Unit+Plan+Overview+and+Objectives


 * How Communities Change

Unit Overview **

The unit I taught to a group of twenty four second graders focused on how communities change. This unit was adapted from the Howard County Document Repository in order to meet the needs of all my learners. Co-planning and working with other staff members including special educators and para-educators, was also necessary to differentiate and meet the needs of two students with IEPs. While planning this unit, areas I focused on were behavior management and creating lessons that were engaging and could be applied to the “real world.” I designed a pretest that focused on essential elements of the unit, including, renovations, reasons a community might change, making a difference in one’s community as well as timelines and symbols. The pretest (as well as formal and informal daily assessment) allowed me to plan accordingly and adjust for areas where the students had more or less prior knowledge than expected. Throughout the social studies unit I was able to incorporate reading, writing, mathematics and cooperative learning. By having the students complete a post test I was able to gauge the understanding and overall success of the unit. The Communities Unit was taught in five lessons spanning eight days.

movement of people, goods and ideas and long ago. sources and biographies similar, current images, such as, photographs of models of transportation and communication
 * Unit Objectives**
 * Maryland State Curriculum Objectives **
 * Standard 3.0 **Geography
 * Topic C.** Movement of People, Goods and Ideas
 * Indicator 1**. Explain how transportation and communication link places by the
 * Objective a.** Compare types of transportation used to move people today
 * Objective b.** Compare ways people communicate ideas today and long ago
 * Standard 5.0 ** History
 * Topic A.** Individuals and Societies Change Over Time
 * Indicator 1.** Explain differences between past and present time
 * Objective a.** Develop a personal timeline in each students’ life
 * Objective b.** Describe the relationship among events in a variety of timelines
 * Indicator 2. **Describe people, places and artifacts of today and long ago
 * Objective a.** Gather and interpret information about the past from informational
 * Objective b.** Collect and examine photographs of the past and compare with
 * Howard County Objectives **

• Identify concerns in the community, such as safety issues and pollution problems and ways to resolve these concerns.

• Explain how people adapt to changes in the environment.

• Gather and interpret information about the past from informational sources and biographies.

• Explain how people adapt to changes in the environment.

• Describe people, places, and artifacts of today and long ago.

• Describe the relationship among events in a variety of timelines.

• Collect and examine photographs of the past and compare with similar, current images, such as, photographs of modes of transportation and communication.

• Compare types of transportation used to move goods and people today and long ago.

• Identify examples of technology used by consumers, such as automobiles, cameras, telephones, microwaves, televisions, and computers.

• Analyze why consumers use technology in their daily lives.

• Develop a personal timeline.

• Identify concerns in the community, such as safety issues and pollution problems and ways to resolve these concerns.

• Use appropriate informational text to develop an understanding of democratic skills and attitudes, such as rights and responsibilities, respect, fairness, honesty, loyalty, and courage.

• Connect certain people, symbols, songs and poems to the ideals they represent.

• Present social studies information in a variety ways, such as plays, skits, posters, songs, poems, murals, and oral presentations.

• Discuss words and word meanings as they are encountered in texts, instruction, and conversation.

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