LONG AGO. - Hanover County Public Schools

Kindergarten
Assessment
Tools
Social Studies Bibliography
K.1a George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Just Like Abraham Lincoln
Abe Lincoln’s Hat
Abe Lincoln
A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln
Abe Lincoln Remembers
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln Memorial
George Washington’s Buttons
George Washington’s Breakfast
George Washington, 1st President of the U.S.
Young George Washington
Buttons for General Washington
If You Grew Up With George Washington
A Picture Book of George Washington
15 Easy-to-Read Biography Mini-Books
(Famous Americans)
President’s Day
If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln
From Sea to Shining Sea
By the Dawn’s Early Light
The White House
Bernard Waber
Martha Brenner
Lola Schaefer
David Adler
Ann Turner
T.M. Usel
Tristan Boyer Binns
Jean Fritz
Carol Greene
Andrew Woods
Peter Roop
Ruth Gross
David Adler
Scholastic
Mir Tamim Ansary
Ann McGovern
Amy Cohen
Steven Kroll
Catherine O’Neill Grace
Other Resources:
VA SOL Resource Book (pg. 7) “Honest” Abraham Lincoln
(pg. 5) George Washington, Father of Our Country
Lesson Ideas to compare and contrast presidents:
• KWL Chart
• Venn Diagram
• Detail Web
•
•
Flip Your Wig, George!
Run one copy of “Flip Your Wig, George!” 2-sided. Color Abe Lincoln’s face, hat and
beard on one side, then flip it over and draw Washington’s face and glue cotton balls on
for the wig.
After making the George and Abe “flip” picture, state a fact about one
of the presidents and let the children show you the face of the president
that matches that fact.
•
Presidential Pattern Plates
Use 2 large, white paper plates, red and blue strips of construction paper. Make a
pattern with the colored strips, and glue them to the plate before adding the
president’s silhouettes.
A Great Man
A great man
you ought to know,
lived a long, long
time ago.
Abraham Lincoln
the President,
gave freedom to
each resident.
He made the world
a better place.
For you and me,
and the human race.
•
•
•
Helpful Web sites:
www.atozteacherstuff.com
Click on President’s Day Activities
www.kinderhive.net
Click on Themes and Units (President’s Day)
www.enchantedlearning.com
Click on President’s Day Activities
K.1b
Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross
Alexandra Wallner
Barbara Spilman Lawson
.
Helpful websites:
• http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/
(Contains story of the legend of the first flag, directions on making a 5 pointed
star, and meanings of the colors of the flag)
Other Resources:
• VA SOL Resource Book (pg. 6)
Betsy Ross and the First American Flag
K1.b Pilgrims, Indians, Pocahontas, and Thanksgiving
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Young Pocahontas, Indian Princess
The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving
The First Thanksgiving
Barbara Spilman Lawson
Margaret Hudson
Anne Benjamin
Anne McGovern
Linda Hayward
Sarah Morton’s Day-A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
Kate Waters
Tapenum’s Day- A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times Kate Waters
Samuel Eaton’s Day
Kate Waters
Venn Diagram-Compare and contrast the Pilgrims and Indians(housing, travel, clothing, ways to hunt. etc.)
Compare and contrast the historical facts about Pocahontas with the
Disney movie.
Venn Diagram to compare and contrast present day Americans and Pilgrims.
Act out the story of the First Thanksgiving and have a “feast.” Compare
the first Thanksgiving with the way we presently celebrate the holiday.
Thanksgiving Quilt
Submitted by: Stacey Mitchell, kindergarten teacher
Students create their own quilt square showing what they are thankful for and assemble into a
class quilt.
Materials:
•
•
•
felt, cut 9" x 9" for each student
large piece of felt
fabric glue
Plan:
•
•
•
•
•
Begin the lesson by brainstorming a class list of things your students are thankful for.
Provide each student with a 9" by 9" felt square.
Have students create a quilt square that shows what they are thankful for.
Students can draw/cut out pictures. They can bring items from home including
photographs or they can choose to cut out words or phrases using felt and fabric
scraps. Encourage students to be as creative and inventive as possible.
When each student has completed their quilt square, you can sew it together or use
fabric glue to adhere it to a large piece of felt or burlap. Children will enjoy the quilt all
year long.
Talking Stick
Submitted by: Joyce Chiasson, 2nd grade teacher
Experiment with the Native American custom of using a stick to tell stories.
Objectives:
Have children remember something important they learned in the day.
Discuss multicultural themes.
Materials:
•
An ordinary stick found in a yard or playground.
Plan:
•
•
Explain to class that Native Americans were great story tellers and they used the talking stick to
tell stories.
Pass the stick around and have every class member tell a story about what they learned that day.
Helpful Websites:
http://www.proteacher.com
•
Click on Wampanoag unit
Other Resources:
•
•
•
Virginia SOL Resource Book (pg. 12) Thanksgiving Past and Present
Virginia SOL Resource Book (pg. 14) American Stories of the Past
Virginia SOL Resource Book (pg. 4) Pocahontas, a First American Helper
K.1b Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
My Dream of Martin Luther King
Thank You Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Picture Book of Martin Luter King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (SOL book)
•
•
•
Mir Tamim Ansary
Faith Ringgold
Eleanora Tate
Adler
Lawson
Before reading the book, make a KWL chart with the class. Add facts
that they learned after reading.
Detail Web about MLK
After reading about MLK’s “I have a dream” speech, Give each child a cloud that
represents a dream and let them draw or write what they would do to make the
world a better place to live.
A Lesson on Fairness
Materials:
•
•
A favorite class treat - enough for the entire class.
Book: A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. or Happy Birthday Martin Luther King
Plan:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Before I mention Martin Luther King, I pass out morning snacks to only boys in my class.
When the other children question this, I explain that only the boys are getting snacks
today.
I wait about 5-10 minutes and call them to our story rug, without any explanation for my
actions. I start to read the picture book of Martin Luther King's life.
After I have completed reading the story, I ask the children who did not receive snacks
how they felt about that.
Then I ask those who did receive snacks how they felt.
Now I explain that I was demonstrating prejudice or unequal treatment.
The children have a greater understanding of how unfairly black people were treated in
Mr. King's day.
Finally, I give morning snack to those children I skipped earlier. I have a worksheet made
to send home so the parents know about our lesson. I explain what we did and have
each child express their feelings during my lesson.
Happy Birthday, Dr. King
to the tune of "Yankee Doodle"
Dr. King was a man
Who had a special dream.
He dreamed of a world filled with love
And peace and harmony.
Happy Birthday, Dr. King,
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday, Dr. King.
We honor you today.
Harmony and Peace
to the tune of "B-I-N-G-O"
Dr. King taught us to live
In harmony and peace-P-E-A-C-E,
P-E-A-C-E,
P-E-A-C-E,
In harmony and peace.
He taught us not to fight or quarrel,
But love one another.
L-O-V-E, Love!
L-O-V-E, Love!
L-O-V-E, Love!
He said to love each other.
Let Us Keep His Dream Alive
to the tune of "This Old Man"
This young man had a dream;
In his eye he had a gleam.
