Anchored Problem	To form and build a community according to the guidelines set by an official community leader.
Literacy	Write to an audience Understand the process of voting Investigating the community How to use resources to get information and use the information in their own writing and work Using topic related vocabulary words Book making Editing Speaking in front of a group to present a problem Understanding consumers and producers in an economy Understanding goods and services
Authentic Activities	Creating a newspaper Vote on community leaders and name of town Construction and design of buildings Conducting town meetings Running a business Producing products Exchange money for goods and services Gather Data (Graphing) Create a map, plan city Making choices on goods and services City council petition principal about an issue
Background Building Activities	field trip to Kidwell Farms Frying Pan Park to view communities of the past and make comparisons Writing a letter to the Chamber of Commerce Fieldtrip to different community business’s Software "Neighborhood Map Machine", "Community Construction Kit" Parent Job Fair- Meeting parents and asking questions Video "The Lorax" look at ads discuss campaign speeches and posters, ballots and elections lessons on currency -alk about what a community includes and read books about community helpers how to write a friendly letter "With Love, Lttle Red Hen" using digital camera and editing pictures how to fill out a job application
Constructing Activities	Books Food Products to sell Signs for businesses and town Storefront Commercials Newspaper Town Cityscape (mural) Community worker with their own digital pictures (done in KidPix) Campaign posters and videos City map 3D city plan with buildings and roads
Opportunity to Share	Published Newspaper for families Discussed within each group what they learned Making graphs to inform others of business profit invite Chamber of Commerce rep to see the town in action and present the key to the city pictures and description on k-1 school website
Community	Worked in cooperative groups within their class and another class Worked collaboratively within sub groups Work individually on projects voting for community leaders
Standards	Science K.6 The student will investigate and understand basic needs and life processes of plants and animals. Key concepts include living things change as they grow and need food, water, and air to survive (horticulturist) plants and animals live and die (go through a life cycle); and offspring of plants and animals are similar but not identical to their parents and one another. SCI.K.8 The student will investigate and understand simple patterns in his/her daily life. Key concepts include weather observations (meteorologist) home and school routines. SCI.K.9 The student will investigate and understand that change occurs over time, and rates may be fast or slow. Key concepts include natural and human-made things may change over time; and changes can be noted and measured. K.12 Students will describe some ways that living things change as they grow and develop 1.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants have life needs and functional parts and can be classified according to certain characteristics. Key concepts include needs (food, air, water, light, and a place to grow); parts (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, blossom, fruit); and characteristics: edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, evergreen/deciduous. 1.7 The student will investigate and understand the relationship of seasonal change and weather to the activities and life processes of plants and animals. Key concepts include how temperature, light, and precipitation bring about changes in plants (growth, budding, falling leaves, wilting); animals (behaviors, hibernation, migration, body covering, habitat); and people (dress, recreation, work).   Math MAT.K.1 The student, given two sets containing 10 or fewer concrete items, will identify and describe one set as having more, fewer, or the same number of members as the other set, using the concept of 1 to 1 correspondence. MAT.K.2 The student, given a set containing nine or fewer concrete items, will tell how many are in the set by counting the number of items orally MAT.K.3 The student, given an ordered set of three objects and/or pictures, will indicate the ordered position of each item, from left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom, and/or bottom-to-top. MAT.K.4 The student will investigate and recognize patterns from counting by fives and tens, using concrete objects and a calculator. MAT.K.5 The student will count forward to 20 and backward from 10. MAT.K.6 The student will determine the value of a collection of pennies, using pennies or models. MAT.K.7 The student will add and subtract whole numbers using up to 10 concrete items. MAT.K.9 The student will recognize a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. MAT.K.10 The student will identify the instruments used to measure length (ruler), weight (scale), time (clock: digital and analog; calendar: day, month, and season), and temperature (thermometer). MAT.K.14 The student will identify representations of plane geometric figures (circle, triangle, square, and rectangle), regardless of their position and orientation in space. MAT.K.17 The student will display objects and information, using object and pictorial graphs and tables. MAT.K.19 The student will sort and classify objects according to similar attributes (size, shape, and color). MAT.K.20 The student will identify, describe, and extend a repeating relationship (pattern) found in common objects, sounds, and movements. MAT.1.1 The student will count objects in a given set containing between 10 and 100 objects and write the corresponding numeral. MAT.1.3 The student will count by twos, fives, and tens to 100. MAT.1.7 The student will count a collection of pennies, a collection of nickels, and a collection of dimes whose total value is 100 cents or less. MAT.1.8 The student will recall basic addition facts, sums to 10 or less, and the corresponding subtraction facts. MAT.1.17 The student will identify and describe objects in his/her environment that depict geometric figures: triangle, rectangle, square, and circle. MAT.1.10 The student will identify the number of pennies equivalent to a nickel, a dime, and a quarter. MAT.1.18 The student will investigate, identify, and describe various forms of data collection in his/her world (e.g., recording daily temperature, lunch count, attendance, and favorite ice cream). MAT.1.20 The student will sort and classify concrete objects according to one or more attributes, including