My Role Within My Community:

through the eyes of an anthropologist!

Gr. 1 S.S.
Main Inquiry Question: What is my role within my
community?

Unit 1 MY community within OUR community

Rationale/Overview: The main purpose of this unit is to help students to

understand that they themselves belong to a unique community within the larger
community in which they ALL reside. Ex. Mr. Ehrmans individual community within
the community of Olds. Students will come to identify and understand their unique
role within their communities, as well as identifying and understanding the
diversity within the larger community. The unit will focus on real examples from
the students lives, as well as form the broader community.

This will all be done through an anthropological lens, allowing students to take on a
real-life job to investigate their life, and the life of other community members.

This unit provides a fundamental foundation that scaffolds the units that follow,
ultimately allowing students to answer the main inquiry question by the end.

Assessments for the unit will mostly be formative, as social studies, and especially
this unit, cant be assessed in a hard and physical way. Each student is unique,
and therefore each student will be assessed in a way that is unique to their
learning. The students ability to communicate orally and through visual means
(ex. Drawing on worksheets to represent) will comprise most of the
assessment. If needed, other types of assessment will be used. Please see
assessment section below for further details.
GLO: 1.1 My World: Home, School, and Community

Unit Inquiry Question: What is my community?

Questions related to unit, including SLOs:

- What is community? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.5)

- What elements make a community? (1.1.1, 1.1.2)
- What are some attributes of my community (Olds)? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.5)
- What groups can be found within my community? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3)
- What groups do I belong to within my community? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3)
- Are my groups also little mini communities? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3)
- What are some similarities and differences between groups within my
community? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4)
- What elements make up MY community? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3)

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.3 develop skills of geographic thinking
- 1.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus
building
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.7 apply the research process
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

Attitudes:

- K.2.1 value how personal stories express what it means to belong (I)
- K.2.2 value and respect significant people in their lives: appreciate the
important contributions of individuals at home, at school and in the
community (C, CC)
- K.2.3 appreciate how their participation in their communities affects their
sense of belonging (CC, I)

Cross-Curricular Competencies

- A. Know how to learn

- B. Think critically
 - D. Manage information
- F. Create opportunities
- G. Apply multiple literacies
- H. Demonstrate good communication skills and the ability to work
cooperatively with others
- J. Identify and apply career and life skills
- ** There is a location in each lesson plan for KSAs and CCCs to be added.
However, these have been left blank, and are intended to be filled in at a
date that is closer to the lessons date of execution as things may change
once teaching starts.

KSAs Highlighted in Unit (interim KSAs used): a, c, d, e, f, I, j, M!!, n

- ** There is a location in each lesson plan for KSAs and CCCs to be added.
However, these have been left blank, and are intended to be filled in at a
date that is closer to the lessons date of execution as things may change
once teaching starts.

Key Concepts:

- Community
- Identity
- Citizen(ship)
- You, me, us (individuality vs. group)

Assessments:

- Most assessment will be done formatively, eventually culminating in a

summative assessment mark. There is also opportunity for self-assessment
and peer-assessment, mostly in the form of sharing work with each other
and then having the chance to reflect and change own work. Students will be
given a summative mark based on the system the school already has in place.
(1 Excelling Within Grade Level, 2 Meeting Grade Level, 2- - Beginning to
Achieve Grade Level, 3 Not Yet Meeting Grade Level). This will be done
using a checklist (found in the coming pages). Each lesson is based around a
question (ex. What is a community?) and therefore each lesson inherently
becomes an I CAN STATEMENT. Students will complete the I Can
Statement if they complete the corresponding SLOs for the lesson/unit.
Like previously said, this assessment will mostly be done through formatively
assessing students communication of meeting SLOs through discussion, me
 listening, and their work. Notes will be kept on each students progress and
completion of the I Can Statement. Because of the grade level, grade
one, formative assessment is the most important type of assessment to
use. Formative assessment allows assessment to be tailored to fit each
student specifically.