We must love each other to survive.
Let us keep his dream alive.
He believed man was good;
He had dreams of brotherhood.
We must love each other to survive.
Let us keep his dream alive.
All join hands, let us sing;
Let the bells of freedom ring.
We must love each other to survive.
Let us keep his dream alive.
We can learn from the past;
Then we'll all be "free at last!"
We must love each other to survive.
Let us keep his dream alive.
K.1b Symbols and Fourth of July
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Liberty Bell
Fourth of July
Fourth of July
Fourth of July
Starry, Stripy Blanket
The Pledge of Allegiance
•
Sort pictures that depict different holidays to compare and contrast 4th of
July,Thanksgiving, and President’s Day.
Tristan Boyer Binns
Susan Ring
Lynda Sorensen
Ira Wood
Ellen Kirk
Lola Schaefer
“OUR FLAG”
Sung to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Our flag is red, white, and blue,
Red, white, and blue,
Red, white, and blue,
Our flag is red, white, and blue,
In the U.S.A.
Our flag has 50 stars,
50 stars, 50 stars,
Our flag has 50 stars, in the U.S.A.
Our flag has 13 stripes,
13 stripes, 13 stripes,
Our flag has 13 stripes,
in the U.S.A.
American Flag
(Frere Jacques)
What is red? What is white?
What is blue? What is striped?
What has many stars? What has many stars?
Can you guess, how many there are?
Then the kids shout 50.
DOWN AT THE FLAGPOLE
"Down By the Station"
Down at the flagpole,
Early in the morning,
We will raise our flag,
The red, white, and blue.
We stand at attention,
It's something that we do.
We salute the colors,
The red, white, and blue.
A FLAG FOR ME AND YOU
" Three Blind Mice"
Red, white and blue,
Red, white and blue,
A flag for me, A flag for you.
It is the flag of our great nation,
It's honored by each generation.
Join me now in a celebration,
Red, white and blue.
Resources:
• Virginia SOL Resource Book by Scott Foresman (pg. 9)
Helpful websites:
• www.enchantedlearning.com
Click on flag day crafts
Social Studies SOL K.2
The student will describe everyday life in the present and in the past and begin to
recognize that things change over time.
Recommended Books:
These books may be found within the school systems.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
School Then and Now by Brenda Parkes
Transportation Over the Years by Brenda Parkes
What Do Historians Do? By Brenda Parkes
Great Grandma and I by Brenda Parkes
Now and Then by Faridah Yusof
School Today and Long Ago by Mario Lucca
Schools Around the World by Donald Mitchell
Around the Neighborhood by Katherine Mead
Pilgrims of Plymouth by Susan Goodman
Then and Now by Glenn Conner
Long Ago and Today by Rozanne Lanczak Williams
Long Ago by Rachel Emmer
A Look Back in Time by Carrie Waters
These titles may be found at a local library.
•
World Atlas of the Past by John Haywood
Related Websites
•
•
•
•
http://www.history.org/
http://www.circusweb.com/circuswebFrames.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/b/boone.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/s/smith.shtml
Activity
Read the book School Then and Now. Discuss the book with your class.
Make an Affinity Chart (Baldrige quality tool) with the children. Give each child a
post-it note. Have each child draw a picture or write a word about the story. Then
have each child explain their post-it note. Have each child put their note on any part
of the blank chart paper. Then as a whole class classify the post-its into groups.
Give each group a title.
Discuss why each post-it was put on each section to check for understanding.
Activity
Timeline– Using bulletin board paper make a large time line. You can put dates such
as 1492 –Columbus discovered America
1621 The Pilgrims celebrated the first
1776- America declared its independence.
Thanksgiving.
1789– George Washington becomes our 1st President
1861– Abe Lincoln becomes the 16th President
1967– Your teacher was born.
? - You and your classmates were born
200? You and your classmates started Kindergarten
200? Your and your classmates will graduate from school
Each date and event are written on index cards and put on the time line before
laminting. Then for the dates/events that will change each year they are put on top
with tape after laminating. Above each event a picture is placed along with a description
Activity
Ask children “How do you get from place to place?” Listen to various answers.
Open the discussion up by asking more questions about transportation.
Read the story Transportation Over the Years. Discuss how people got from place
to place in the past (before cars and airplanes). Discuss the amount of time it
would take for people in the past and us to get from place to place.
Activity
Stool Ball
This is a game the Plymouth Pilgrims played on Plymouth plantation.
• About 2/3 of your class stands about 10 feet in front of a stool, (in a circle) to
protect the stool. The other 1/3 of the class takes turns by throwing the ball,
underhanded, at the stool. The students protecting the stool may not touch the
stool or sit on it.
This is good way to discuss with the students that the children played with items
that they already had. For example, children played with bubbles and stones, they
weren’t able to go buy new toys at Wal-mart because they did not have these
stores.
Activity
When completing this unit, you can use the sort attached as an assessment tool.
My time was
LONG AGO.
My time is
TODAY.
Social Studies SOL K. 3
The student will describe the relative location of people, places and things by
using positional words, with emphasis on near/far, above/below, left/right, and
behind/in front.
Recommended books
‘Up Down and all Around’ National Geographic
‘Inside Outside Upside Down’ Stan Berenstain
‘Bears in the Night ‘ Stan Berenstain
Activity 1 Left and Right
Trace and label children’s hands left/right
Activity 2 Positions
Read ‘Bears in the Night’ or Inside Outside Upside Down’ by Stan Berenstain.
Use a toy, for example, a bear. Give directions to put the toy in a position, for example under the table, over the table, near the sink, far from the door, above your head, below the
chair etc.
• Draw and color a bear in these positions. Label pictures above/below, near/far, under/
over.
•
•
Activity 3 ‘Where is the Dog?’
• Read the book “where is the Dog?’ to the children.
• Practice putting a big picture/toy dog in specific positions. Have the children make the little book. See attached master copy
Activity 4 Opposites
• Review location words in pairs to emphasize their opposite meanings.
• Model along with children
• Stand up. Sit down
• Raise your right hand. Raise your left hand
• Put your hand over the table. Put your hand under the table
Other possible pairings include in/out, above/below, high/low, near/far, behind/in front of,
top/bottom.
Activity 5 Newspaper positions
• Give each child a sheet of newspaper in a roll and have them follow your directions, for
example:
Put the roll above your head
Hold the roll in your left/right hand
Put the roll behind/in front of you
Put the roll under your right foot….and so on
Activity 6—Fishy positions book
See the following web page for a downloadable mini book about positions:
http://www.kindercritters.com/fbook/fishybook.pdf
Social Studies SOL K. 4
The student will use simple maps and globes to
• Develop an awareness that a map is a drawing of a place to show
where things are located and that a globe is a round model of the Earth
• Describe places referenced in stories and real-life situations
• Locate land and water features.
