​My Community

Unit Topic​: Communities

Grade:​ 2nd
Unit Length: ​3 weeks

Standards Civics and Government

Addressed in this ● 5.1.2.A​ Explain the purposes of rules and their consequences
Unit in the classroom and school community
● 5.2.2.C​ Identify community projects/activities that support
leadership and public service
● 5.2.2.A ​Identify and explain the importance of responsibilities at
school at home and the community
● 5.3.2.F​ Identify and explain behaviors for responsible school
citizens and possible consequences for inappropriate action

Economics
● 6.1.2.1-​ Identify community wants and needs.
● 6.2.2.A​ Identify goods, services, consumers, and producers in
the local community.

Geography
● 7.2.2.A ​Identify physical characteristics of places.

Essential ● What makes a community successful?

Questions ● Why are community rules important to follow?
● How can the qualities and characteristics of community leaders
be described?
● What are some ways that communities can benefit and grow
from community service projects?
● How do wants/needs and good/services help producers and
consumers make decisions in a community?
● How do places in the community differ from one another? How
can we describe physical characteristics of these places?

Unit Strands ● Civics and Government

● Economics
● Geography

Concepts ● Communities
● Citizenship
● Leadership
● Wants and needs
 ● Goods and services
● Urban, suburban, and rural communities

Learning 1. After watching a video on different types of communities,

Objectives students will be able to verbally explain and demonstrate (by
drawing) at least two characteristics of rural, urban, and
suburban communities.

2. Given some rules of both school and community, students will

be able to justify the importance of rules in at least three
sentences..

3. Given examples and nonexamples of a good community,

students will be able to compare and contrast good vs bad
characteristics of a community with no error.

4. Given a picture list of items, students will be able to categorize

which items are wants and which items are needs with no error.

5. Given a writing prompt, students will be able to prepare and

organize at least 5 sentences describing how they have been a
good community member graded based off a writing rubric.

6. Given questions on poster paper using the World Cafe strategy,

students will be able to illustrate three examples of goods and
three examples of services with a small group with accuracy.

Academic ● Community​- a group of people who interact and live in a certain

Vocabulary place that have characteristics in common
● Rural​- relating to the countryside; often agricultural areas
● Urban​- relating to a city or town
● Suburban​- a distant part of a city or town; the residential area
on the outskirts of a city or large town
● Community helper​- a person who performs some type of job
that helps keep others safe and healthy; helps improve the
well-being of a community
● Wants​- something that people desire to have, that they may, or
may not, be able to obtain
● Needs​- things that are important for survival in life (food, water,
shelter)
● Goods​- things that can be touched or held; items people
purchase to satisfy needs and wants
● Services​- actions performed by people for somebody else
● Leadership​- being someone who other people will follow
 because of their good qualities
● Producers-​ a person/company/or country that makes goods to
sell
● Consumers​- a person who buys goods and services for their
own use
● Citizenship​- act of being a member of the community

Democratic ● Listening to and expressing opinions

Participation Skills ○ What is a need/want
to be Developed ○ Ranking the importance of what is needed for a good,
successful community
● Working together in groups/group discussions
● Collaboration and communication skills

Unit Description:
In this unit, entitled “My Community”, second grade students will be introduced to concepts such
as communities, community rules, citizenship, leadership, wants/needs, and goods/services.
Students will learn the different types of communities and what makes a community successful.
Students will be able to understand many essential questions related to 2nd grade social
studies standards. The students will explore the Civics and Government, Economics, and
Geography strands of social studies through a various number of activities. Some activities
include: children’s books, videos, skits, graphic organizers, and sorts. Students will engage in
hands-on learning throughout this unit.

List of Activities:
● Videos:
○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBjB_BlIr7U&t=333s
○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8P3sCooGg0
● Children’s Books
● Wants and Needs Sort
● Goods and Services Graphic Organizer
● World Cafe Strategy
● Geography activity- Me on the Map
○ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/161637074101878204/
● Community rules worksheet
● Examples and non-examples of a good community t-chart worksheet
● Writing prompt- What are some ways you have been a good community member?
● School rules worksheet
● School rules skit
○ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/265219865535344962/
● Graffiti Groups- community helpers: drawing and/or writing what you know about the
roles and jobs of each community helper
● Cooperative Learning Groups
○ Is chocolate a want or need? Students are assigned the side of looking at
chocolate as a want or looking at chocolate as a need. Students follow the steps
of the cooperative learning groups
● Rural, urban, suburban graphic organizer
● Rural, urban suburban, graphic organizer picture sort
Summative Assessment ​(be specific) How will this assessment(s) tell you if the
students learned the main ideas, key
concepts and skills