Organization:

- Each student will be given a folder that will act as an anthropology logbook.
All their paper work from each lesson will be placed in their logbook.
Anthropologists use logbooks for their job, and therefore I will at some
point show students some real-life examples of anthropology logbooks that
can be found online to apply their learning to real-life examples.

Resources: Each lesson does not have a resource section, however resources are
listed in the lesson plans within the larger body of text.

Lessons:

1. What is community? (SLOs 1.1.1, 1.1.2,

1.1.5) Students will investigate the concept of
community by interacting with different
definitions of community from different
sources.
2. What elements make my community? (1.1.1,
1.1.2, 1.1.5) Based on the prior investigation,
students will identify elements that make a
community (ex. People, jobs, landmarks, clubs,
church groups), linking them directly to the
community of Olds.
3. Can I be an anthropologist in my community?
(1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.5) Based on
the job of an anthropologist, investigating
culture and community, students will start by
investigating their own sense of community
before branching out to investigating the sense
of community held by others.
4. How does geography effect my community?
(1.1.5) Based on the geographic make up of
the community, students will understand and
identify how geography effects community,
especially their community in the end.
5. What are some groups within my community?
(1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4) Students will
interact with community members, taking on the
role of an anthropologist, interviewing them
regarding their involvement in the community and
the groups they belong to within the community.
6. What is a group that I belong to in my
community? And what groups do my classmates
belong to? (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4)
Students will interact with each other in a speed
dating activity that will allow them to showcase a
group they belong to, as well as learning about
 the groups their classmates belong to. Students
will have to bring an object to class that
symbolically represents a group they belong to.
Objects can be anything (a picture, a book, a
cross, a toy, ect).
Unit Final Project:
MY community within OUR community What is my
community? What is your community? What is our
community?
- Students will create a venn diagram in the form of a placemat. Students will
have to identify their own understanding of community, the understanding of
community their partner holds, and the common understanding of community
that both them and their partner hold, all in a visual way through drawing.

Example of checklist/notes used for formative

assessment:
Name of I can identify I can identify I can be an I can identify
what the elements anthropologist how geography
student community is. that make up a to investigate effects my
1.1.1, 1.1.2, community. and understand community.
1.1.5 1.1.1, 1.1.2, my community. 1.1.5
1.1.5 1.1.1, 1.1.2,
1.1.3, 1.1.4,
1.1.5
Rick Did not grasp Starting to
concept yet. grasp concept
Sarah Yes Identified all
elements on
worksheet

Checklist used for summative assessment based on

schools grading criteria (each student will have their
own)(a checklist such as this will be used for entire
unit, as well as for the final project for the unit):
Example:
I Can 1 I know 2 I know -2 I can 3 This is
Statement/SLO this so well I this fairly figure this too hard
s could teach well out with help
someone else
I can identify
what community
is.
1.1.1, 1.1.2,
1.1.5

Lesson 1
What is community?
 - Students will investigate the concept of community by interacting with
different definitions of community from different sources.

Purpose: To allow students to grasp the meaning of community as a concept from

various sources.

SLOs: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.5

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.3 develop skills of geographic thinking
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.7 apply the research process
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

KSA/CCC:

Assessment: Assessment will be done through interacting with students and

through their assignment, specifically looking for their ability to understand the
meaning/concept of community. Formative.

Intro
- Attention Grabber tell story of my own community when I was in grade
one
- With students remaining at their desks, I will ask them What is
community? to gauge initial understanding of the concept of community.
- Students will then have the opportunity to tell a friend what they think
community is. Students will have a set timer, with a time of one minute.
Students will then have the opportunity to share what their friend said.
- I will write their ideas on the board.