Social Studies SOL K.5
The student will develop and awareness that maps and globes
• Show a view from above
• Show things in smaller size
• Show the position
Recommended reading
Bird’s Eye View Marcia Freeman
Mapping Penny’s World Loreen Leedy
Zoo Map
David Tunkin
My Global Address Tamara Nunn
What is a Park? Lisa Trumbauer
Can You read a Map? Rozanne Williams
Here I Am Judy Nayer
Me on the Map Joan Sweeney
Maps Andrew Haslam
The Earth and I Frank Asch
I Know About Maps Chris Jaeggi
Where is My Town? Robin Nelson
Where is My State? Robin Nelson
Where is My Continent? Robin Nelson
Where is My Country? Robin Nelson
Where is My Home? Robin Nelson
The Earth Trent Johnson
Getting from Here to There Harvey Weiss
My Neighborhood Susan Ring
My Map Book Sara Fanelli
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World Marjorie Priceman
Can You Read a Map? Rozanne Lanczak Williams
Maps Joellyn Cicciarelli
Globes Paul Sipiera
Additional resources
Beginning Map Skills Evan Moor
Rand McNally Children’s Atlas of the Untied States
Maps and Globes Jack Knowlton
Activity 1
Make a Map
• Place a large piece of paper on the floor or on a tabletop and have children gather in front of it. Call on volunteers to place various objects on
the paper such as a wooden block, glue bottle, book, paintbrush, scissors.
• Ask children to describe location of objects. Elicit position words over under up down left right, and provide prompt so if necessary
• Tell children you can make a map to remember position of objects. Write
the words top bottom, left right in appropriate places. Trace around the
objects and label each outline.
• Have children take turns telling where an object is on the map.
Activity 2
Table Top Community
• Take a walk around your school. Observe ‘key’ places such as the office,
cafeteria, library and take pictures of these places along the way. Or
have the children draw pictures on sticky notes of the places
• Take a large piece of paper to represent the school
• Help children trace the path the class took on its walk around and put
pictures/notes in appropriate places.
• Paint different sized boxes or cover them with paper. The children can
draw or cut and paste pictures to illustrate scenes or symbols which reflect the room
•
Use these to replace the pictures/notes and create a 3 dimensional map
of your school.
Activity 3
Puzzle Map
• Make a large copy of the map of the United States or Virginia for each
child.
• Cut the map into pieces to make a puzzle. Store in ziplock baggies.
Activity 4
Tissue Paper Globe
• Give each child a globe pattern (circle) made from tag board
• Each child needs blue and green tissue squares to glue to show land and
water on the globe
Activity 5
Grapefruit Globe
• Draw the land and the water formations of a globe on the grapefruit with
blue and green marker pens
Activity 5
North South East and West
• Cut and stick North, South, East and West on a map of the world/ USA(or any location)
to become familiar with location words.
Activity 6
Homework ideas
• Create a map of your bedroom
• Design your dream playground
Remember to include map keys and labels
Activity 7
The Hundred Acre Wood Map
• Read a Chapter from Winnie The Pooh
• Show the children the map of the 100 Acre Wood that is at the beginning of the original Winnie the Pooh
• Have the children paint or color their own map of the Hundred Acre Wood
• Draw, color and cut out a small picture of Winnie the Pooh (or your favorite character)
and attach to a long piece of string or yarn. Attach the other end of the yarn to a corner of the map and use the map to show the character moving through the wood going from one house to another
Activity 8
Barnaby Bear’s Weekend Adventures
• Have a toy bear (or any animal you choose) and pick a name for it. Introduce him to
the class and tell them that he will be coming to visit them for a weekend at some
stage during the school year.
• Make a list with all of the weekend dates and share with parents. Ask if anyone is going
on a special trip and make sure you schedule the visit for that weekend.
• Encourage the children to take photographs, draw pictures and write about their experiences, but most importantly to draw maps to show where Barnaby has visited, for
example a trip to the store, or the journey from school to their home.
• Provide a special folder /journal for the pictures and maps to be kept in. Make sure
that it has instructions for the parents and children. This will be sent home with Barnaby
on Friday.
• On Monday morning share Barnaby’s adventures with the whole class. Look on a map
to see where he has been!
Activity 9
Pen Pal Project
•
•
Find children to write to in other states
Display a big map of the USA (Walmart has really nice fabric maps) and show locations of pen pals. Pin post cards/letters received to the map
Activity 10
Project Criss / Baldrige Activity Ideas
• Do a Lotus Square about maps and globes
• Brainstorm the 50 states. How many do we know?
• Make an affinity chart about maps and globes
• KWL Chart about maps and globes
Activity 11
On Planet Earth
• Provide 5 paper circles of increasing size and stack them in order size with the
smallest on the top
• Label the smallest ‘town’, the next largest ‘state’, the next ‘country’ the next
‘continent’ and the next ‘Earth’
• Have the children start with the smallest circle. Hold up their circles and say
‘I live in a town named _____________. I live in a state named__________. I live in a
country named ____________. I live in a continent named__________. I live on a planet
named _________________.’
Activity 12
Linking maps with Community Helpers
• See the Social Studies Curriculum activities for details about the community helpers centers. When doing these centers in your classroom, you could incorporate
maps into the project by having the children give each other directions and draw
maps to the various stores you set up in your classroom
Activity 13
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
• Read the story ‘How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World’ by Marjorie Priceman
• Show the countries on a globe. Talk about why you would go to each country and
what special ingredient you would get. Draw pictures of the journeya round the
world to find ingredients
• Make apple pies with the children. Recipe for apple pie is in the K. 3,4,5 resources
Activity 14
Inflatable Globe game
• Have your children sit in a circle
• Throw the globe to a child. If their hands land on blue they say ‘water’ and green,
’land’
Activity 15
North South East West Game
• Make signs for North, South, East and West and put one on each wall of your
room. Play the game as you would play ‘Four Corners’. one person turns their
back, and the children dance. When the music stops they choose a place to
stand (North South East or West). The person who has their back turned calls a location, and anyone standing there is out.
Additional activities for Hanover Objectives K.4
The student will develop an understanding of basic ability to use maps:
Identify bodies of land, bodies of water
Identify various types of transportation (land, air, water)
Identify why things are located where they are and
Represent and describe locations of places using models and maps e.g.
school, play field, home and shopping center
• Community symbols (traffic signs, traffic lights, street and highway markers,
etc.) and
• Map symbols (legend references to land, water roads, cities)
•
•
•
•
Activity 1
Transportation picture sort
Sort pictures of different types of transportation into land, air and water.
Activity 2
Transportation lotus square*, affinity chart, word web*, power sort. (Criss /
Baldrige strategies)
Activity 3
Community symbols picture sort.
Match symbol to object that it represents.
Activity 4
Red Light Green Light game
Kindergarten resources
Symbol pictures for sorting
Transportation pictures
Poems and songs for K.3, 4, and 5
Traffic Light
Stop Light
The red at the top
Tells us to STOP!
The green below
Tells us to GO!
The yellow in the middle
Tells us to wait.
Please don’t worry
You won’t be late!
Red means stop
Green means go.
Yellow means
Look both ways
And take it slow!
Train
Engine engine number 9
Going down Chicago line
When she’s polished she will shine
Engine engine number 9.
