Social Studies Strands:Community Helpers

ED417-02Andrea Priest

Becky Harrison

Table of Contents

History People in Societies Geography Economics Government Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities Social Studies Skills and Methods

Community Helpers

Unit: Social Studies

Grade Level: First Grade

Lesson: Community Helpers

History Activities:

1. Create a community helpers collage that compares the past to the present

2. Using preprinted materials, students will create a time line of community helpers of the past and present

3. Students will create a community helper for the future and include the tools that they will use

History Activities (cont.):

4. Students will identify tools used by community helpers in the past, present, and future

5. Guest speaker (firefighter or mail carrier) will compare and contrast various changes in their profession throughout history

History Web sites

http://www.usps.com/history/his2.htm

A complete history of the U.S. postal system

www.ponyexpress.org/history.htm Complete history of Pony Express,

including a bibliography, stations, and riders

www.cincyfiremuseum.com Web site includes information about

history, fire safety, special events, and a virtual tour

History Web sites

www.standardsmadeeasy.com/ActivityDetail.asp?ActivityID=11634

Web site allows children to put community helpers in their correct building

www.hud.gov/kids/job1.html Interactive web site invites

children to read a short job description and match it to the community helper

People in Societies Activities:

1. Compare our community helpers to those of other cultures

2. Identify the person who performs community helper duties in other countries (i.e. gender, class, race)

3. Allow students to view various tools and uniforms from different countries

People in Societies Activities (cont.):

4. Discuss the availability of tools used by community helpers in other countries

5. Students will choose their favorite community helper from a different country and draw the uniform and tools that are used

People in Societies Web sites

www.ci.coe.uni.edu/uniquest/webquest/lewis109

Introduction to various community helpers

www.beenleigss/qld.edu.au/requested_sites/services/#PEOPLE%2QAT%2QAIRPORTS%20PROVIDE

Discusses various helpers within the community

People in Societies Web sites

www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/communityhelpers.html

Resource for teachers which includes print outs and ideas

www.gms.lu/~chenutd/links.html Interesting police links from Europe

www.militarymorons.com/gear/gear.4.html

Pictures of various police uniforms from Africa

Geography Activities:

1. Students will draw a map of their community and include locations of community helper buildings (i.e. fire station, post office, police station)

2. Identify various community helper symbols (i.e. flashing lights, red cross, etc.)

3. Create a graphic organizer that tells what community helpers do within their community

Geography Activities (cont.):

4. Allow students to select a pen pal from a different country to correspond with

5. As a class, conduct an interview of a person from a different country. Include questions about various community helpers in their country

Geography Web sites

www.lfelem.lfc.edu/resources/sstudies/kinder/communhelpers.html

A webquest about where community helpers work and how they help us

www.standardsmadeeasy.com/ActivityDetail.asp?ActivityID=11634

Students place the community helpers in the correct building

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/neighborhoood/

Webquest allows children to click on various buildings within the community to learn more about that particular helper

Geography Web sites

www.standardsmadeeasy.com/ActivityDetail.asp?ActivityID=11652

Printable materials about where a letter goes after it is mailed

www.mapquest.com Include detailed maps of

various communities

Economics Activities:

1. Discuss how community members have to pay for certain services (i.e. doctor visit, stamps, fire fighters)

2. After creating a mock grocery store, give students a specified amount of money and have them determine what goods they can buy

3. Discuss how the use of technology has effected the postal service (i.e. decrease in letters mailed due to e-mail)

Economics Activities:

4. Have a banker come into the class and discuss some of his/her job responsibilities

5. Students will act out the money flow process (i.e. buying goods, selling goods)

Economics Web sites

www.standardsmadeeasy.com/ActivityDetail.asp?ActivityID=11626

Printable materials discussing what basic economic processes occur around town

www.dentonisd.org/pecancreek/lattaya/economics.htm

Provides ideas about how children can earn money to purchase goods

www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~sstudies/world/firstgrade.html

Various ideas regarding social studies curriculum

Economics Web sites

http://hometown.aol.com/mellettk/Webpage/TeacherSites.html#ss

Great resource for teachers that includes social studies themes, songs, lessons, and links

www.teacher.scholastic.com/commclub/

Teacher resource site

Government Activities:

1. Students will vote for their favorite community helper

2. Compare classroom rules to laws within the community

3. Create a list of community helpers who provide safety

Government Activities (cont.):

4. Identify public figures who make an impact on our immediate community (i.e. mayor, governor, president)

5. Discuss what happens when citizens within the community break rules/laws

Government Web sites

http://hometown.aol.com/mellettk/Webpage/coresocialstudies.html

Link to social studies lessons http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlre

sources/units/MonsonUnits/sheesp/index.htm

Community helpers resource for teachers

www.econedlink.org/lesson/index.cfm?lesson=EM197

Community helpers lesson plan

Government Web sites

http://cuip.net/~yolostev/lesson-template1.htm

Interactive community helper web quest

http://mail.plano88.kendall.k12.il.us/ph/community/webq.htm

First grade web quest about community helpers

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

Activities: 1. Create a graphic organizer

which includes various community helpers. List the characteristics that make that helper a good citizen

2. Using the graphic organizer from above, list the responsibilities of the community helpers

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

Activities (cont.): 3. Discuss why community helpers

wear flags on their uniforms 4. Invite a guest speaker to come

into the class to speak about their rights and responsibilities as a community helper

5. Read the book, “Everyone Makes a Difference: A Story about Community” by Cindy Leaney and Peter Wilks

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

Web sites www.odedodea.edu/curriculum/1s

tGrade/social/htm Great citizenship activities and

lessons www.oswego.org/sbartlet/citizens

hip/ Introduction, standards, essential

questions, lessons, resources, assessment, reflections, and examples of citizenship

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/citizenship/rights.html

Ben’s guide to government for kids

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

Web sites www.standardsmadeeasy.com/

TopicActivity.asp?grade=1&subject=CE&topic=CE10

27 activities related to community helpers

http://www.state.sd.us/deca/DDN4Learning/ThemeUnits/Communities/standards.htm

Resources, links, lesson plans, and activities for social studies

Social Studies Skills and Methods

Activities: 1. Draw a picture of a family member

at work. Tell how the family member is a helper to the community

2. Group students together to present a community helper and discuss how they effect the community

3. List various facts that the students have learned and decide how to organize the information

Social Studies Skills and Methods

Activities (cont.): 4. Have students use posters and

charts from the classroom to collect information on a specific helper

5. At the end of the unit, have students determine/discuss the main idea behind the title “community helper”

Social Studies Skills and Methods

Web sites http://members.tripod.com/

~Patricia_F/ssmotor.html Great ideas for hands-on activities

www.usask.ca/education/ideas/tplan/sslp/rural.htm

Lesson plan directed towards rural community helpers

www.thecoo.edu/~apeter/social_studies.htm

Various links related to social studies grades K-8

Social Studies Skills and Methods

Web sites http://expage.com/

4commhelpers Links to web sites and lesson

plans focused on the theme of community helpers

www.google.com Search engine for students to

explore community helpers