Body
- The students and I will then engage in investigating the following sources.
- After each source is looked at, students will engage in group conversation
about how these sources answer the question What is community?
Responses from their conversation will be recorded by me on webs placed on
the board.
 - Investigating the last source, pictures I have taken from various places in
the community, will allow the students to be placed in groups. Groups will be
decided by selecting popsicle sticks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tcix328XmU video shows elementary school

kids discussing community form their perspective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIVVn6tFK7s video follows a young boy

Casey, who describes three different types of communities and the elements that
make up these communities

http://www.olds.ca/default.htm - Town of Olds website

Pictures of the Olds community hard copies for students to look at in groups

BRAIN BREAK!!! then have students take a seat on the carpet

Closing
- The main goal in closing this lesson is to draw attention back to the main
question, What is Community?
- After recapping the information gathered from the sources, and asking
students how the information contributes to answering the lessons inquiry
questions, I will show the students the assignment (drawing a picture to
answer the question What is community), employing their ability to
perform visual literacy.
- After modeling the assignment, I will ask students for ideas on what they
could draw.
- Students will return to their desks. Two students will hand out assignment.
I will circulate the classroom to make sure students are on track, asking
them about what they will be drawing to represent the lessons inquiry
question.
- If time allows, let a few students share their work.

Lesson 2
What elements make my community?
 - Based on the prior investigation, students will identify elements that make a
community (ex. People, jobs, landmarks, clubs, church groups), linking them
directly to the community of Olds.

Purpose: To allow students to identify elements that make up their community.

SLOs: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.5

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.3 develop skills of geographic thinking
- 1.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus
building
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

KSA/CCC:

Assessment: Assessment will be done through interacting with students and

through their assignment, specifically looking for their ability to identify elements
that make up their community. Formative.

Intro
- Attention Grabber show students the artifact bag we will be using, explain
the activity that will soon ensue.
- Students will remain at their desks
- We will review the previous lesson, emphasizing elements that make a
community (people living and working together in a certain place). Students
will reflect upon their previous assignment, revisiting what they think makes
a community.
- I will then ask the question, What elements make up the community of
Olds? (looking for answers such as stores, jobs, schools, hockey, churches,
OES)
- I will tell them the Miriam-Webster definition of community, reading it to
them in a way that is applicable to gr. 1.

Body
 - Students will head to the carpet and engage in an artifact bag activity.
- The artifact bag will contain a toy tractor, toy car, grocery bag from
Coop/Walmart, a cross, a wrench, a map of Alberta, a take-out menu from
Tasty Thai and from Star Indian restaurant, a hockey skate, an Olds
Elementary year book, picture of Kiwanis Club Playground, ect.... Students
will be asked how the artifact relates to the community of Olds, relating it
back to elements that make up a community. This activity is meant to
scaffold the following activity. ** This may be as far as we get this day!

- What are four things that my community has? Students will be given a
work sheet in which to draw four things/elements that can be found in Olds.
- Before student begin by themselves, we will do a couple examples as a class.
- I will circulate throughout the classroom, formatively assessing students
while they complete their worksheet.

Closing
- We will readdress the lessons inquiry question. Each student will have to
tell the class one element that they drew. I will then ask the class why it is
important to know what elements are found within the community of Olds
(looking specifically for language/answers that relate to the inquiry
question).

Lesson 3
Can I Be an Anthropologist In My Community?
 - Based on the job of an anthropologist, investigating culture and community,
students will start by investigating their own sense of community before
branching out to investigating the sense of community held by others.

Purpose: To connect students to their community, and the concept of community,

by investing in community elements that are unique to them.

SLOs: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.5

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.3 develop skills of geographic thinking (the day before, students will
have read two books with me, outlining the difference between rural and
urban communities)
- 1.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus
building
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.7 apply the research process
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

KSA/CCC:

Assessment: Assessment will be done by me through class interaction/discussion,

assessment of students worksheet, and student self-assessment through peer
interaction. Formative and Self-Assessment.