Engine engine number 9
Going down Chicago line
If the train should jump the track
Do you want your money back?
The Continents
(Tune: "He's Got the Whole World In His
Hands")
We've got the whole globe in our hands.
We've got the whole globe in our hands.
We've got the whole globe in our hands.
We've got the whole globe in our hands.
We've got North and South America
In our hands.
We've got Europe, Asia, Africa
In our hands.
We've got Australia and Antarctica
In our hands.
We've got the whole globe in our hands.
North South East & West
(sing to the tune of Heads, Shoulders,
Knees and Toes)
North, South, East and West East and
West,
North, South, East and West East and
West,
These are the directions that you follow on the map
North, South, East and West East and
West.
Directions
(Tune: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home")
The sun is rising in the East, uh huh, uh
huh.
The sun is setting in the West, uh huh,
uh huh.
My nose is North, my tail is South,
And so I turn myself around,
And the sun keeps rising in the East
And setting in the West.
Useful websites
www.hubbardscupboard.org
www.oncampus.richmond.edu
www.drjean.org
www. geocities.com/heartland/1133/2teach.html
www.edhelper.com
www.teachingmadeeasier.com
www.readingatoz.com
http://www.kindercritters.com/fbook/fishybook.pdf
Apple pie recipe for use with the ‘How to Make an Apple Pie and See the
World’ activity.
Crust
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup ice water
1 egg yolk
Sift flour and salt together in a bowl. Quickly rub small pieces of cold butter
into the flour mixture with your fingers until bits are the size of peas. Add ice
water, starting with a few tablespoons and adding more as needed to moisten all the dough. Stir with a fork until mixture forms a loose ball. Divide dough
in half to make two equal patties. Place one patty between two pieces of
wax paper. With a rolling pin or bottle, roll into a 12-inch circle. Peel off the top
piece of wax paper and turn into pie pan. Remove wax paper. Trim around
the edge. Roll out the top crust in the same way. Refrigerate both until ready
use.
Filling
5-7 apples
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 425. IN a large bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/2 inch slices. Toss the apples into the sugar
mixture, coating them well. Arrange apple slices in the pie pan, piling them
higher in the center. Dot with butter. Moisten the edge of the bottom curst
with water. Cover the pie with the top crust, trim the edge, then pinch the
top and bottom edges together. Cut some vents in the top crust. To glaze the
crust, mix an egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the mixture over the
surface of the top crust. Bake 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is
golden brown. Remove pie and allow to cool before serving.
This recipe has been made by a teacher with her Kindergarten students and
she said it is delicious!
Lotus Square Master
Social Studies K.6
The student will match simple descriptions of work that people do with the names of
those jobs.
Activity-Small group learning centers
You will transform your room into a town. Select various community
helpers to have centers around your room where students will either become
the helpers in those centers or they will be the “customers” for the center.
First you are going to select a name for your town either with your class or
do on your own. Then next you will need which helpers/centers you will
represent in your town. To generate enthusiasm for the unit have the
children make signs for the different places, including a town sign to display
on the door during the length of the unit.
Attached you will find examples of the different places/helpers that you can
represent in your town. You may make this unit as big or as small as you
would like depending on how many “areas” you choose to put in your town.
It can take 1 week, 2 weeks, etc… customize however you would like.
Also you will find copy masters needed for some of the activities. We have
also included a letter to the parents that you will want to send before
beginning the unit that will explain the unit and things you may need for
them to send in for certain activities.
Possible Community Helper Centers
These are just a few ideas but you can change and add as many different careers as you
would like. You can also change some of them from year to year.
You can also be as elaborate or simple as you want to be about the “transformation” of
your classroom into a town. You can add roads on the floor with black cardboard and
street signs, or just have the different areas with almost no “props” at all.
Doctors Office *- In this center the children will take turns being the doctor/nurse and
patient. They can take the height and weight measurements and record the information
on the check-up form provided. They can also use the stethoscope to listen to a resting
heart rate and then a jog in place and compare the difference.
Post Office- During the day students may take the opportunity to write letters to a
classmate. This can be done during your journal time or other writing time.
When finished they may place a stamp (sticker) on the letters and put in a class mailbox.
Then when working in the center the postal worker will postmark the letters with a date
stamp or other stamp you have available. Next they will sort and deliver the mail to their
classmates. This can be done by delivering the mail to the student’s cubbies, or desk.
Also you could create bulletin board with “mailboxes” made from paper bags or manila
envelopes.
Police Station* In this station students will take each others finger prints and fill out a
report about their “suspect”. On the form students will write the “crime” that they have
committed. The crimes will be positive things like sharing, being kind, working quietly,
etc…It is important to emphasize to your students keep the crimes positive.
Bakery- **In this station the students will use refrigerator biscuits (have a parent send in)
and cinnamon-sugar to make little doughnuts. First make the children wash there hands
then they will each roll out a biscuit and use a circle shape cutter. Then use a toaster
oven to bake the “doughnuts” for about 8-10 minutes. When the doughnuts are ready
they have to put their “open” for business sign up to let the customers know that they are
ready. After all the doughnuts are sold the workers in that shop must deposit their
earnings for that day at the bank. If they have time at the end after cleaning up the
doughnuts, they can play with play dough.
Bank-* In this station students will practice counting different amounts of money. This
“customer” for the day can withdraw an amount of money to be used in the town to buy
doughnuts or items from other shops. You may choose to set a certain amount of $ that
each child can withdraw from the bank on their “customer” day. This is a way to
introduce or review the concept of needs and wants. Students will have to make choices
about where they want to spend their money.
The last customers of the day will be the “shop keepers” from whatever shops are selling
things. Because of this, the bank is usually the last shop to close up for the day.
Library- In this station students act as a librarian. Select certain books to be in the
library. Students will use a date stamp - show them how to stamp and index card and the
“customers” can check out a book to take home for the night and then turn back in to the
library the next day.
Craft Store- In this station students can purchase different craft (junk) supplies with
money they have withdrawn from the bank. They may take the supplies and make a
piece of artwork to be displayed in the “art gallery”.
Art Gallery- Students go to the art gallery to paint or put together a piece of artwork that
can be displayed for sale.
*This indicates a copy master is available.
** This indicates an adult is required to help manage the center.
Dear Parents,
We are beginning our unit of study on Community Helpers and
Transportation. We will be making our classroom into a community. This
week we will be making the props and signs. Then the next two weeks the
children will have different jobs in the community. On the last day we will
have Career Day. I’ve tried to make the centers real to life and involve part
of what someone would actually do in that position. Here are the centers:
Doctors Office - In this center the children will take turns being the doctor/nurse and
patient. They can take the height and weight measurements and record the information
on the check-up form provided. They can also use the stethoscope to listen to a resting
heart rate and then a jog in place and compare the difference.
Post Office- During the day students may take the opportunity to write letters to a
classmate. When finished they may place a stamp (sticker) on the letters and put in a
class mailbox. Then when working in the center the postal worker will postmark the
letters with a date stamp. Next they will sort and deliver the mail to their classmates.
