Combined Grade 1&2 Unit Outline People and Environments

Grades: 1/2 Overall Expectations Big Ideas

Strand: People and Environments Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 1 Grade2 Grade Specific Strand Titles: Application B1. describe some similarities Cause and Cause and 1: Local Community B1. describe some aspects and differences in the ways in Consequence Consequence 2: Global Community of the interrelationship which people in two or more Our actions can have The climate and between people and the communities in different parts an impact on the physical features of a natural and built features of of the world meet their needs natural and built region affect how Common Concepts of Social Studies Thinking their community, with a and have adapted to the features of the people in that region focus on how the features of location, climate, and physical community, so it is live. Cause and Consequence and services in the features of their regions important for us to Interrelationships community meet people’s act responsibly. needs Significance

Inquiry B2. use the social studies B2. use the social studies Significance: Significance inquiry process to inquiry process to investigate Patterns and Trends  How communities meet needs of people investigate some aspects of aspects of the A community The world is made the interrelationship interrelationship between the consists of different  Physical and built features and climate up of many different between people and natural environment, including areas, each of which different natural and built the climate, of selected regions, which have affect both local and global communities has a specific layout distinct features of their local communities and the ways in and characteristics.  How people can harm and/or help a local community, with a focus on which people in those characteristics. significant short-and long- communities live or global community term effects of this interrelationship Understanding B3. describe significant B3. identify and locate various Interrelationships Interrelationships: Context aspects of their community, physical features and Communities have Patterns and Trends with reference to different selected communities around natural and built Different people have areas, services, and natural the world, and describe some features and provide adapted to similar and built features, aspects of people’s ways of services that help climate and physical demonstrating an life in those communities meet the needs of features in similar understanding of some the people who live ways. basic ways of describing and work there. location and measuring distance Combined Grade Unit Assessment -also look at framing questions on overview page Overarching Question Assessment of Learning Options Grade 1Grade 2 See attached document for sample learning options. *Conferencing, anecdotal notes, student conversations and presentations are part of ongoing assessment.

See attached document. How does knowing about the climate and natural and built features help me to connect to local *same as grade 1 and global communities?Big Ideas Learning Goals for the Unit Grade 1Grade 2I am learning to describe the features of a community.

I am learning to describe my local community, and how it gives us what we need. I am learning to discuss how we can help or harm the community. I can discuss how climate and physical features affect how our local community meets our needs. Communities are built on peoples’ wants and needs I can learn about a global community and how the climate and physical features affect the people and Local and global communities are affected by the physical and built features and climate their lives. Members of the community have an impact (positive and negative) on the area in which they live I am learning to look at my local community and tell how the location of the buildings and We are inclusive of all culturesFraming Questions services meet our needs. 3.I can learn about ways in which people can be helpful and harmful to their local and global community.I am learning to understand that we are all part of God’s family by showing empathy and respect for diverse groups in our community.

How does climate, location and natural and built features change how a community looks in 4.I am learning to understand that we are all part of God’s family by showing empathy and different areas of the local community and/or world? respect for diverse groups in our world. HowWhat does Spatial a global Literacy or local Skills community and activities meet theare needsintroduced of its citizens,and/or developed? and how can citizens help or harmGraphs, the tallies,community? pictographs, bar graphs (gr. 2) How to use maps, globes and atlases Creation and analysis of elements of maps: legend, symbols, title, cardinal direction, relative location Identifying and locating continents, significant bodies of water, hemispheres, poles, and equator on maps and globes (gr. 2) Culminating Learning Activity – Grade1/2 – This is an ongoing activity to be done over time. – People and Environments To be done after the students in grade 1 have an understanding of the types of buildings in their community , the wants and needs of the community and how natural and built features are incorporated into the community. Grade 2’s will have to be familiar, in part, to a global community and the climate, physical features and the connection to their own community. (List of videos, clips listed at the end to give the Grade 2’s some understanding of various global communities. List of a few books that would be beneficial too.)