Intro
- Allow students to move to carpet.
- Attention Grabber Give students a real-life community example of the
work sheet activity they will complete (Ms. Anyssa, the lady who runs Jungle
Junction in the school. I will contact her prior, allowing her to fill in her own
worksheet). I will allow students to GUESS the answers. Ex. What do you
think Ms. Anyssas favourite place to eat is? Students will be aloud to talk
to a neighbor about their answers. This is done to get their mind thinking
about the community of Olds.
- Delve into a conversation about anthropology, telling them of how Ive
studied anthropology at University and how the work they are doing now
 makes them starter-anthropologists!!! SUPER DUPER enthusiasm needed
here! Explain to students that I want them to think as Anthropologists
from now on when doing social studies! Social Studies is now
Anthropologist Time!!!!
- I will then ask students, Can I Be An Anthropologist In My Community?
Review the job of an anthropologist again, and what sorts of things an
anthropologist does when investigating community.

Body
- Explain the worksheet to the students while still at the carpet.
- Allow students to return to their desks and start filling in the worksheet
(done through drawings and printing if capable), category by category.
Scaffold each category by asking students for examples, making sure to
emphasize that each students should pick something that is true to
themselves, and not something that someone else says.
- If needed for motivation, set timer for each section.
- Provide a brain break if needed.

Closing

- Once students are done, I will ask the class how the activity we just did
links to being anthropologists. Here I will be looking for specific terminology
that centers around understanding elements of community.
- As part of the self-assessment, students will find two piers to converse
with, showing each other their work. Students will be in charge of ensuring
that each others work represents elements from their community, making
sure that they can explain their elements to each other. I will circulate the
classroom listening during this time.
- If time, students will be able to guess the answers to my worksheet. This
gives them more opportunity to get to know me.
- Thumbs up, thumbs down. Have students close their eyes and ask them to
be as honest as possible!!! Ask students Can I Be An Anthropologist In My
Community? Look for responses.
 - Ask Students, What Do I Need To Do To Be An Anthropologist In My
Community? as an exit food for thought.

Lesson 4
How Does Geography Effect My Community?
 - *** This lesson is intended to fit in where ever possible in the unit. It
does not necessarily involve the lesson that came before, or the lesson
that will come after. It is intended to tie into the larger picture of the
unit itself.
- Based on the geographic make up of the community, students will understand
and identify how geography effects community, especially their community in
the end.

Purpose: Geography has massive effects on community make up. This lesson is
intended to help students understand the geographic features that shape their
community, allowing them to identify these geographic attributes. Understanding
will be based upon looking at other communities through picture analysis and books.

SLOs: 1.1.5

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.3 develop skills of geographic thinking
- 1.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus
building
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.7 apply the research process
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

KSA/CCC:

Assessment: Students will be given a checklist that will be placed on the board (1.
Describe the geography of the community, 2. Describe what it would be like to live
in this community). When engaging in conversation, students will need to make sure
they are completing the two jobs on the list. I will circulate the classroom, asking
students questions centered around the checklist, listening for appropriate
responses.

Intro
- Students will be asked to locate to the carpet. I will pose the question,
How Does Geography Effect My Community? Based on the answers I
receive from this question I will assess the students knowledge on
 geography. This is a term that will most likely need to be discussed before
going further into the lesson.
- I will then read a book that holds elements of geography (ex. Book about
living in a city or in a rural area). This book will be determined at a later
date, attempting to apply it to a current even in the community. The
community news paper could also be used here.
- A short discussion that focusses on geographys impact on community will
follow. This conversation will scaffold the following activity.