Police Station- In this station students will take each others finger prints and fill out a
report about their “suspect”. On the form students will write the “crime” that they have
committed. The crimes will be positives things like sharing, being kind, working quietly,
etc.
Bakery- In this station the students will use refrigerator biscuits and cinnamon-sugar to
make little doughnuts. Then use a toaster oven to bake the “doughnuts” for about 8-10
minutes. When the doughnuts are ready they have to put their “open” for business sign
up to let the customers know that they are ready. After all the doughnuts are sold the
workers in that shop must deposit their earnings for that day at the bank. If they have
time at the end after cleaning up the doughnuts, they can play with play dough.
Bank- In this station students will practice counting different amounts of money. The
“customers” for the day will withdraw money to be used in the town to buy doughnuts or
items from other shops.
Library- In this station students act as a librarian. Certain books will be selected to be in
the library. Students will use a date stamp show them how to stamp and index card and
the “customers” can check out a book to take home for the night and then turn back in to
the library the next day.
Craft Store- In this station students can purchase different craft (junk) supplies with
money they have withdrawn from the bank. They may take the supplies and make a
piece of artwork to be displayed in the “art gallery”.
Art Gallery- Students go to the art gallery to paint or put together a piece of artwork that
can be displayed for sale.
This week we will name our town. We will brainstorm different names and
then vote for our favorite choice. We will also make the store signs. The
children will work in groups of three to name the store and decorate the
sign. The signs will be hung around the room. We will also be making streets
and naming each street. The children will then decide where they want to
live and hang their mailbox on that street.
Here’s where I can use your help. If you have any items that you could send
in for any of these businesses to make it more authentic, please feel free to
send them in. If you do so, please send me a list of what you are sending so
I can keep track of that belongs to each person so the items can be returned.
If you would like to donate something to the class store, I am looking for
items. These items could include cool pencils or pens, stickers, craft
materials, or other inexpensive items that the children might enjoy buying.
The last item is Career Day. On Friday, March 21, we will be having career
day. Each student will get to choose a career that they are interested in.
It may be one that we have explored or one that they already know about.
The children are asked to dress up as if they were working and come ready
to share information about their career choice.
Please let me know if you have any questions or additional ideas. My husband
and I had a good time planning all of the different stations. I hope that
they will be meaningful as well as exciting for your child.
Sincerely,
Lori
Spring Valley Police Department Report
Suspects name: ____________________________
Suspected of: ____________________________________
________________________________________________
Age: ____________
Spring Valley Police Department Report
Suspects name: ____________________________
Suspected of: ____________________________________
________________________________________________
Age: ____________
Spring Valley Physicians Report
Patient information
Name: _______________
Age: _____________
Weight: _____________
Height: ______________
Heart Rate
Before runningAfter running-
slow normal
slow normal
fast
fast
Physician’s signature: ___________________
Spring Valley Physicians Report
Patient information
Name: _______________
Age: _____________
Weight: _____________
Height: ______________
Heart Rate
Before runningAfter running-
slow normal
slow normal
fast
fast
Physician’s signature: ___________________
First National Bank Withdraw Slip
Date __________________
Name _______________________
Amount _______________
First National Bank Withdraw Slip
Date __________________
Name _______________________
Amount _______________
First National Bank Withdraw Slip
Date __________________
Name _______________________
Amount _______________
First National Bank Withdraw Slip
Date __________________
Name _______________________
Amount _______________
First National Bank Deposit Slip
Name _______________________
First National Bank Deposit Slip
Name _______________________
First National Bank Deposit Slip
Name _______________________
First National Bank Deposit Slip
Name _______________________
Date __________________
Amount _______________
Date __________________
Amount _______________
Date __________________
Amount _______________
Date __________________
Amount _______________
K.7 The student will identify the difference between basic needs (food, clothing
and shelter)
Activity 1-During your pilgrim unit discuss with the children the fact that the
Pilgrims had limited space on the ship and could only take with them things
that were an absolute necessity or need. Give the students pictures of items
from the past. Students will decide if the items are things that would be a necessity for the pilgrims in the new world, could they be made once they arrived
in their new land or are they just a want (something that isn’t really necessity at
all) Then have students glue pictures of the items onto a picture of a trunk **
See k.7 resources file
Activity 2– During the December holidays much focus is being given to gifts
and wants. Make a poster size soup can, house, or other item to represent a
need. Also make a poster size Christmas tree or gift box to represent wants.
Have students use magazines to cut out pictures of things that would be a need
or a want and stick them to the poster that they go with. This makes a good
hall display.
Social Studies K.7
Valentine Store
This activity can be used to make a Valentine bag or to decorate a heart to
go on a class quilt.
Collect an assortment of Valentine stickers, yarn, pretty paper, doilies,
sequins, or other assorted items that can be used to decorate a bag or heart.
Assign each item a price and display the items in a class store with the prices
displayed. Each student should be given a certain amount of money to
spend at the store. I prefer using real coins. Give each student an
opportunity to purchase items at the store and then use the items to decorate
either their Valentine bag or a heart for a class quilt. You can make a
recording sheet for your particular items so the students can check off what
they have purchased.
In my class I gave each student .15 cents.
A few examples of the prices are:
Doily- 5 cents
Sequins- 1 for 2 cents or 3 for 5 cents
pretty paper- 4 cents
yarn- 1 inch for 1 cent
Each student was then given a red heart that fit on a 6 by 6 inch pink square.
After everyone has made their square, the pieces were fit together to make a
class quilt.
Another idea is to have them decorate a white bag that they will use to
receive their Valentines from their classmates.
Social Studies K.7
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
Alexander is someone who always gets into trouble. His grandparents give him a dollar
on Sunday, and the book goes on to show how he loses that dollar because of all the
irresponsible things he does. For example, he kicks his brother and has to pay a fine to his
father. He makes bets, and loses. He goes to a garage sale and wastes his money. At the
end, all he ends up with are the bus tokens he started out with. This is a wonderful book
for teaching money.
Make a paper strip of 100 pennies. As you read the story, rip off the number of pennies
that he spends on each page. Discuss with the students the choices that Alexander makes
as he goes throughout the week and how he could make better choices about how to
spend his money.
Social Studies K.7
Benny’s Pennies by Pet Brisson
Benny has five new pennies and he asks “what should I buy?”. After getting
some suggestions from this mother, brother, sister, cat and dog, he leaves to
spend the pennies. In the end, everyone is happy when Benny returns with
gifts for everyone.
Prereading: Make an affinity chart. Give each student a sticky note and
have him or her write or draw what they would like to buy. Then have them
share with the group and sort the pictures into categories- food items, toys,
etc.
After the story discuss with the students what he bought and how it made
him feel as well as the other characters in the story.
You can make a class book with the following
I bought ___________ a _____________ for a penny.
See www.ri.net/schools/Central_Falls/ch/heazak/pennies/pennies.html
•
•
•
•
•
Social Studies K. 8
The student will demonstrate that being a good citizen involves
Taking turns and sharing
Taking responsibility for certain classroom chores
Taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to
others
Following rules and understanding the consequence of breaking
rules
Practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others.
