Unit plan for teaching students about communities.

1. Justin Stosuy
EdSE 604
1. Class Description: This unit will be used for a Second Grade class. This will be a
General Education classroom, with twenty-four students.
2. Title of Unit: What is a community?
Curricular Theme: My community and other United States communities.
3. Objectives:
- Students will be able to define and interpret five vocabulary words (community, law,
citizen, need, want) to prepare for discussions on communities, and general questions
dealing with this topic.
- Students will be able to identify important components of their own community.
- Students will be able to identify three different communities, rural, suburban, and urban.
- Students will be able to compare and contrast rural, suburban, urban, and foreign
communities.
- Students will be able to use graphic organizers to compare information about
communities.
- Students will be able to understand that citizens in communities may have conflicts over
rules, rights, and responsibilities.
- Students will be able to understand that citizens of a community can be a part of the
decision making process, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
4. Standards (http://www.nylearns.org/module/standards/Search.aspx):
- SS01: My community and region today
- SS03: Challenge of meeting needs and wants
- SS06: Symbols of citizenship
- SS07: Rights, responsibilities, and roles of citizenship
- SS08: Making and changing rules and laws
- ARTS1.E.VA1A: Students experiment and create art works, in a variety of mediums
(drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, video, and computer graphics),
based on a range of individual and collective experiences
- ARTS3.E.VA3A: Students explain their reflections about the meanings, purposes, and
sources of works of art; describe their responses to the works and the reasons for those
responses
- MST2.E.IS1C: Students access needed information from printed media, electronic
databases, and community resources.
- MST5.E.TR2D: Students use simple manufacturing processes (e.g., assembly, multiple
stages of production, quality control) to produce a product.
- MST6.E.MO2C: Students use different types of models, such as graphs, sketches,
diagrams, and maps, to represent various aspects of the real world.
5. Strategy: In order to teach the students about communities, they will have to receive
instruction in several sessions. There will be five sessions including: what is a
community, what is in my community, the three types of communities, roles and

2. responsibilities of citizens, and foreign communities. These lessons will teach students
how communities vary from one another, and how the roles and responsibilities of
citizens affect communities. Once the students have received instruction through these
sessions they will be able to complete a project which will display their understanding
from the unit. The students will learn more from the project as they will truly begin to
understand how a community works. They need to know everything that is involved in
creating a community and by completing this project they will understand what is needed
in order to create the ideal community. As their project, students will have to create the
ideal community. Their ideal community will be created using prior knowledge,
research, and the information that was presented to them in the unit. They will chose one
of the three types of communities, what kinds of stores and jobs will be located there, and
what the roles and responsibilities of the citizens will be. This will show their
understanding of communities and how they can apply it in the real world. The project
that they will create could be a collage, PowerPoint presentation, drawing, movies, or any
other medium to help effectively display their understanding. See flow chart for a further
description.
6. Rationale: This unit is given to students for multiple reasons. It is given to match the
standards, to help discriminate the different between communities, and to learn about
living in a community. Each session in this unit focuses on different aspects of a
community to meet standards and learn about the importance of a community. Students
learn the differences between three different types of communities (SS01), learn about
the roles and responsibilities of citizens (SS07 and SS06), and learn about following the
rules and laws (SS08). These students will not understand how other people live and
grow up if they do not know about the different features of a community.
7. Content:
- Community description: http://vimeo.com/725281
- Rural and Urban Communities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGUkjzPS9sU
- Rural, Urban, and Suburban Community: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GuF2o7SaRWU&feature=related
- Rules: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed8YLNk_nYA&feature=relmfu
- Responsibilities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_EgBcf88yc
- Textbook: Macmillian/McGraw-Hill Social Studies: We Live Together
http://www.mhschool.com/socialstudies/2003/student/level1.php?isbn=0021492638
- Teacher Created PowerPoint presentation (used for sessions 1-4)
- Graphic organizers (vocabulary words, types of communities, my community)
- Final Project: The Ideal Community example
8. Student Preparation:
- Students should know how to apply prior knowledge and skills to this concept.
- Students should know how to effectively use a SmartBoard.
- Students should know how to use a graphic organizer.
- Students should know how to appropriately communicate concepts in a discussion.
- Students should know how to locate relevant information from a textbook, discussion,
or presentation.
- Students should know how to express their understandings of a concept.