● Community Poster Project The holistic rubric lays out requirements for
○ Question: “How can you the students to include on their poster. The
describe your community in requirements will be taken directly from the
many different aspects? What various essential questions throughout the
makes your community unit to make sure they are hitting on all of the
successful?” concepts taught throughout the unit.
○ Students describe their own
community and what qualities
and characteristics make it
successful
○ Students will focus on
describing their community in
many different ways (specific
criteria included in the rubric
for students to follow)
Community Poster Rubric (Summative Assessment):
 Learning Objective Instructional Activities Assessment
(indicate informal or formal)

After watching a video ● Video: ● Back to Back Boards

on different types of https://www.youtube.com/wat (informal)- questions
communities, students ch?v=vBjB_BlIr7U&t=333s based on rural, urban
will be able to verbally ● Rural, Suburban, and and suburban
explain and Urban Graphic characteristics for partner
demonstrate (by Organizer discussion
drawing) at least two ● Picture Sort
characteristics of rural, ● Book: ​In Lucia’s
urban, and suburban Neighborhood​ by Pat
communities. Shewchuk

Given some rules of ● Book: ​What if ● Writing letter to the

both school and Everybody Did governor (informal)
community, students That?​ by Ellen
will be able to justify Javernick
the importance of rules ● Think, pair, share
in at least three ● Writing letter to the
sentences. governor
● School rules
worksheet
● School rules skit
https://www.pinterest.com/pi
n/265219865535344962/

Given examples and ● T-chart activity- ● Ticket out the door

nonexamples of a good vs bad (informal)
good community, communities ○ Right one
students will be able to ● My Community example and one
compare and contrast checklist non example of a
good vs bad good, successful
characteristics of a community.
community with no
error.
 Given a picture list of ● Wants and Needs ● Wants and Needs Sort-
items, students will be Sort collect and assess
able to categorize ● Cooperative Learning students’ work (informal)
which items are wants Groups
and which items are ● Lily Learns About
needs with no error. Wants and Needs​ by
Lisa Bullard
● Think, pair, share
● Video:
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=J8P3sCooGg0

Given a writing ● Book:​ Career Day ● Writing prompt- What

prompt, students will by Anne Rockwell are some ways you have
be able to prepare and ○ “Community been a good community
organize at least 5 helpers” member? (informal)
sentences describing ● Book:​Good People
how they have been a Everywhere b ​ y
good community Lynea Gillen
member graded based ● Graffiti Groups-
off a writing rubric. community helpers:
drawing and/or
writing what you
know about the
roles and jobs of
each community
helper
● Build community
member/person
activity
● Writing prompt-
What are some
ways you have been
a good community
member?

Given questions on ● Goods and services ● Good and services

poster paper using the graphic organizer flipbook- collect and
World Cafe strategy, ● World Cafe Strategy assess students’ work
students will be able to ● Goods and services (informal)
illustrate three flipbook
examples of goods
 and three examples of
services with a small
group with accuracy.

Instructional Resources

List and Number your Learning Objectives:

1. After watching a video on different types of communities, students will be able to verbally
explain two characteristics of rural, urban, and suburban communities.

2. Given some rules of both school and community, students will be able to justify the
importance of rules in at least three sentences.

3. Given examples and nonexamples of a good community, students will be able to compare
and contrast good vs bad characteristics of a community with no error.

4. Given a picture list of items, students will be able to categorize which items are wants and
which items are needs with no error.

5. Given a writing prompt, students will be able to prepare and organize at least 5 sentences
describing how they have been a good community member graded based off a writing rubric.

6. Given questions on poster paper using the World Cafe strategy, students will be able to
illustrate three examples of goods and three examples of services with a small group with
accuracy.
 Resource Explanation Defense LO #

Article:​ Second- This article discusses the rights We would read this 2&5
Grade Citizens and responsibilities students article as a class to
Scholastic News have as second-grade citizens. start a conversation
about the rules,
Second Grade rights, and
Citizens. (2018). ​My responsibilities
Weekly Reader: students have as
Scholastic News​, ​75 second grade citizens
(1). in their school
community.