Hanover Objectives
The student will
• Become aware of and use proper manners
• Become aware of and describe the diversity of individuals
• Demonstrate an understanding of rules to be followed in school, or
the playground and to and from school
• Apply essential information (birth date, phone number, address, parents’ or guardians’ names)
Recommended books
Respecting Others Being a Leader Being Responsible Being Fair Following Rules all by Robin Nelson
Rules Brenda Parkes
Activity 1
Responsibility
• Introduce the word responsibility and have the class brainstorm the
way children can act responsibly at home and at school
• Make a Venn diagram with the labels Home and School and record the children’s ideas
• Have each child draw a picture of doing something responsible at
home or at school. Label pictures.
Activity 2
Fairness
• Introduce the concept of fairness by presenting the class with a scenario that is clearly unfair and asking the children to react to it. Discuss why the children think it is unfair and what might be a fair way
of dealing with it
•
•
•
•
•
Give one child a box of crayons and another child one crayon.
The class is likely to determine that it is not fair for one child to
have so many more crayons. Through discussion or role play the
class can decide how to share the crayons fairly.
Present other situations. Ask the children to say why a situation is
fair/not fair, and discuss or act out ways of dealing with it. Examples: all the children want to play on the slide and everyone is
pushing to get on first; someone at the library is talking on their
cell phone and interrupting the quiet; you go to the movies with
your brother and there is a long line. You see a friend at the front
of the line and you decide to cut in line.
Brainstorm examples of fairness, such as taking turns, following
rules or sharing toys. List ideas on a chart
Have a competition to earn points for demonstrating fairness,
sharing etc. The team with the most points at the end of a week
wins a prize.
Make a class book about fairness. Each child draws a picture of
something she/he does that is fair. Children may write or dictate
captions to go with the book.
Activity 3
Honesty
• Introduce the concept of honesty by asking the chidlren if they
know the difference between something that is true and something that is not true. Make statements such as the ones below
and ask children to tell if they are true or not:
These are my hands
Grass is purple
Birds can fly
My hair is brown
Dinosaurs live in our neighborhood
•
Tell the class that telling the truth is a way of demonstrating honesty. Begin honest and truthful is one way of showing good citizenship
• Present a situation , for example, you are buying an ice-cream
and the seller gives you too much cahnge. What should you
do?
•
Ask children to share something they did that involved telling the truth and
use as a spring board to create a list of classroom rules that involve honesty, for example:
Tell the Truth
Return things that belong to other people.
Admit your mistakes.
Activity 4
Caring
Introduce the concept of caring by discussing times we feel happy or sad for
someone or something. Brainstorm for ideas about how we can show people
we care.
Activity 5
Respect/ Good Manners
•
•
•
•
Introduce the concept of respect by having children play game of ‘Mother
May I’ . Point out that saying ‘may I?’ is a polite way to ask for something.
Brainstorm for other ways of showing respect using words like please thank
you and addressing someone Mr., Miss, Mrs., Sir, or Ma’am.
Write the words on a chart
Make puppets or use any you may already have and have children act out
puppet chow about good manners, people meeting each other etc/
Make a class book again with pictures and writing done by children showing
how they are respectful.
Activity 6
Rules
• Discuss with your class what a rules is and the importance of having rules in
the classroom. Brainstorm ideas for rules and write them on chart paper.
• Explain how to vote for something, and then go through your list of rules allowing children to vote for the ones they think are most important. Pick the 5
rules most people voted for. Re-write and post in your room.
Activity 7
Good Citizen Awards
• Think of someone who you think displays good citizenship traits
• Make a medal from cya for that person.
• Make a certificate to go with the medal and write the person’s name on
• Tell what he/she has done
Activities 8-11 are adapted from the www.hubbardscupboard.org website
Activity 8
Friends
by Jill Eggleston
Friends share.
Friends care.
We need friends
everywhere!
•
•
Tell students that they will each be given a turn to draw a friend's name from a
basket. They will then need to use that friend's name to complete the predictable sentence, "(Name of student) is my friend." Let the 'friend' orally spell his or
her name as you write it.
Write each sentence on chart paper, writing the 'drawer's' name at the end of
the sentence in parenthesis. Reread each sentence tracking the print.
Activity 9
Do You Want To Be My Friend?
by Eric Carle
•
•
•
Prior Knowledge: Ask students if they have ever tried to become friends with
someone new or if someone has ever tried to become their friend. When? How
could they tell? What did they do (smile, ask to play, say kind word, share, sit
nearby, do nice things, etc.)? How did they feel?
Focus Story: Introduce the title, author and illustrator of Do You Want to Be My
Friend?; Explain to students that in this story, a small lonely mouse becomes
brave and asks other animals that he finds if they will be his friend; Take a picture walk, letting students look closely at each picture in order to make predictions about which animal is next in the story, discussing the colors of the animals, what the animals appear to be doing, what each animals' response may
be and why, why the little mouse keeps running past each animal, etc.; End
the picture walk after the giraffe is introduced and let students make predictions about the ending.; Read aloud for enjoyment and to see if the mouse is
finally able to find a good friend. You may wish to incorporate this predictable
frame throughout the week so that students can join in…
He saw a (color) tail.
It belonged to a (animal).
"Do you want to be my friend?" asked the mouse.
But the (animal) was too busy and did not seem to hear the mouse at all.
So the mouse ran on…
(You may wish to end today's lesson by singing and moving to the 'Buddy
Boogie' by Jordano and Callella-Jones.)
Have students share what they have learned about being a friend. Ask students to think about their new friends. Let them share what they think makes a
good friend and complete this sentence, "A friend ______." Make a list of students' responses.
•
•
Predictable Chart: Have each child reread his/her sentence, tracking the print. Cut
apart one sentence and let students 'Be the Words' and organize themselves into
the correct order. Read together. Model how to place each word in the correct order at the top of the page. Then, let each child arrange their words to form their
sentence.
After their sentence has been checked, let students glue the words at the top of
their friend's page. Bind all of the pages together in order to make a 'Friends' class
book. This can be a traveling class book and/or a book to keep in the classroom to
enjoy throughout the year!
Activity 10
Friendship Fruit Salad
Have each child bring in a piece of fruit and work together to make a friendship fruit
salad!
Activity 11
Friendship Quilt
Create a friendship quilt with each child's name, photo, and self portrait (use mirrors).
Activity 12
Honesty using Nursery rhymes—The Queen of Hearts & Who Stole the Cookies from the
Cookie Jar (words are on the resources page)
• Introduce nursery rhymes 'The Queen of Hearts' or ‘Who Stole the Cookie’ Read
aloud the poem and discuss what was stolen and who stole them.
• Discuss with the children the concept of personal property and how good citizens
do not take other people’s things.
• Cooking project—make cookies/jam tarts and share with the class.
Activity 13
Being helpful
• Access this web page for a great book for the children to read about how they
can be helpful. You can download it and print it for each student. To read, color
and take home.