Grade 1 Grade 2 Begin by brainstorming through discussions what they recall about the types of buildings in their community. (e.g. we have a recreation center) Grade 2’s can be part of this discussion as they will be doing a similar mural for a global community. The Grade 2’s will need a recall of features of their own community before they can look at global communities. Connect the type of building they choose to its function and how it affects the community (e.g. the recreation center gives us a place to play hockey, for me to take my swimming lessons, for my Mom to take yoga etc…). Grade 2’s can be thinking “Does this hold true for my global community too?” “Do people in global communities use outdoor space the same way we do?” Connect this same building to how it affects them personally (e.g. I can learn to play a sport, I can stay healthy by being active, my Mom can relax and have fun with her friends)

To begin the mural, have the students decide on the type of building they want to add. Some may decide While the grades 1’s are making their plan, work with the grade 2’s on what features they are going to put in on houses (decide on 2 storey, townhouses, apartments,) and how they would create that. I would add their mural. The grade 2’s murals will be on a global community that has a noticeably different climate or windows, doors, etc…). Let them use a blank paper to make a plan for the building. (Arts D1.3,D1.4). physical features to our own (e.g. Uganda, Iceland). How are the houses the grade 1’s will be doing different from the grade 2’s? Why are they different? (warmer climate, no snow, etc…) What physical features do we need to add? (water pump, near a river for water supply, trees for shade …). Let the grade 2’s use a blank piece of paper to plan for their mural by sketching items or jotting words down to be sure they include them. (Arts D1.3,D1.4)

While the grade 2’s work on their plan brainstorm with the grade 1’s the natural features we want to add The Grade 2’s can independently begin to make some of the natural features of their global community with to the mural. (Park, trees, stream etc…) You can pre-cut these out of construction paper or do a separate construction paper. ( trees grown in their global community, mountains, etc…) lesson where the students make these with construction paper to be glued on the mural when you are ready. Prior to this part of the lesson, make large cardboard geometric shapes ( Mathematics – Geometry and Spatial Sense) that can be used as tracers for the buildings. Some students may need these but some may prefer free hand. Provide construction paper of different colours and sizes for the students to use for their buildings.

Once the Grade 1 students have their specific building discuss where they should paste the building and why, explaining their thinking or you guiding their thinking. (e.g Why should the library go near the school or houses? Why is better for the park to be near the houses and not the shopping mall? – Each child’s answer should be explored for their “thinking” – “I would put the park near the mall so we can go there after we go shopping.” During this discussion the grade 2’s can be listening in to make the connections to their mural. Grade 2’s would be focussed more on the physical features of the community, not only adding buildings but also characteristics. ( e.g dirt roads, hatched roofs, animals in the village). Discuss with the students how they decided to put the housing beside the stream (this is their water source because they have no running water like we do in my community).

Both grades can begin to assemble their murals – this can also be an ongoing process. Once the mural is done in both grades discuss what features they may have left out and want to add by colouring in ( grade 1’s may want to add street signs, streams, ramps for wheelchairs etc… grade 2’s may need to add location specific details – e.g. certain types of trees etc…) Note: For a more hands on activity - the exact same steps above can be used by having the students make paper bags buildings. Give each student a paper bag and they stuff it( newspaper) and create a building by having it fully upright (apartment) or folded down ( library, church, restaurant etc… ). They add the features using construction paper. You will have to have a large space to display the community (preferably a large table in a central location- library). Cover the top of the table with mural paper to add the parks, rivers etc…. for grade 1 and the dirt roads etc… for grade 2) By using the paper bags you can move the buildings around as the students discuss the best locations. (e.g. “Let’s move the recreation center closer to the houses.” –grade 1 “Let’s put the huts closer to the trees for shade.” grade 2.

Extensions – Literacy Give each student a strip of paper to add a sentence to the mural using one of the following ideas; what is the building, why is it needed, do you use it, etc… e.g. “This is the community center. I like to go to Cubs there. We can do lots of other things too.” Grade 2’s - Describe how the building, feature they choose is related to the physical feature, location or climate of the global community. “The water well is in the middle of the houses because they people don’t have indoor water.” “The students are on snowmobiles because the roads are not always clear for cars.” Let the students label the mural with simple words – both grades (e.g. library, school, etc…) Grade 2’s – can do a persuasive writing piece – Why I would like to visit/live in their global community.

Videos for Global Community Schools – good introduction to comparing communities for Grade 2’s • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A09HhxXht4 • - Japan • • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLvEF9widzk • - Uganda • • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejc--LybbKo • - Ireland

Book Resources

Capstone Publishers – Our World series – small information books on various countries that are independently readable for Grade 2’s .

Capstone Press (same company as above) - slightly more difficult series with information about each continent – still readable but may require some assistance.

Sea to Sea Publishers – various titles “Living in Kenya” for example – the most difficult read but still within range for more independent readers.