3. - Students should know how to answer comprehension questions.
9. Motivation:
Listed are the elements that will keep the students actively engaged in learning:
- SmartBoard
- Creative projects
- The use of choices for projects
- Voice: children discussing their community, or other communities they have seen.
- Understanding how communities work
- Submitting work to a scholarly website
- Reward system: stars and strikes
10. Technology: The unit will be presented on a SmartBoard. Information will be presented
through a textbook, and through a slideshow or the SmartBoard notebook. Students will
have opportunities to interact with the SmartBoard. Pictures can be taken as well to
preserve the student work that is created. The internet will also be integrated into the
lessons for pictures and possibly videos.
11. Student Product/Performance: Students will be creating an ideal community based on
their learning of the three different types of communities. Since the students will be
working in a group, they will have to decide which parts are most beneficial and how
they will present their project. Students can make a collage, a PowerPoint presentation, a
SmartBoard lesson, or a 3-D model. This will help to show their understandings of the
three different types of communities and the importance of various parts from each
community. An example of a student project is attached.
12. Assessment: Students will be assessed through each session from teacher questions,
graphic organizers, and their final project. From the readings and the videos the students
should help them to retain the knowledge they learn about communities. To test their
knowledge, they will be filling in graphic organizers to help organize their
understandings and show what they remember. The students’ final project will be their
main indicator presenting what they learned about communities and the important
concepts related to them. A rubric is attached to see what they will be graded on.
13. Modifications/Accommodations:
- SmartBoard (for visually impaired students)
- Preferential seating (for visually impaired students, and students with ADHD)
- Printed class notes and questions (for students with short term memory problems)
- Picture/Video Visuals (for visual learners)
- Choices in project (students with different learning styles)
- Repeated directions and questions
- Small group work
- Book on tape (students with visual impairments and reading difficulties)
- Highlighted lines
- Peer Tutor

4. B. PROCEDURE/IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
a) Session #1: What is a community?
b) Time: 60 minutes. 20 minutes (PowerPoint Presentation and videos), 10 minutes (Whole
group discussion), 5 minutes (hand out materials), 10 minutes (discussion of final project and
breaking students into groups), and 15 minutes (students discuss ideas for their final project).
c) General: During this session, students will begin to learn about what a community is. This
will start with a class discussion with probing questions and a PowerPoint presentation (with
videos). The video will discuss about what a community is and how the people work together in
a community. After this, students will be broken up into groups and there will be a discussion of
their final project. Once we are done talking about the project, students can discuss what would
be the best way to complete this final project and brainstorm what information they will need.
d) Goal(s): In this session, students will learn the introductory information about communities,
how people work together in communities, and understand the six vocabulary words. Once they
are done, they will complete the brainstorming part to this project.
e) Logistics: At first, students will be sitting in their regular classroom seats, unless preferential
seating is required. Each student should have a good view of the SmartBoard. After the
presentation is completed, students will be sitting in their respective groups. The groups will be
organized by academic levels and non-academic skills. The PowerPoint and discussion will be
whole group instruction, and the group work will be a collaborative small work group.
Materials, such as papers, will be distributed to students before each discussion. Any materials
that need to be stored will be done so in the filing cabinet so students do not lose their materials.
f) Teacher Narrative:
- During this session, students will begin to learn about a community. This will be completed
through a PowerPoint presentation, which can be aided by the required textbook. Most of the
information on the presentation will come from the textbook.
- The first thing that the students will see is the definition of the word community. After which
they will watch a video on what a community is (http://vimeo.com/725281). Once the video is
over, the students will learn the vocabulary words law, citizen, need, want, and responsibility.
During this time the students will be completing a graphic organizer (or printed note sheet) about
the important information being presented.
- After the presentation is completed, there will be a whole class discussion about what they
learned about a community and the vocabulary words learned as well. The teacher will prompt
the students to remember any key details.
- Once they are done with the discussion, the teacher will hand out materials needed to discuss
the final project. This will be brainstorming paper, final project outline, and final project rubric.
- When all the students have the required papers, the teacher will discuss with the students what
is required from the final project, how it will be graded, and how to use the brainstorming paper.
The final project will be graded on presentation, information included, and involvement of the
group. Students can choose any way to present their final project as long as the information
presented is related to the ideal community.
- After the final project discussion is completed, the teacher will break the students into groups.
When the students are in their respective groups they can use the brainstorming paper to start
coming up with ideas for their final project. During this time the teacher will be walking around
the room to assist with any questions and prompt students to remember key ideas.
g) Materials and Resources:

