Lesson Plan #4

Grade: 2nd Social Studies Strand: Civics

Submitted By: Aaron Clay

EDEL 453: Teaching Elementary School Social Science Nevada State College Spring 2014 Instructor: Karen Powell

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

B. Summary of the Lesson Plan:

submitted by: Aaron Clay

This is a 2nd grade civics lesson focusing on the students ability to name their school and community (city, neighborhood, or church). Pages 282 through 289 will be used from the textbook Social Studies: Neighborhoods which is published by Houghton Mifflin. C. Basic Information: Grade Level: 2nd Grade Time to Complete this Lesson: 50 minutes Groupings: Whole group and independent

D. Materials:

Paper for thank-you notes

Pencils

Crayons

Colored Pencils

Markers

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 2

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Aaron Clay

A picture of the school and city

A bulletin board

A map of Las Vegas

A map of Nevada E. Objectives: o NV State Social Studies Standards o F. Vocabulary Government- A group of people who work together to run a community, state, or country. Capitol- A city where people in state or national government work.
EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 3

C16.2.1 Name their school and community. I can tell you the name of my school and the city I live in.

Student-Friendly Standards

Nevada State College

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Aaron Clay

Tax- The money charged by a government to help pay for schools, roads, and other things. Community- A unified body of individuals such as a state or commonwealth, people with common interests who live in a particular area, or a group of people linked by a common belief.

G. Procedure: 1. I will initially explain the vocabulary words to the students 2. Next I will pick a student to define one of the vocabulary words then ask the rest of the class to raise their hands if they agree with him/her. 3. I will rotate three more students through the vocabulary words and ask their classmates to raise their hands if they agree. 4. Prior to reading I will ask the class if they think both the school and city could be considered a community. 5. As a whole group exercise the class will read aloud pages 282 through 289. 6. After the reading I will ask the students to individually write down the name of our school and the city we live in on a piece of paper. 7. On the board I will write out the school name and Las Vegas and ask the students to check this against their answers. I will also point out the map of Las Vegas and write the school name in the proper location on the map. I will ask the students to pass their papers forward and collect them. 8. Strategy 10 on page 72 of Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies will be used to help the students explore the school as a community. 9. As a whole group exercise I will ask students to list off people in the school who help them. Each student will be given a chance to answer and each answer will go on the board. 10. Next I will ask the students to call out ways each respective school employee helps them. Diagrams will be drawn on the board with student volunteers that I choose. I will ask the class to list at least three ways each person helps them and rotate so everybody gets a chance to participate as a volunteer. 11. Once we are finished with the diagrams I will ask the students to think about why its right to care about other people and to think of ways to be polite or help out around school. 12. I will assign each student the responsibility of writing a thank-you letter to an individual staff member. On the front of the thank-you letter the school name and Las Vegas must be incorporated into the artwork somewhere along with the staff members name. 13. On the bulletin board out in the hall I will ask two students to place the pictures of the school and Las Vegas in the center. Next each student will post their thank-you notes around the pictures and have them radiating outward.
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 4

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

H. Assessment: What will you use to measure student understanding?

submitted by: Aaron Clay

I will use two informal assessments to measure student understanding. First the initial answer sheet will be used to see which students did not know the school name and Las Vegas. The second assessment is the proper completion of the thank-you note done in each students personal artistic manner. Explain how you will know students understand the concepts from the lesson. If the students know to write the school name and Las Vegas on their thank-you notes, then they know what school they attend as well as the city they reside in. I. Closure: Ok class today we learned that our school and the city we live in are both communities. Class where do we go to school? The students answer by saying school name. Class what city do we live in? The students answer by saying Las Vegas.

J. Reflection: 1. Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach? The vocabulary will likely be the easiest part to teach the students. 2. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? The most challenging part of this lesson would be keeping all of the students on task because the lesson must move at a brisk pace in order to have time for the thankyou letters. 3. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? I would follow up this lesson by asking the students about their understanding of how the city provides services. I would prompt them towards answers like the police and fire departments or the school system. Next I would ask the students how taxes help a government provide services to its citizens. 4. What can you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? For students who dont grasp the concept initially I would have empty letter envelopes that the school received. I would show them the school name as well as the city and zip code. I would also point out my map of Las Vegas as well as the school mascot painted on the wall. 5. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change? I might need to reduce the components of the procedure in order to save time or to ensure that the students stay on task. If this lesson proves too complicated for 2nd grade students then it can be pared down into a more simplistic version.
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 5

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Aaron Clay

6. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? The most difficult part was actually organizing my thoughts. I knew the general direction that I wanted to take along with the grade level and strand. I just couldnt seem to combine the pieces together in a coherent and cohesive manner at first. 7. Explain the strategy from Integrating Language Arts & Social Studies that you included in this lesson plan. The strategy I used was Incorporating Service Learning(Strategy 10 page 72). This strategy revolves around preparing students to become citizens who care about others as well as making society a better place. Brainstorming is used to get the students looking at issues and opportunities of value within the community. Specifically for grades K-2 thank-you notes are mentioned as a means of encouraging the students to behave as thoughtful citizens.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 6