Lesson Plan #:AELP-GGR0050

Communities

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Douglas Schweim
Endorsed by: Don Descy, Mankato State University

Date: October 31, 1996

Grade Level(s): 3, 4

Subject(s)

Description: The United States is a country divided into many parts called states. There are many communities in a state. We will begin by studying these different communities in the state we live in. A community is a group of people living in the same place who help each other meet their basic needs. These basic needs are housing, jobs, goods (clothing, food, etc.), recreation, and services (health and protection). Population is the number of people located in one community.

Goal: The students will understand what a community is.

Objectives:

  1. The student will define "community."
  2. The student will compare their community with others and find similarities and differences.
  3. The student will define "population."
Materials: Procedures:
  1. Show children different pictures of different communities and ask them which looks like their own community. Show them a picture of a farming community, a large city, and a small city.
  2. Show the children pictures of people of different communities. For example, show them a Chinese, Black, or Amish community. After the children seem to catch the concept of what a community is have them research some of the different communities in their state.
  3. On the board have the children brainstorm some different cities that fit the large city community, some different cities that fit for small communities, and some that fit for the people of different communities.
  4. Have the children look up in the encyclopedia or on the computer for their own community, a community that is different from the one they live in and also a community that is made up of different types of people.
  5. The children should be broke up into groups and each group must pick a different community.
  6. Have the groups write down three facts about their community. For example, what type of community it is, what is the population of the community?
  7. After each of the groups has completed their research, place a dot on the bulletin board (which is the state they live in), where the community is located and pick one fact from each group to write on the bulletin board.
Assessment:
  1. Ask the students the population of the community they researched
  2. Ask the students what a community is
  3. Ask the students some of the similarities and differences that they found in their research