5. - SmartBoard (with computer and internet access)
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Printed copies of presentation (for notes)
- Video: http://vimeo.com/725281
- Graphic organizer (vocabulary words)
- Textbook: Macmillian/McGraw-Hill Social Studies: We Live Together (Unit 1, Lessons 1 and
Unit 4, Lesson 2)
- Pencils
- Brainstorming Paper
- Final project outline
- Final project rubric
a) Session #2: Rural, Suburban, and Urban Communities
b) Time: 60 minutes. 25 minutes (PowerPoint presentation, videos, and discussion), 5 minutes
(hand out materials), and 30 minutes (work on Final Project).
c) General: During this lesson, students will learn about the three different types of
communities. They will watch two videos on communities and learn any necessary terms
needed to complete this session. Students during this lesson will be completing a graphic
organizer and work with their group to start completing their final project.
d) Goal(s): The goals for this lesson are to understand and compare and contrast the three types
of communities, complete the graphic organizer for understanding, and complete the key points
paper along with the materials list.
e) Logistics: During this session, students will be sitting with their final project groups. This
will make activities easier to complete later on. If there are students who require preferential
seating, this will be arranged before the session begins. As for whole group instruction, the
students will watch two short videos on rural, urban, and suburban communities. This helps
them to understand the three different types and how they look and function. Once the students
are done with the whole group instruction, they will be able to work together collaboratively in
their small work groups. Any materials such as papers can be stored in the filing cabinets, and
materials for the final project can be placed in the closet or metal cabinet.
f) Teacher Narrative:
- The first thing that the students will do is be arranged into their groups and sat accordingly.
Once they are sitting with their groups, they will see a PowerPoint presentation. First, the
teacher will hand out a graphic organizer that will help compare rural, urban, and suburban
communities. On this presentation, the students will get the definitions of the three different
types of communities. Then the students will see two videos that describe the differences
between a rural, urban, and suburban community. This all helps their understanding and helps
fill out the graphic organizer.
- When the presentation is done, the students will have a brief discussion with the teacher about
the key points to each of the three communities. They will have to choose one of these types to
start their ideal community.
- After the discussion is completed with the students, the teacher will hand out the brainstorming
paper from the previous day, the final project key points paper, and the material list. The
brainstorming sheet and key points paper will help students clarify how their project will end up