Body
- Students will complete a picture analysis activity in which they have to form
groups, each group receiving a different picture of a unique community in
Albert/and or/Canada.
- Before students get into groups, we will do an example picture analyses or
two as a class together. This is where the checklist will be introduced,
explaining to students that I will be looking for their ability to complete the
check list.
- Allow students to get into pre-made groups based on learning level. Each
group should have three members. Someone in each group needs to be the
discussion leader. A conversation about what the role of a discussion leader
is will need to take place. The discussion leader will attain a discussion leader
object to signify their job. Not only will I be assessing the SLOs for this
lesson, but also the students ability to work together in groups.
- After students have been given ample time to complete the activity (this
amount of time will be decided by me, gauging how the discussion is going). A
timer could also be set for this time period.
- Discussion group leaders will be asked if they and their groups feel
confident about completing the checklist (self-assessment?).
- Students will be given a sheet of blank paper in which they need to record
(by drawing a picture) one major geographical element that each group
presents regarding their picture of a community.
- As each group presents, students need to be listening carefully so that they
can record a geographical element from each group on their piece of paper.
This should all be linked, at the time, to the job of an anthropologist.
Closing
- As a closing activity, students will be asked to close their eyes, visualizing
the community of Olds. Based on the previous activity, student will then
turn to a partner and tell them a geographic element of Olds. Students may
then turn their blank sheet of paper over and record a geographic feature
of Olds that effects life here. I will be looking for a specific example such
as farm land, snow in the winter, the way houses look. This will be used as
a type of exit slip for assessment, do they understand how geography
effects Olds?

Lesson 5
What Are Some Groups Within My Community?
- Students will interact with community members, taking on the role of an
anthropologist, interviewing them regarding their involvement in the
community and the groups they belong to within the community.
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to get the students familiar with people in
their community, the types of groups in the community, and what it means to be a
part of these groups. This is intended to scaffold student learning so that they
can identify the role they themselves play in community groups.

SLOs: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus
building
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.7 apply the research process
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

KSA/CCC:

Assessment: assessment will be done after the lesson by asking students to

verbally reflect on the interviewing process. I will ask questions such as: what
groups the interviewees belong to, their roles in these groups, and the symbols of
each group.

Intro
- I will introduce our community guests and remind students of appropriate
behaviour (this will need to be reviewed the previous day/morning of).
- I will remind students of how the interview process works (** The day(s)
prior we would have spent some carpet time coming up with questions
that the students can ask the interviewees. These questions will focus
around: what groups people belong to, what happens within the groups,
what the groups do, their role in the group, and symbols that represent
their groups, ect) Selected students will ask the questions (questions will
be memorized, written on paper, or whispered to them by me).

Body
- The interviewing activity will begin. Students will be on the carpet during
this activity.
 - Each community member will be given 5-10 minutes to be interview. Three
community members will be present (Marg a senior from the A&W coffee
group, high school student a member of the drama club, some other
community member Kiwanis club member, hockey team member, ect..)
- If time remains, students will be able to ask any questions they want to the
interviewees! This could be funnnny!!! ;)

Closing
- We will thank our guests, present them with small gifts, discuss why it is
important to thank them, and then I will ask them questions recapping the
information we heard from our guests.
- I will mainly be looking for students abilities to answer the question, What
are some groups within my community?

Lesson 6
What is a group that I belong to? And what groups
do my classmates belong to?
- Students will interact with each other in a speed dating activity that will
allow them to showcase a group they belong to, as well as learning about the
 groups their classmates belong to. Students will have to bring an object to
class that symbolically represents a group they belong to. Objects can be
anything (a picture, a book, a cross, a toy, ect).

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to allow students to understand the

various groups that their classmates belong to, grasping a feeling of the diversity
of groups within the community of Olds.

SLOs: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus
building
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

KSA/CCC:

Assessment: Assessment will be done formatively, as I will be looking specifically

for students to explain the groups they belong to, as well as their ability to ask
each other critical questions about each others groups. Language I will be looking
for as I listen in on conversations is: connection of their objects to their groups,
their role in their groups, what their groups do, ect Very simply language is what
I will look for.

Intro
- I will bring an object that symbolizes a group I belong to. I will then model,
with another student, a speed dating conversation, identifying what students
should be discussing and the types of questions they will ask each other.
- Go over appropriate behavior for activity.

Body Speed Dating Community Group Interview

- Allow students to get into a circle, where I will identify As and Bs. As will
forma circle, shoulders touching and facing out. Bs will form a circle looking
 at the As. Each student should have a partner (if even number of students
are present).
- I will set a timer and allow for each student to spend 2 minutes on their
object, and a further 2 minutes for students to ask their partners
questions. Each group should spend up to 6 minutes together in discussion

Closing

- Students will return to their desks with their object.

