard that
has a service on it! It will be either a government, or a non-government service.
Think about which one it will be, using the definition on the board. Then, when I call
your name, you will tell us what the service is, and if you think it is a government
service, or not a government service, but a private service. Then you will step into
the corresponding circle. Remember, you will need to listen carefully to see if you
get any ideas, and to help your friends!
Pass out cards, keep government service definition up on ELMO
Students stand around the circles, and when their name is called, they read their
service card and state if they think it is a government or private service. Students
help each other if needed.

5
min
Closure

I have an idea of a way that we could be a part of our community! Lets come up
with a service that would make our community better- then we could talk to or send
letters to people in our local government to see if they can make that happen!
* If students need help, a rec center would be a great engaging service to
encourage.

Your reflection on the lesson including ideas for improvement for next time:
This lesson was fun for the students! We began with a review of our previous lessons, and the students
did very well remembering what we had done before. The students also enjoyed moving into the physical
spaces of the government or private services, but had some difficulty remaining quiet when we had to go
through each and every student. However, spending so much time thinking about their own service
helped them take initiative and ownership of the lesson. It will also help them remember the services they
see. As an exit slip, I had each student identify one government service as they were leaving the room.
Nearly every child thought of one right away!