6. looking like. The material list is the list of materials that the students will need to complete their
project.
- As the students are working on their papers, the teacher will be walking around to help the
students clarify any confusion or questions. Students can take turns using the computer if
needed. Students will have 30 minutes to work on this. The teacher will also send home a note
to parents to let them know that their child is completing the final project and they will need
materials to be sent in the next day.
- When the time is up, the students can hand their papers to the teacher. The teacher will make
copies of their papers to go home, and the originals will stay in the filing cabinet so they are not
lost.
g) Materials and Resources:
- SmartBoard (with computer and internet access)
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuF2o7SaRWU&feature=related and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGUkjzPS9sU
- Printed copies of presentation (for notes)
- Graphic organizer (compare and contrast three communities)
- Textbook: Macmillian/McGraw-Hill Social Studies: We Live Together (Unit 1, Lesson 2)
- Pencils
- Computers
- Brainstorming paper (hand back out)
- Final project key points paper
- Materials list (for final project)
- Note to parents
a) Session #3: Rules, Rights, and Responsibilities in Communities
b) Time: 75 minutes. 35 minutes (PowerPoint presentation and videos), 5 minute (whole group
discussion), 5 minutes (hand out materials), 30 minutes (work on final project and feedback)
c) General: During this lesson, students will be learning about the rules and responsibilities of
citizen in a community. This was briefly discussed in the first session, but now they will have a
better understanding of following the rules, laws, and responsibilities of citizens. Students will
also be working on their final project, and the teacher will be meeting with groups providing
them with feedback to make sure they are on track.
d) Goal(s): The goals for this lesson is to understand that citizens have rights, rules, and
responsibilities, that citizens can work collaboratively to make hard decisions, and the students
will begin to develop a finished project with the materials they have.
e) Logistics: In this lesson, students will be sitting in their small groups, and be working with
them as well. If there is any need for preferential seating, it will be done before the session
begins. In order for students to learn about the rules and responsibilities of citizens in a
community, a PowerPoint presentation with videos will be used. This will be the whole group
instruction giving students the needed information about following the rules and laws, as well as
the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Afterwards, students will work collaboratively in their
small groups to work on their final project. The teacher will distribute and collect materials and
place them in the filing cabinet, closet, or metal closet.
f) Teacher Narrative:

7. - Since this is a more difficult session, videos will be used to help support the students’
understanding. First, the students will be told they will be learning about the rules, rights, and
responsibilities of citizens in a community. After this, two videos will be shown on rules and
responsibilities. Once the videos are completed, the teacher will define a few vocabulary words
(citizen, rules, rights, responsibilities).
- After the videos are shown and the vocabulary words are defined, there will be a discussion
about what the students learned. This will help to clear up any confusion and answer any
questions that the students have.
- Once the discussion is completed, the teacher will hand out any of the papers that the students
need. This could be the brainstorming paper and the key points paper.
- When the necessary papers are handed out, the students will get their materials needed for their
final project and work on it with their group. During this time the teacher will meet with each
group and provide them with feedback. This will help make their final project look clearer, and
will help to make sure that they are on the right track to get this project completed. If students
are not doing what is needed, the teacher can help to redirect their project to make sure they are
completing it correctly. Students can also look on the computers to help look for any necessary
information.
- When the time is up for the session, the students will be handing back in any papers or
materials to the teacher. They can be placed in the filing cabinet, closet, or metal cabinet. This
ensures the safety of each group’s materials.
g) Materials and Resources:
- SmartBoard (with computer and internet access)
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed8YLNk_nYA&feature=relmfu and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_EgBcf88yc
- Printed copies of presentation
- Textbook: Macmillian/McGraw-Hill Social Studies: We Live Together (Unit 1, Lessons 3, 4)
- Pencils/Crayons/Markers/Colored Pencils
- Scissors
- Construction paper/magazines
- Computers
- Final project key points paper (hand back out)
- Student Materials (for final project, they bring in)
a) Session #4: What is in my community?
b) Time: 65 minutes. 20 minutes (PowerPoint and discussion of students’ community), 5
minutes (hand out materials), 40 minutes (work on final project and feedback).
c) General: During this lesson, students will discuss what they have in their own community.
The student’s community will serve as an example for studying and understanding other
communities. This will help them to learn about what kind of community they live in, and be
able to compare it to the other communities that they have learned about. They will also begin to
put final touches on their final project. There might possibly extra time provided before the fifth
session for students to complete their final project (bring project home, or one day in class just
putting finishing touches on project).

