Cory Jones

5/26/2015
3rd grade
Length of Lesson: 1 hour
Name of Social Studies Lesson: Making A Community
Social Studies Objectives: Standard 2: Students will understand cultural factors that shape a
community.
Objective 1: Evaluate key factors that determine how a community develops.
Common Core Objectives: ( ELA)
Writing Standard 2- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly

Preparation:
Colored pencils, markers, scissors, blank 8x10, glue-sticks, poster-board, newspapers,
magazines, Making a Community Worksheet, Book: On the Town: A Community Adventure by
Judith Casely
Introduction (10 minutes):
The students should already have some prior knowledge concerning what defines a community
but to gauge prior knowledge the teacher will begin by doing an informal pre-assessment by
asking the students what defines a community and clarifying any misconceptions the students
might have about what defines a community. During this assessment, as a class, students will
verbally express what characteristics they think a community might have as the teacher writes
their ideas down on the white board, and then the teacher will provide examples of what
characteristics their own family exhibits. Then the teacher will read A Community Adventure
to give students visual examples of what a community might look like and to help solidify how a
community develops.
Content Activity:(40 minutes)
After reading the story the teacher will discuss what values and beliefs they have, what holidays
they celebrate, foods they eat, music they enjoy, what they do for fun, etc. After the teacher has
covered their own family the teacher will have the students fill out the Making a community
worksheet where they provide details concerning their own families culture and characteristics.
The teacher will encourage students to think about their own families list and what
characteristics they could add to the community list e.g. Language, religion, location, values,

profession, music they enjoy.

After the students complete the worksheet the teacher will engage and motivate the students by
playing a short video clip People in our Community while watching the clip the students
should observe similarities and differences between their own family and the community from
the clip and after the clip is finished they will share with their neighbors those similarities and
differences, examples of different roles people play in creating a community, and how they
integrate together to develop a culturally diverse community. At this point the teacher should
hand out the materials to the students so they can make a community collage. The students can
draw or cut out anything that represents their culture and glue it to a blank paper. Once the paper
is covered completely the student will have the teacher glue it to a blank poster-board along with
the other students work to make a collage of the students community.
Closure: (10-15 minutes) Before the students turn in their mini-collage they will share with a
peer in groups of two the symbols, images, words, etc., that they chose and why they chose what
they did. The students will explain what happened here? Why do all the pieces fit together? How
are they the same, and what makes them different? Students will also answer the following
prompt; is this a place you would like to live?
Evaluation:
The students will be assessed informally through class discussion and formally by participation
in making the collage and by completing the building a community worksheet

Students should have a general idea of what a community would look like?

Can the students identify different elements that make up their culture?

Can students recognize similarities and differences in their community?

Adaptations:
Groups can be pre-selected by teacher; peer collaboration and assistance, students can take home
anything they cant finish as homework.
Integration- Students will practice writing in their journals about what they learned concerning
communities. The teacher will have the students pull out their journal and be ready to write their
answers to the given prompt what characteristics form a community, what kind of community
do you live in, have the students describe in detail, and what a different kind of community
would look like?
Extensions:
Students can research their own family history and learn about their culture by asking their
parents and grandparents. Students may take their worksheet Making a Community home and
have parents help them fill out the list.