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Lesson Plans
Social Studies Lesson Plans2nd Grade Social Studies Lesson Plans2nd Grade Community and Culture Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan

My Community and I

In this lesson, students will develop an understanding of communities and will learn how to locate their communities on a map.
Grades:
Second Grade
Third Grade
Subjects:
Social Studies
Community and Culture
View aligned standards
SL.2.1.c

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to successfully identify and discuss the city, state, country, and planet their community is located in.

Introduction

(15 minutes)
  • Begin your lesson by asking your students to draw a picture of their community.
  • Have your class turn and talk to a partner about their drawings. Encourage them to discuss topics, such as what they see or notice in their community.
  • Pick two drawings to share with the class. Most likely, these drawings will show people and things in the community, but won't include clues about location.
  • Gather the class together. Display one drawing at the front of the room and take students through the See/Think/Wonder Thinking Routine (developed by Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero).

See/Think/Wonder Thinking Routine Steps

  1. Ask your class about what everyone sees in the picture. Encourage them to be concrete and point to specific details.
  2. Next, ask your students what they think about the drawing. For this step, encourage inferences rather than concrete observations.
  3. Finally, ask your students what they wonder about the picture. This is a time to ask questions and think big, such as "What are some things that are in every community?"
  • Repeat the process again with the second picture.
  • Tell your class to think about the activity they just did. Considering the drawing, ask them what they think the word "community" means.
  • Work together to develop a shared definition of this term. Write down the definition where all of your students can view it. Use chart paper or a document camera. If your students use notebooks, have them record the terms and definition in their notebooks. A basic definition of community is a place where people live, work, and play.
  • Ask your class what things a community shares. Explain how a community shares a geographic location, weather, and government.
  • Discuss how students drew important people, places and things in their communities. Tell the class that through this lesson they'll be exploring where their communities are located.
  • Ask your students to read the other vocabulary terms: school, city, state, country, and planet. Tell them they'll use a map as a text to gather information and explore what the vocabulary terms mean.