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/Sight_Word_Booklet_16-_am.PDF
Activity 14
Lotus Squares
•
make a lotus squares about a specific trait of good citizenship. For example, the
children could draw pictures in each of the squares to show ways of being helpful,
kind, sharing, taking turns. A black master copy of a lotus square is on the resource
page.
Activity 15
Good Citizenship Affinity Chart
• Give each child a post-it note and ask the class to draw and or write an
idea to show being a good citizen e.g. sharing, taking turns etc.
• Each child places his/her note on a large piece of butcher paper.
• Read through the notes and then ask children to suggest how they can be
grouped.
• Sort all notes into groups, draw a circle around them and have children suggest titles for categories, which you will write on the butcher paper.
• Use the affinity chart for ideas for a writing workshop.
Activity 16
Baldrige Drivers/Preventers activity
• Discuss things which help and prevent us from being good citizens.
• Make a drivers/preventers chart and have children give ideas for each so
they can compare what behaviors will ‘drive’ us towards being good citizens and what behaviors will ‘prevent’ us from being good citizens. See resource file for K. 8 for a sample chart
K.8 Resources
Special Me
(Tune: "Twinkle Little Star")
Special, special, special me,
I'm as special as can be.
There is no one quite like me.
I'm as good as I can be.
Special, special, special me,
I'm as special as can be!
Share Your Toys
(Tune: 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat')
by Rosemary Giordano
Share, share, share your toys,
Share them with your friends.
It's so much fun to share your toys,
Sharing has no end.
Let's all share our toys,
Let's share them with our friends.
It's so much fun to share our toys,
Sharing has no end!
Poems from www.CanTeach.ca
I have a friend
Whose name is ( )
And we have fun together.
We laugh and play
And sing all day
In any kind of weather.
Friends
Friends care
Friends share
We need friends
Everywhere!
Friend of Mine
(can be sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Will you be a friend of mine, a friend of mine, a friend of mine?
Will you be a friend of mine and (insert an action) around with me?
(name) is a friend of mine, friend of mine, friend of mine,
(name) is a friend of mine, who (insert same action) around with me.
Friends at school
Are big and small.
Friends at school
Are best of all!
With A Friend
I can talk with a friend
and walk with a friend
and share my umbrella in the rain
I can play with a friend
and stay with a friend
and learn with a friend
and explain
I can eat with a friend
and compete with a friend
and even sometimes disagree
I can ride with a friend
and take pride with a friend
A friend can mean so much to me!
Vivian Gouled
A Circle of Friends
We've joined together as classmates
as the new year begins...
A year full of learning
while we become friends.
We'll share and be kind
as we work and play.
And our friendship will grow
with each passing day.
My Friend
My friend is nice.
We like to play
We play together every day.
We laugh and cry
And laugh again
Because, you see, we're
Friends
Friends
Friends!
Jane S. Zion
I had a box of crayons,
All shiny, straight and new.
I lent a friend one crayon,
And--oops--it broke in two!
My friend said she was sorry,
But I said "I don't care,
'cause now we both can color
with one crayon--we can share!"
Friendship
(to the tune of "You are my Sunshine")
You are my best friend,
My very best friend,
You make me happy,
Everyday,
You share your great snacks,
You share your best toys,
So please don't take
My best friend away.
The Queen of Hearts
The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts
All on a summer’s day.
The knave of hearts
He stole the tarts
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts
And scolded the knave full bore
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts
And vowed he’d steal no more
Who Stole the Cookies
Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar
________ stole the cookies from the cookie jar.
Who me/
Yes you! It couldn’t have been
Then who?
_________ stole the cookies from the cookie jar…...
Lotus Square master
Drivers/Preventers master
Drivers ☺
Preventers
Social Studies SOL K.9
Virginia SOL - The student will recognize the American flag, the Pledge of Allegiance and that the President is the leader of the United States.
Hanover Objectives - The student will recognize these United States Patriotic
Symbols: the Bald Eagle, Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, the White House and the
United States Great Seal.
The student will recognize these Virginia Symbols: Virginia
Flag, Dogwood flower and tree and the Cardinal.
Recommended Books
* Please review the list of books on the Hanover County Social Studies Curriculum
website.
Recommended Websites
www.hubbardscupboard.org/the_pledge_of_allegiance.html
http://www.kidport.com/GradeK/SocialStudies/AmericanSymbols.html
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/
http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/schools/thompson/Final%20Project/symbols.htm
http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/symbols.html
http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/1583.html
http://www.classbrain.com/artstate/publish/article_319.shtml
http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitssubjgeog/a/susva.htm
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/flag.html
http://papertoys.com/statue.htm
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/ladyliberty.html
Activity
You can make patterns with the American symbols.
Activity
You can used the attached sort as an assessment.
Activity
After learning about the Statue of Liberty, your students can act like the Statue of
Liberty.
• To make the crown you will need one piece of long piece of light blue/light
green construction paper. Have each child trace a crown pattern (there is no
specific version). Cut a strip of yellow construction paper to go on the bottom of
the front of the crown to show the lights that are in the Statue of Liberty.
To make the torch you will need one piece of light blue or light green construction paper. Roll it into the shape of a cylinder. Use yellow or orange tissue paper to make the flames.
Now your student is equipped to parade as the Statue of Liberty!
•
Activity
You and your students can make a lotus square of each group (USA and VA) symbols.
Activity
You can play VA and US Symbols BINGO!
Name
USA
VA
VA & US Symbols BINGO
FREE
US Symbols
VA Symbols
Word web master
Lotus Square Master
GEOGRAPHY
NONFICTION MATERIALS: GEOGRAPHY (set in each building)
Lerner Publishers: Where Is My Home? Where Is My Town? Where Is My State?
Where Is My Country?
Where Is My Continent?
Battlefield Park:
Overall, these books provide comparisons/contrasts to places of living. Ideas for use:
sorting (similarities and differences)
introducing signs and how to read signs
water/land mapping
color-integrating blue, green, brown, etc.
identify “Where in the world…”
tie in Flat Stanley
post cards and letters to family and friends across the country---use yarn to
identify places on a map (Month of February play post office)
teach song “We all live in a neighborhood” by Greg and Steve
tie in community helpers
math integration---look for shapes in environment using the pictures in the books.
Use shapes then to create a town, state, etc.
using clay to create topographies (shape of state)
getting a local map to actually find out where we live
comparing/contrasting cities over time
use internet for photos of town
incorporate needs, wants, wishes---Where do you live? What do you need where
you live? What do you wish you had?
Cold Harbor (Group #1)
Where Is My State? If you have a map of the USA on your blacktop…when your class
is ready to line up, each child chooses a state to stand on. The teacher calls a state and
the child standing on that state lines up.
Where Is My Home? Learning about maps of your neighborhood
Link with literature---Winnie the Pooh lives in the 100 acre wood. At the beginning of
the book is a map of the wood. Each child can make a map of the 100 acre wood,
including paths to Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore’s houses. Get a smaller picture of
Winnie the Pooh. Attach it to a piece of yarn and have them mover around the map
visiting the homes. Alternately, the children make a picture of themselves and a map of
their own neighborhood.
