Lesson

Title: Introduction to Community Unit

Grade/age level: 1st Grade

Learning Objectives:


Students will be able to define what a community is and recognize that a community is formed
when people come together.

Evidence for

assessment:
I will informally assess student understanding by listening-in to turn-and-talks, questions, and

contributions.

Rationale:


This lesson will be the first lesson to the social studies curriculum unit on Community. It will
introduce students to the concept of what a community is, what the purpose of a community,
and how a community is formed.

Prerequisite

Knowledge:
Students need to know that fish need water to survive and that fish and whales live in the

ocean. Students also need to have an understanding of reasons why people come together (ie.
location, belief, culture, interests, etc).

Learning Experience
Assessment


Starting It
(Students are in the meeting area.)




Connect: First graders, today we will be starting our social
Students responses.
studies unit on Community. To start us off, I brought in this bucket
filled with water. I want to ask you to think about some things
Students make predictions
that could fit in this bucket.
based on prerequisite

knowledge.
After letting students think for a few moments, ask students if

they think a fish could fit in the bucket. Could a fish fit in this
bucket? What about a big fish, could a pretty big fish survive in

Doing It

this bucket? Why or why not? Students should realize the fish
could not survive because the bucket is not big enough for it it
would run out of water and there wouldnt be enough room for
the fish to move.


Teach:
Introduce the book Humphrey the Lost Whale: A True Story.

Who knows where whales live?

Whales live in saltwater, like the ocean. They cannot survive in
freshwater, which are like lakes, ponds, and rivers. What do you
think would happen if a whale swam into the freshwater by
accident? In this story that I will read to you today, Humphrey the
Lost Whale: A True Story, is about a whale who accidentally
swam into a freshwater river. He lived in the Pacific Ocean before
and came through a bay in California to a freshwater river. Who
knows where the Pacific Ocean? (Using the world map that is up
on the Smartboard, have a student circle out the Pacific Ocean
on the map.) Who can show me on the map where California is?
(Have another student mark where California is.) So Humphrey
the whale swam into a narrow freshwater river. Lets look at the
map. Notice how the ocean is a large body of water and the river
is very narrow. The ocean is also saltwater and the river is
freshwater. Do you think Humphrey could survive in the
river? Imagine a large fish living in this pail of water. What do
you think would he need to do? Do you think he can get out of the
river by himself or do you think he would need to get some help?
In fact, a community people come together to help Humphrey get
back into the Pacific Ocean where he is able to survive.

Write the word Community on the Smartboard, and ask

Students responses.

Students comparison of the
different waters.

Students make predictions
based on prerequisite
knowledge.

Assess understanding by
listening in to turn-and-
talks.

Students define the term
community.

students to think about what they think they know what it

means. After asking the students and getting their responses,
come to a class definition of what a community is. (Possible
definition: A community is a group of people who share
common interests and help each other out.)

Read the story, Humphrey the Lost Whale.

Why do you think big whales like Humphrey live in the ocean?
Turn and talk, then ask a few students to give answers.
(Answers should cover that they need enough space and
survive in saltwater.)

Why would Humphrey enter into the bay at all?
Call on a student who wants to respond.

What would you do if you saw a huge whale in a small
river? Who would you tell?
Turn and talk, then have a brief share.

How come all of these people are now interacting? What do all of
them hope for?
Call on two students who want to respond.

Im going to pause here for just a minute, and I want you to think
about how you would get Humphrey back to the Pacific Ocean.
Now, share it with your partner (Turn and talk, then have a brief
share).

What did these people do to solve the problem?
Call on two students who want to respond.

How do you think Humphrey felt?

Finishing It

Accessibility

Call on two students who want to respond.

Who came together in this story? Why do you think they came
together? (Answer should cover that people from the
neighborhoods, scientists, and whale watchers came together to
help the whale.) Different people from the area came together.
This is an example of a community of people who cared about
helping the whale. They came together because they shared
something in common, worked together, and cared for each
other.



Closure:
Students responses.
Did you know we, too, live in a community? There are many

different communities around us and are made up of people from Students redefine the term
different backgrounds and interests.
community.


Ask students to use the group of people from the story as an
example of community to help redefine what a community is (if
needed).

In the next few weeks, were going to be looking more into
communities, who is part of a community, the different resources
that are provided by a community, and what it takes to be a good
community member.


Using a prop assists students as they imagine and predict.
Since the text is read to the students during the model and active engagement, the students
can focus on comprehension of the text and practicing the strategy.
Different types of learners benefit from speaking and listening during the lesson, viewing
the book, and participating in instruction actively.

Use of Smartboard to show the map and to have students circle and point out different
locations on the map.
To help the students remember the definition, the word is written on the Smartboard.

A pail of water
Large world map on Smartboard
Tokuda, W. (1992). Humphrey the lost whale: A true story. Heian: Heian International
Publishing Company.

Materials Needed