My Community

Names: Jess, Morgan, & Rayanne

Unit Topic: Communities
Grade: 2nd 
Unit Length: 3 weeks

Standards Addressed Civics and Government

in this Unit  5.1.2.A Explain the purposes of rules and their consequences 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 Questions  What makes a community successful? 

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

Audience- Yellow
Behavior- Blue
Condition- Orange
Degree- Green

Academic Vocabulary  Community- a group of people who interact and live in a certain 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 to o What is a need/want
be Developed o 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: 
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBjB_BlIr7U&t=333s
o 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
o 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
o 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
o  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
   
   
The holistic rubric lays out requirements for the students
 Community Poster Project to include on their poster. The requirements will be taken
o Question: “How can you describe directly from the various essential questions throughout
your community in many different the unit to make sure they are hitting on all of the
aspects? What  makes your concepts taught throughout the unit.
community successful?” 
o Students describe their own
community and what qualities and
characteristics make it successful
o Students will focus on describing
 
their community in many different  
ways (specific criteria included in  
the rubric for students to follow)

PHASE 2 – DETERMINING ASSESSMENTS                                               

 
 
 

Community Poster Rubric (Summative Assessment):

 Learning Instructional Activities Assessment
Objective (indicate informal or
formal)

After watching  Video:  Back to Back

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

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

Given  T-chart activity- good vs bad communities  Ticket out the door
examples and  My Community checklist (informal)
nonexamples o Right one
of a good example and
community, one non
students will be example of a
able to good,
compare and successful
contrast good community. 
vs bad
characteristics
of a community
with no error. 

Given a picture  Wants and Needs Sort  Wants and Needs

list of items,  Cooperative Learning Groups Sort- collect and
students will be  Lily Learns About Wants and Needs by Lisa assess students’
able to Bullard work (informal)
categorize  Think, pair, share
which items are  Video:
wants and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8P3sCooGg0
which items are
needs with no
error.

Given a writing  Book: Career Day by Anne Rockwell   Writing prompt-

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

Given  Goods and services graphic organizer  Good and services

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

Phase 3- Instructional Resources

 
Select, annotate, and defend your selection of:
-three articles
-three texts
-three additional resources (e.g., globes, maps, Internet- specific websites)
-one field trip (community resource A)
-one classroom guest (community resource B)
 
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- Grade Citizens Scholastic News This article We would read this 2&
discusses the article as a class to 5
Second Grade Citizens. (2018). My Weekly Reader: rights and start a conversation
Scholastic News, 75 (1).  responsibilities about the rules,
students have rights, and
as second- responsibilities
grade citizens.  students have as
second grade
citizens in their
school
community.  

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

Article: News ELA- Current Event Article  This current We would read 3
event article this article as a &
Elasfar, D. (2019, March 5). 5-year-old superhero talks about a 5 class to show how 5
inspires communities to help those in need. Retrieved year old boy, one community
from https://newsela.com/read/5-year-old- Austin, whose member’s
superhero/id/49615/ goal is to save goal/dream can
the world from impact and inspire
homelessness. an entire
It explains how community.
involved Austin
has been in his
community in
Alabama,
especially with
people that are
homeless. 

Book: In Lucia’s Neighborhood  In the story, We would use this 3

Lucia explains as a read aloud to
Schewuck, P. & Colek, M. (2013). In Lucia’s what an talk about how
Neighborhood. Tonawanda, New York: Kids Can average day everyday
Press.  throughout her communities may
community look different.
looks like. She Students will be
also explains able to see
the many examples of a
different good, successful
people that live community. 
in her
community.  

Book:  This book This will help to 3

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

Book: Lily Learns about Wants and Needs by Lisa Lily and her We would use this 4 
Bullard  father visit as a read aloud
different where students will
Bullard, L. (2014). Lily Learns about Wants and Needs. places/stores be able to see
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Millbrook Press.  where Lily examples of wants
discovers that and needs. They
wants and will be able to learn
needs are the difference
different. Her between the two. 
father explains
the difference. 

Additional Resource:  This video Students get to 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8P3sCooGg0 talks about the see different
difference examples of
[ASB]. (2014, June 30). Needs versus wants- GetWise between wants objects they
[Video File]. Retrieved from and needs. It encounter every
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8P3sCooGg0 provides day that could be
different a want or need. 
examples and They get to see a
scenarios of scenario that
everyday shows what
objects that something needs
are wants or to survive and
needs. things that are just
wants.

Additional Resource:  This video Students would 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBjB_BlIr7U&t=333s describes be able to visually
rural, urban see the difference
[Homeschool Pop]. (2017, July 13). Urban, suburban, and suburban of rural, urban,
and rural communities for kids- Classroom Video [Video areas through and suburban
File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? pictures and communities. This
v=vBjB_BlIr7U&t=333s words. It will help with their
compares and overall
contrasts the understanding of
three different the three different
types.  types of
communities.

Additional Resource:  This video Students will be 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umq76iNkhx0 describes the able to see
difference explains of goods
[Homeschool Pop]. (2017, July 13). Goods and between a good and services that
services for children- Classroom video [Video File]. and service. The are present in their
Retrieved from ending of the communities. This
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umq76iNkhx0 video gives video will help them
examples of understand the
goods and difference. 
services and the
viewer must
decide which it
is. 

Field Trip:  We will visit a This will teach 5

Park/ Town clean up  specific place students the
in our importance of
students’ local caring for the
community community and
and partake in help them to learn
a community how to be
service project responsible/good
by cleaning up community
the area to members. 
make it better
for all
community
members. 

Classroom Guest:  A police This will teach 2, 6

Town Police Officer  officer from the the students the
same town will importance of
visit the class rules they should
and discuss follow and the
the importance consequences if
of rules in the not followed. It will
community also get the
and ways they students thinking
keep our how they could
community help serve the
safe. They will community now
discuss ways and in the future.
they serve the
community
and other
ways the
students could
help serve
their
community.