Map Playground Project: Make a map/model of your dream playground. This could be
done as a project at home. Use any one of the books to begin showing the idea of where
things are located. Have children include map key, compass rose.
Cold Harbor (Group #2)
Song: “We All Live Together” is wonderful. (Greg and Steve)
Make “Mrs. Tharpe’s Neighborhood” for a bulletin board, complete with streets. As
students learn their address they put their self-created house in my neighborhood. They
also receive a postcard on the mail celebrating their new accomplishment of learning
their address.
Make a bulletin board of postcards, pictures of places students have visited. Find those
places on the map.
For each letter of the alphabet, locate the states on a personal map and color a specified
color.
Cold Harbor (Group #3)
Project Criss: Create a web or flow chart beginning with home and moving to world.
(home---town/city---state---country---continent---world) (using arrows between words)
They could also make a mini-book with each of the above on a page.
Where Is My State? Explore the alphabet with a map of the US. Color all the states
beginning with an A red, etc. Students discover which letters do not have a state name.
Cold Harbor (Group #4)
Where Is My State? and Where Is My Home? Have children bring in pictures of
themselves to put into a book. Use the “We All Live Together” song by Greg and Steve.
Project Criss: create a web …start with home, town, state, country, continent, world
Use a big floor map of US. Call out different states to line up. The person standing on
that state tells what letter it begins with and gets to line up.
Classroom Maps:
Read about Where Is My Home?. Make a map of Christopher Robin’s 100 acre wood.
With Pooh on a string, tell child to go north to owl’s house, east to Eeyore’s house, west
to rabbit’s house, south to Pooh’s house (teach directions).
Color in state that starts with A red, B blue.
Make a map of playground using green gum drops, pretzels, fruit loops, etc.
Henry Clay
Introduce using Me On the Map. Use various activities after reading books in the series,
Where Is My…, to emphasize perspective and develop skills for compare/contrast.
Home: graph type of homes in which we live (specific vocabulary, draw a map of your
home (need photos of apartments and trailers), use glossary and perspective
Town: (Town Mouse, Country Mouse) Focus is compare/contrast town vs. city using
photos and drawings. Compare Ashland to Richmond. Use in guided reading groups
(integrate with other trade books with similar concepts
State: exposure to Virginia symbols. Locate VA, Richmond on a state map.
Country: map skills---continue exposure. Introduce oceans (VA Beach, Atlantic Ocean
Ocean)
Continent: use as a lead into “globe” (Atlantic and Pacific p. 10-11
Make an Ashland book using digital pictures…This is a ____________. Place the class
book in the student library.
Rural Point:
Where Is My Home? Can be used to help with learning address, write address in “cut
out” of a house and put on the desk.
Where Is My State? Find VA on painted state map on our playground. Trace a VA cut
out. Vocabulary: Mechanicsville is a suburb.
Where Is My Country? Find USA on the globe.
Where Is My Continent? Use to show water vs. land on a globe, use tissue paper
globes activity, Earth Day connection
CHARACTER EDUCATION K.8
NONFICTION MATERIALS: CITIZENSHIP (set in each building)
Being a Leader
Being Fair
Following Rules
Respecting Others
Being Responsible
Elmont:
Discuss citizenship (vocabulary term) with students. This is a great beginning of the year
activity. After reading Follwing the Rules , teacher reads situations where students are
following/not following rules. Students identify which was correct for rule following.
Read Respecting Others. Brainstorm ways to show respect for others and list on a chart.
have students illustrate pictures of showing respect to self and others. Teacher will
record responses to a make a class book.
Read Being Fair. Discuss ways to be fair. Role play being fair / not being fair.
Illustrate the two concepts.
Read Being Responsible. Make a classroom chart with responsibilities for the students
to take part in within the class. Hang for children to see.
Being a Leader: Pre-reading- brainstorm list of community leaders: school-principal,
church-minister, team-coach, classroom-teacher, store-owner, home-parents. Complete a
KWL chart and the use the text to show how they be leaders at home and in the
classroom.
Beaverdam:
Following Rules: Read and then make up class rules together. “If I was the teacher”
discuss and response activity.
Being a Leader: Play “follow the leader”.
Being Fair; Being Responsible; Respecting Others: Use as introducing all aspects of
the classroom (helper board).
All: Chose a character (Clifford, Franklin) and do a character report card looking at all
aspects of citizenship. Create a bulletin board: “Good Citizens Are Everywhere.”
Cool Spring: (Group #1)
Read books in this sequence:
1---Being Fair
2---Respecting Others
3---Being Responsible
4---Being a Leader
5---Following the Rules
Cool Spring (Group #2)
Following Rules:
PRE-READING---Do you know what a rule is? Why do we have rules? Where do you
follow rules? Record as a web and generate from students where do you follow rules.
Under each place, discuss and or record what the rules are.
SCHOOL
RULES
ROAD
HOME
READ: Read story and discuss.
POST-READING: Go back to the web and compare/contrast rules that we generated and
rules in the book. EXTENSION: Decide on your classroom rules as a class.
POLE GREEN: (Group #1)
Following Rules: Read book then brainstorm classroom rules with guidance from
teacher.
Discuss why rules are important
Project Criss: Venn diagram comparing rules from home and school
Demonstrate some of the rules.
Lotus Square
Being a Leader: Web of ways to be a good leader
Tie to following rules
What do you think makes a good leader?
Role play
Tie it to leader of our school, classroom, country, state (start small ad work up)
Being Fair: Compare and contrast things that are/are not fair.
Respecting Others: Bring up topic of recycling (integrate science) and manners within
and outside of school.
Being Responsible: How are students responsible for their behavior? Bring creation of
vision and mission statement into the lesson.
Pole Green (Group #2)
Following Rules: Read. Brainstorm classroom rules. Use a Venn diagram
(compare/contrast home and school) or Lotus Square (rules). Role play.
Being a Leader: Read. Discuss and use mind map (brain web) called “How to Be a
Good Leader”. Tie it into the Rules book. What makes a leader? Discuss President,
principal, teacher, (start with classroom and build up).
Being Fair: Example of things that are fair vs. not fair. (Model)
Respecting Others: Develop vocabulary: respect, chores (tasks or jobs), manners,
deserves). Use a recycling activity. Connect to Earth Day. Who do we respect? Use
role play.
Being Responsible: How are students responsible for behavior? (behavior chart)
Writing vision,, mission statement, signed by class and illustrate.
Washington Henry:
Used to lead up to development of mission statement for the class
Role play concept of rules, being fair (sharing), being a positive leader, treating
others with respect
Understanding vocabulary about citizenship---use a Lotus Square
Situation “What if” we didn’t… (following rules book)
citizenship
Utilize photographs to expose culturally deprived children to various situations
Take pictures of students following rules, walking in a line, helping, sharing, etc.
Make your own class book.
UNKNOWN SCHOOL:
SOL K.8---perfect for beginning of school year
Read and make own list with pictures
Make a class big book using the digital camera
Role playing
Make a Lotus Square of all our class rules