- As an exit slip, I will ask each student to identify a group that someone they
interviewed belongs to, and why they might like to be part of that group.
Based on their responses, especially on why they might want to be a part of
another group, I will look for their ability to answer the question What is
a group that I belong to? And what groups do my classmates belong to?
in a broad sense.

Unit Final Project (3 classes)

MY community within OUR community What is my
community? What is your community? What is our
community?
- Students will work in groups of two, completing a placemat that depicts their
own individual idea of community, and then their partners idea of community,
as well as something they both share in common regarding their concepts of
 their communities. The placemats will include the following visual aspect:
elements that make up their community, as well as their partners
community (favourite places to spend time, buildings, favourite places to
eat, places they shop at, geographic aspects of community), groups they
belong to with corresponding symbols of groups, as well as groups their
partners belong to with their corresponding symbols, a community
element that they both have in common. A checklist with these
aspect/elements will be used. The placemat will basically follow the layout
of a Venn Diagram. The placemat serves as a visual that ties all the SLOs
from the unit together, tying together the students learning from the unit
to produce a document that will contribute to the overall inquiry question
What is my role within my community? that also over arches the units to
follow.

Purpose: To allow students to use the skills and knowledge they have acquired to
produce a document that sums up their learning. The placemat will have further
purpose when completing the final inquiry project.

SLOs: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.5

Skills:

- 1.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

- 1.S.3 develop skills of geographic thinking
- 1.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus
building
- 1.S.6 develop age-appropriate behaviour for social involvement as responsible
citizens contributing to their community
- 1.S.7 apply the research process
- 1.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

KSA/CCC:

Assessment: Assessment for, as, and of learning will be used for this
assignment. Throughout the process, I will engage students individually in
conversation about their placemat, making sure the elements I have listed above
(the elements I will be looking for) are included in their placemats. Once students
have finished their first draft, they will have the opportunity to peer-assess, and
then self-assess, by doing a silent gallery walk of each others work. Students will
also receive comments form me on how to improve their work. Students will then
be given the chance to improve their work, and their placemats will be marked
according to the schools 1-3 grade rating. The grade will be placed upon the
students ability to meet the I Can Statements (each lesson reflects an I Can
Statement, ie. Does the students work answer the lessons questions?).

Activity: This activity will span three classes.

- Students will be shown an example of a placemat created by me. I will

explain what I am looking for, once the placemats will be marked, giving the
students a type of checklist to follow.
- As a class, we will create an example placemat on the board. The placemat
will be mine, and I will select a partner (a student) to help me fill in the your
and our portions of the placemat.
- I will explain to the students how the placemat will be assessed, as well as
the self and peer-assessment opportunities they will have.
- I will emphasize the importance of creating this placemat in terms of their
anthropological jobs, highlighting that they will have a chance at the end of
the assignment to become museum curators where they will showcase their
placemats from an anthropological perspective.

- Students will get into premade groups of two, starting their assignment.
Students will use their work form their anthropological notebooks as
informational material to reflect upon. A portion of time will be spent
getting to know their partners idea of community. This will then be followed
by completing their half of the placemat, visually depicting both their own,
and their partners idea community. Upon finishing these two sections, the
groups will decide on a community element that they both share. This will be
done by comparing their anthropology notebooks, looking for similarities.
- This activity/creation of the placemat will not be super structured. I
want the students to explore their learning. The activity will progress
as it organically unfolds over three classes.
- Once everyone has completed their placemats, they will be split into two
groups. An afternoon before home-time will be devoted to a museum exhibit
time, and each group will locate themselves with their poster at a spot within
the classroom. While one group curates their poster, as an anthropologist
would do in a museum, the other group will gallery walk the museum, asking
questions. The groups will then switch. I will then ask the class to share a
highlight of something they learnt during the gallery walk as an exit slip to
get their stuff ready for home-time.