Educating leaders for tomorrow

The intent of this lesson is to demonstrate the need for (student) citizens to assume learning and leading roles and behaviors that will better ensure a successful future.

A lesson plan for grades 2–3 Social Studies

By David Newsome

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Related pages

• Community and Government: This sampling of instructional resources will help students from elementary through high school learn about their communities, the federal, state, and local governments, and how to be responsible and effective citizens.
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• Introduction to community helpers: This is a introductory lesson to a unit on community helpers. It will begin to help students to identify different types of community helpers and the jobs they perform.

Related topics

• Learn more about character education, citizenship, civics, community, guidance, responsibility, and social studies.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• become more aware of the Buncombe County Schools Character Traits
• distinguish between responsible and irresponsible behavior
• be more motivated to participate in the “Good Character Counts” program in our school, resulting in recognition on WSTS-TV and a visit to the Assistant Principal’s office for appropriate behavior
• experience “judging” student behavior from the Principal’s perspective

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 week

Materials/resources

• 
  Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg
• List of definitions of key terms.
• Post-test in the EOG format.
• Simulation activity to role-play student as principal activity.
• Thinking Maps.

Technology resources

• Computer with television connection for easier visibility for the entire class.
• Access to Ben’s Guide To U.S. Government for Kids. This is an internet site designed to instruct children on the functions of the government.

Pre-activities

The classroom teacher/administrator will conduct a Paideia seminar on the book Johnny Appleseed to introduce the concepts of community responsibilities and rights.

Activities

1. The instructor will use the internet site Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids to explore the issue of citizenship. Go to the site and click on Citizenship and then click on Responsibilities. The teacher will read aloud to the students and ask for volunteers to read selected parts of the text. This will serve as a way to introduce the lesson, as well as referencing the seminar that has already been conducted in a previous lesson.
2. Instructor will use a circle map to pose the question, “What makes a successful student?” Examples of words to be included in the map are caring, honest, responsible, etc.
3. Instructor will distribute a list of definitions and have the students provide examples of the concepts through class discussion.
4. Students will have the opportunity to be “Principal for the Day” and resolve a conflict presented to them by the instructor. They will offer their resolution in writing (paragraph form) to be read to the rest of the class.
5. Students will take a post-test on the definitions using the EOG format.

Assessment

• Appropriate use of the Thinking (circle) Map. Correct words are present: caring, responsible, honesty, committed, truthful, etc.
• Student papers offering resolution of the conflict presented to them. Use the standard rubric created for North Carolina writing assessments.
  • 4= The response exhibits a strong command of narrative writing.
  • 3= The response exhibits a reasonable command of narrative writing.
  • 2= The response exhibits a weak command of narrative writing.
  • 1= The response exhibits a lack of command of narrative writing.
  • NS= unscorable
• Successful performance of the post-test, scoring eighty percent or more.

Supplemental information

For more information on Thinking Maps, see their website.

Comments

It is my belief that behavior has a tremendous effect on the capability for a student to learn. The more we help students and communities understand this by informing them and gaining their support for appropriate behavior, the more successful we will be as educators and as a country.