Article:​ ​We Are This article explains many We would read this 5
Good Citizens different characteristics of being article as a class to
Scholastic News a good citizen (patient, discuss important
respectful, honest, characteristics of a
responsible). good
We Are Good citizen/community
Citizens. (2017). ​My member. Students
Weekly Reader: will be able to think
Scholastic News, 74 how they have shown
(1). good citizenship as
they engage in the
reading.

Article:​ ​News ELA- This current event article talks ​ e would read this
W 3&5
Current Event about a 5 year old boy, Austin, article as a class to
Article whose goal is to save the world show how one
from homelessness. It explains community
Elasfar, D. (2019, how involved Austin has been member’s
March 5). 5-year-old in his community in Alabama, goal/dream can
superhero inspires especially with people that are impact and inspire
communities to help homeless. an entire
those in need. community.
Retrieved from
https://newsela.co
m/read/5-year-old-
superhero/id/49615
/
Book:​ ​In Lucia’s In the story, Lucia explains We would use this 3
Neighborhood what an average day as a read aloud to
throughout her community talk about how
Schewuck, P. & looks like. She also explains everyday
Colek, M. (2013). ​In the many different people that communities may
Lucia’s live in her community. look different.
Neighborhood. Students will be
Tonawanda, New able to see
York: Kids Can examples of a good,
Press. successful
community.

Book: This book focuses on This will help to teach 3

Look Where We community building where students about the
Live!​ by Scot kids explore their community components that
Ritchie and the numerous events that make up a successful
are happening. community.
Ritchie, S. (2015).
Look Where We
Live! Tonawanda,
New York: Kids
Can Press

Book:​ ​Lily Learns Lily and her father visit We would use this as 4
about Wants and different places/stores where a read aloud where
Needs b ​ y Lisa Lily discovers that wants and students will be able
Bullard needs are different. Her father to see examples of
explains the difference. wants and needs.
Bullard, L. (2014). They will be able to
Lily Learns about learn the difference
Wants and Needs. between the two.
Minneapolis,
Minnesota:
Millbrook Press.
Additional This video talks about the Students get to see 4
Resource: difference between wants and different examples
https://www.youtube. needs. It provides different of objects they
com/watch?v=J8P3s examples and scenarios of encounter every day
CooGg0 everyday objects that are that could be a want
wants or needs. or need. They get
[ASB]. (2014, June to see a scenario
30). ​Needs versus that shows what
wants- GetWise something needs to
[Video File]. survive and things
Retrieved from that are just wants.
https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=J8P3s
CooGg0

Additional This video describes rural, Students would be 1

Resource: urban and suburban areas able to visually see
https://www.youtube. through pictures and words. It the difference of
com/watch?v=vBjB_B compares and contrasts the rural, urban, and
lIr7U&t=333s three different types. suburban
communities. This
[Homeschool Pop]. will help with their
(2017, July 13). overall
Urban, suburban, and understanding of
rural communities for the three different
kids- Classroom types of
Video [​ Video File]. communities.
Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=vBjB_B
lIr7U&t=333s

Additional This video describes the Students will be able 6

Resource: difference between a good and to see explains of
https://www.youtube service. The ending of the goods and services
.com/watch?v=Umq video gives examples of goods that are present in
76iNkhx0 and services and the viewer their communities.
must decide which it is. This video will help
[Homeschool Pop]. them understand the
(2017, July 13). difference.
Goods and services
for children-
Classroom video
[Video File].
Retrieved from
https://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=Umq
76iNkhx0

Field Trip: ​ e will visit a specific place

W ​ his will teach
T 5
Park/ Town clean up in our students’ local students the
community and partake in a importance of caring
community service project by for the community
cleaning up the area to make and help them to
it better for all community learn how to be
members. responsible/good
community
members.

Classroom Guest: A police officer from the same ​ his will teach the
T 2, 6
Town Police Officer town will visit the class and students the
discuss the importance of importance of rules
rules in the community and they should follow
ways they keep our and the
community safe. They will consequences if not
discuss ways they serve the followed. It will also
community and other ways get the students
the students could help serve thinking how they
their community. could help serve the
community now and
in the future.