8. d) Goal(s): The goals of this lesson are for the students to compare their community to other
communities, identify important components of their own community, and put finishing touches
on their final project.
e) Logistics: While the students work, they will be sitting with their small group that they are
working with on the final project. If preferential seating is needed, it will be done before the
session begins. First, the students will receive whole group instruction using the PowerPoint
Presentation. After, the students will work collaboratively in their small groups to put their
finishing touches on their final project. The necessary materials that are needed can be found in
the filing cabinet, closet, or metal cabinet. Students will know where their material is. The
graphic organizer will be distributed by the teacher.
f) Teacher Narrative:
- The teacher will announce to the students that they will learn about their own community
today. This will give them any final ideas and thoughts to put into their final project. To
complete this session, the students will be active participants in a PowerPoint presentation. In
this presentation, the students will learn about what type of community they live in, benefits of
their community, transportation, key places and what type of houses, key individuals and jobs,
and the rules and responsibilities they need to follow in their community. While they are doing
so, they will be filling out a graphic organizer that was distributed by the teacher.
- After the presentation is completed, they will have a quick discussion led by the teacher on how
their community compares to the other types.
- Once the students complete the discussion, they will be able to get the materials they need for
their final projects. They can be found in the filing cabinet, closet, or metal cabinet. The teacher
can help the students to find their materials.
- When all the materials are distributed to the correct groups, the teacher will be doing two
things. The first will be to clarify any questions the group has, and the second is to provide them
with feedback on their final project. Students should be putting final touches on their projects,
and the teacher’s feedback can assure if they are doing it correctly. If the students are doing their
project wrong, or are not close to being finished, they will have the opportunity to work on the
project at home or when they have free time in school. The students will be given a couple of
extra days before presenting.
- After the session is over, if their projects are completed the teacher will collect them and put
them in a safe place. If they are not completed, they can take them home or work on them during
their free time in school. They will be given a couple of extra days to complete the work. Any
final projects not completed and are staying in school can be placed in the closet or metal
cabinet.
g) Materials and Resources:
- SmartBoard (with computer and internet access)
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Graphic Organizer
- Textbook: Macmillian/McGraw-Hill Social Studies: We Live Together
- Pencils/Crayons/Markers/Colored Pencils
- Materials (for final project)

9. a) Session #5: Presentation of Ideal Communities
b) Time: 60 minutes, 10 minute presentation for each group (set up, presentation of project, and
feedback).
c) General: During this session, each group will present their final projects. As they present,
their peers and teacher will be grading their presentation. They will each get ten minutes to hand
out materials, present their project, and respond to any questions. The teacher will provide them
with feedback after any student questions.
d) Goal(s): Present a completed final project in the allotted time, showing each group’s full
understanding of the unit that was presented to them.
e) Logistics: Each student will sit with their group as other groups are presenting. If preferential
seating is required, students will be sat near presenters. This will be considered whole group
instruction on each group’s view of an ideal community. Students will be handing out any
required materials, and the teacher will hand out the rubric papers.
f) Teacher Narrative:
- During this session, the students will be presenting their final projects. Each team will get ten
minutes each. This is ten minutes to set up, present, and take questions at the end of their
presentation.
- As each group presents, the teacher will be timing each group to make sure that they are staying
within their time constraints. The teacher will also hand out grading rubrics for each group
presenting in order for students to grade their peers.
- The teacher will also be responsible to make sure the class is paying attention to each
presenting group. Groups will be graded by the teacher too, so the teacher is responsible to pay
attention to the details in the presentation as well.
- Once each group completes the presentation, the teacher will collect their final project, and they
will have time to answer any student questions. However, if the ten minutes are up, they will
only be able to answer three questions.
- After all the students are done presenting, the teacher will discuss the positives that were seen
in the presentations and that will conclude this unit on communities. Students will receive their
grades a few days later after the teacher completes the peer evaluations and compares it to the
teacher evaluation.
g) Materials and Resources:
- SmartBoard (and connecting computer)
- Printed note sheets for presentations (if needed)
- Rubric papers
- Pencils
http://www.slideshare.net/Stosuy32/what-is-a-community-8795001
http://www.slideshare.net/Stosuy32/final-project-justin-stosuy-edse-604

