LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program

Kelsey Mercadante
Mrs. Lowery, Paul Munro Elementary School, 1st Grade
Date: September 8th & 9th, 2015. Time: 2:05-2:30

A. TITLE OF LESSON: Communities Focus on Classroom Community

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
During this lesson, students will learn about what a community is. Students will learn about how we
have our own community in our classroom. Students will realize that they are in a classroom
community with their classmates, as well as Mrs. Lowery and me. Students will learn how people in
communities contribute to their communities and how people work together to accomplish important
things that will better the community. Students will realize that communities have leaders (Mrs.
Lowery and I). Through engaging in this lesson, students will experience a community-building task.
Students will be instructed to work together in their classroom community to create a product where
they each get to take part in. After the students complete the product, they will be asked how they
worked together in their community. They will experience critical thinking skills as they are asked
what went right when completing the task, and what went wrong. By completing this lesson, students
will gain an understanding of a community and how a classroom community is an example of one.
Note: This lesson will take two days (September 8th and 9th) since we only have 20-25 minutes for
social studies.
C. UNWRAPPING THE VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING
1. Grade Level and Content Area:
First Grade: Social Studies
2. Standard and Indicators:
SOL 1.12 The student will recognize that communities in Virginia c) include
people who have diverse ethnic origins, customs, and
traditions, who make contributions to their communities, and
who are united as Americans by common principles.
Blooms Taxonomy
Levels:
Understand
D. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand

Know

Do

U1: People make valuable

contributions to their
communities and are united by
common principles.

K1: A community is a place

where people live, work, and
play.
K2: Communities share a set
of rules or common principles.

D1: Describe a classroom

community.
D2: Apply the behaviors of a
classroom community by
working together to create a

product.
E. ASSESSING LEARNING
I will assess students by observation. I will collect data by using a student-monitoring chart. While
students are working on the activity, I will go around to students and ask them questions. The answers that
students give me will be evidence for whether the students meet the objectives. As I go around to the
students I will as questions such as:
1. What is a community?
2. Describe a classroom community.
3. How are you helping your classroom community?
The student-monitoring chart will have a space for each student in the classroom. I plan to ask a
certain amount of students each of the two days this lesson takes. I will make note of whether the student
seems to understand the objectives, or not, on the student monitoring sheet.
After the activity is completed on the second day of this lesson, I will ask the class as a whole, some
questions regarding the activity they participated in. When the students answer these questions, they will
show me they understand how people work together in a community to accomplish certain tasks, such as
the one they accomplished. After the activity I will ask:
1. How did you all work together on that activity?
2. What went well?
3. What went wrong?
4. What could we have done better?
*It is important for the students to realize what went well as well as what went wrong during this activity,
so they can fix any issues for the future. After these questions, students will realize how working together
in a classroom community is essential for the allowance of everyone to learn.
F. MATERIALS NEEDED
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Smart Board
Classroom Rules
Bulletin board paper
Pencils
Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencils
Quote about Teamwork
Book Chalk and Cheese by Tim Warnes (if finish lesson early)

G. PROCEDURE
Prep:
Get a large piece of bulletin board paper for the whole class to share at the same time
Trace my hand/arm on a part of the bulletin board paper and color it a mixture of pretty colors.
This will serve as a model for the students when I am describing the instructions, so they
understand the task that they will complete.
Engage:
Write Community on the smart board with missing letters.
Tell the class the definition of community (A place where people live, work, and play)
Have the students raise their hand and guess what the word is. Allow students to guess.
Complete the word when someone guess correctly by writing in the correct letters.

Implementation:
Describe to students how people in a community work together
Describe to the class how our class is a community. Ask, How do we work together? Can you
name someone in your class community? Allow some students to state their answers.
State how every community has rules. Remind students of how we have class rules. Name the
rules. Tell students that if we work together and follow these rules, then we can all learn.
Tell students how all communities have a leader(s). Ask, Who is the leader in our class
community? (Mrs. Lowery/Me). Yes, and we are going to do our best to help you all learn.
Bulletin Board Paper Activity:
Today, we are going to work together as a class community to complete a task.
Tell students to get a pencil and then gather around the large piece of bulletin board paper, so they
circle around the paper, with minimum gaps.
Describe to the students the instructions for the activity:
1. Each of you will trace your hand/arm on the bulletin paper in the space right in front of
you.
2. Show them my hand model to show them an example. Model/show students how their
hands will create a circle when they all finish tracing their hands.
3. First, trace your hand/arm with a pencil. If you need help, you can ask the person beside
you to trace your hand for you (this is where getting along, and working together will
play a role). Students must work together, so they each have their own space for their
hand/arm. Students will begin to see if they fight, and if they do not work together, then
this activity will become more challenging.
4. After you have traced your hand/arm, write your name by your hand.
5. Get your coloring utensils (crayons/markers) and color your hand/arm whatever colors
you would like! Tell students that the more colorful the hand the better, and to make your
own, unique design. When students are coloring, mention that every hand will be
different because every student is different. But, we are all in the same community, and
we work together to create masterpieces like this one we are creating together!
Closure:
Hang/hold the bulletin board paper up, so every student can see all of the colorful hands.
Tell students to raise their hand if they would like to say some kind words about another
classmates hand. Tell students to say one kind comment about a classmates hand. (What do you
like?)
Have students reflect on their experience when they created the hands on the bulletin board paper.
Prompt students with questions:
1. How did you all work together on that activity?
2. What went well?
3. What went wrong?
4. What could we have done better?
5. How did you contribute?
After this lesson is completed, write a quote in the middle of the circle of hands the students
created. Quote: Together as a classroom community, we can accomplish anything.
Show the students the quote and then hand the completed masterpiece out in the hallway.
If individual students finish early have them help other students. Or, have them go back to their
desk to trace their other hand and decorate it.

If all students finish early, and theres still time, read Chalk and Cheese by Tim Warnes. Discuss
book and how people with different backgrounds can come together and get along.

H. DIFFERENTIATION

Content

Process

Product

Interest

Readiness

Students have a
choice of how to
decorate/color
their hand on the
paper.

I. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT
IT?

No one may be able to come up with the word community at the beginning of the lesson.
o Give them more hints in addition to the definition of community. Hints could include, your
classroom is one, your school is one, your neighborhood is one, Lynchburg is one, and they
have leaders and rules
Students could fight over space on the bulletin board paper
o Guide students to try to solve the problem themselves by asking, what could you do to solve
this issue? How could you help during this activity? (Give each other more space,
compromise, and work together).
When I question students at the end of the lesson and have them reflect on the activity, students may
not be able to think of anything that went wrong or right.
o Guide them by commenting on what I noticed while observing them through this activity.
When I ask students to say kinds words on the second day of this lesson, I may not receive a
response.
o Model a compliment, by saying a kind comment about a students hand. Then have students
give it a try. (I will probably model this anyway for students) They could also share
something about their own hand.
Someone may say something negative about another students hand instead of something positive.
o Say, Lets say something that is kind. Say something that will help our classroom
community.