10. Name: _______________________
Session # 1 – Graphic Organizer
Law Citizen
Community
Need Want
Responsibility

11. Name: __________________________
Brainstorming Sheet
Fill out this sheet for ideas on how to create the ideal community project.
Project Ideas:
Possible materials:
Ideas for community:

12. Name: _________________________
Final Project Outline
As a part of this unit on Communities, you will be making a project with a group of your
peers. This project will show your understanding of communities, and how to use that
information to create the ideal community. Here are some of the key points you will
need to include in your project:
- Type of community
- Jobs/Individuals found in community
- Citizen’s rights and responsibilities
- Needed places and resources
- Type of housing
- Transportation
- Extra/other
This project can be displayed in many ways. If you have an idea on how you will
complete it, ask the teacher for approval. Here are a few ideas on how to create this
project:
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Poster Board
- Collage (magazine/online images)
- Pamphlets
- Interactive presentation
- Student Created Book
- Internet website
With this project, you will be graded two ways in three different areas. You will be
graded by your peers and the teacher. The three areas that you will be graded in will be
content included, overall effectiveness of the presentation, and the overall group effort.
Make sure that you look at the rubric, and all the other final project papers to make sure
that you are answering all the necessary questions.

13. A Rubric for Evaluating the PBL Project – Communities
Category Poor Good Excellent Total Points
[0 Points] [3 Points] [5 Points]
Overall Presentation and Presentation and Presentation and
Presentation project are not project is almost project clearly
organized well completely organized. All
and at times is organized. Most information is
confusing. It is information is clear, and easily
unclear what clear, and ideas flows from one
their point is, easily flow from to the next.
what one to the next. There is no
information was It is questionable question what
to be included, what their point their point is,
and what the is, what what
objectives, goals, information was information was
and procedures to be included, to be included,
are for the and what the and what the
project. objectives, goals, objectives, goals,
and procedures and procedures
are for the are for the
project. project.
Information No information Information is Information is
about from presented presented from clearly presented
Communities sessions is the sessions, but and all key
clearly shown. some important points are
points are addressed in the
missing. presentation.
Group Shows no group Shows that some Shows that every
Involvement effort was put team effort was member
into the project. put into project contributed to
and the project and
presentation, presentation,
but not full and each had a
involvement by fair share of
everyone in the responsibilities.
group.

14. Final Project Example (PowerPoint Collage)

15. Name: _______________________
Session # 2 – Graphic Organizer

16. Urban Suburban
Rural
Name: _____________________
Key Points Sheet

17. Fill out this sheet to make sure you are meeting the key points for the final project.
Type of Community:
Type of Jobs:
Citizen’s Rights:
Citizen’s Responsibilities:
Needed Places:
Needed Resources:
Extra/Other:
Name: ___________________
Materials List

18. Write down any materials that you will need to complete your final project. Make sure
you write everything that you will need (Example: scissors, computer).
Materials Needed:
DATE

19. Dear Parents,
This week, we have been learning about the three different types of
communities (rural, urban, suburban). As a part of this unit, the children
will be creating a Project Based Learning assignment with a group of their
peers. Today, each group decided the materials that they will need in order
to complete their assignment. Attached is a photocopied sheet of the list of
materials that their group said they needed. As homework, please get
these needed materials with your child tonight and please send back into
school tomorrow. It is very important that the materials are sent in
tomorrow as they will be working on this project all week. Thank you for
your cooperation!
Sincerely,
Name: _______________________
Session # 4 – Graphic Organizer

20. Jobs Resources
My Community
Key Places Transportation
Responsibilities