color, size, shape, and thickness. English K.1 The student will demonstrate growth in the use of oral language. Listen to a variety of literary forms, including stories and poems. Participate in choral speaking and recite short poems, rhymes, songs, and stories with repeated patterns. K.2 The student will use listening and speaking vocabularies. Use number words. Use words to describe/name people, places, and things. Use words to describe location, size, color, and shape. Use words to describe action Ask about words not understood. Follow one-step and two-step directions. K.3 The student will build oral communication skills. Begin to follow implicit rules for conversation, (e.g., taking turns and staying on topic. Begin to use voice level, phrasing, sentence structure, and intonation appropriate for language situation. Listen and speak in informal conversations with peers and adults. Begin to initiate conversations. Participate in discussions about learning K.4 The student will hear, say, and manipulate phonemes (small units of sound) of spoken language. Identify orally words which rhyme. Sort words orally according to shared beginning, ending, or medial sound Blend sounds orally to make words or syllables. Divide syllables orally into sounds. K.5 The student will understand how print is organized and read. Hold print materials in the correct position. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. Follow words from left to right and top to bottom on a printed page. Match voice with print, associating oral phonemes, syllables, words, and phrases with their written forms. K.6 The student will demonstrate an understanding that print makes sense. Explain that printed materials provide information. Identify common signs and logos. Read and explain own writing and drawings. K.8 The student will demonstrate comprehension of stories. Use pictures to make predictions about story content. Retell familiar stories using beginning, middle, and end. Talk about characters, setting, and events. Use story language in discussions and retellings. Identify what an author does and what an illustrator does. K.11 The student will draw pictures and/or use letters and phonetically spelled words to write about experiences, stories, people, objects, or events. K.12 The student will explore the uses of available technology for reading and writing. 1.1 The student will continue to demonstrate growth in the use of oral language. Listen and respond to a variety of media, including books, audiotapes, videos, and other age-appropriate publications. Tell and retell stories and events in logical order. Participate in a variety of oral language activities. Be able to express ideas orally in complete sentences. 1.2 The student will continue to expand and use listening and speaking vocabularies. Increase oral descriptive vocabulary. Begin to ask for clarification and explanation of words and ideas. Give and follow simple two-step oral directions. Use singular and plural nouns. Begin to use compound words in oral communication. 1.3 The student will adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. Initiate conversation with peers and adults. Follow rules for conversation. Use appropriate voice level in small-group settings. Ask and respond to questions in small-group settings. 1.4 The student will orally identify and manipulate phonemes (small units of sound) in syllables and multisyllable words. Count phonemes (sounds) in syllables or words with a maximum of three syllables. Add or delete phonemes (sounds) orally to change syllables or words. Create rhyming words orally. Blend sounds to make word parts and words with one to three syllables. 1.5 The student will apply knowledge of how print is organized and read. Read from left to right and top to bottom. Match spoken words with print. Identify letters, words, and sentences. 1.6 The student will apply phonetic principles to read. Use beginning and ending consonants in decoding single-syllable words. Use vowel sounds in decoding single-syllable words. Blend beginning, middle, and ending sounds to recognize and read words. Use word patterns. 1.7 The student will use meaning clues when reading. Use pictures. Use knowledge of the story and topic to read words. Reread and self-correct. 1.8 The student will use language structure when reading. Use knowledge of sentence structure to read words. Reread and self-correct. 1.9 The student will integrate phonetic strategies, meaning clues, and language structure when reading. Preview the selection. Set a purpose for reading. Read with accuracy and self-correct when necessary. 1.10 The student will read familiar stories, poems, or passages with fluency and expression. 1.11 The student will read and comprehend a variety of fiction and nonfiction selections. Relate previous experiences to what is read. Make predictions about content. Ask and answer questions about what is read. Identify characters and setting. Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end. Identify the theme or main ideas. Write about what is read. 1.12 The student will write to communicate ideas. Generate ideas. Focus on one topic. Use descriptive words when writing about people, places, things, and events. Use complete sentences in final copies. Begin each sentence with a capital letter and use ending punctuation in final copies. Use correct spelling for frequently used words and phonetically regular words in final copies. Share writing with others. Use available technology. 1.13 The student will print legibly. Form letters. Space words and sentences. 1.14 The student will alphabetize words according to the first letter. Use a picture dictionary to find meanings of unfamiliar words. Make a personal dictionary or word list to use in writing.   Social Studies HSS.K.2 The student will compare and contrast the relative location of people, places, and things by placing objects using near/far, up/down, left/right, behind/in front; andlocating land and water on a map using north, east, south, and west. HSS.K.4 The student will identify symbols such as community symbols (traffic signs, traffic lights, street and highway markers, etc.); and map symbols (legend references to land, water, roads, and cities). HSS.K.5 The student will match simple descriptions of work that people do and the names of those jobs with examples from the local community. HSS.K.6 The student will identify basic economic concepts, including the difference between basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) and wants (luxuries); the practice of exchanging money for goods; and examples of people saving for the future. HSS.K.7 The student will demonstrate an understanding that being a good citizen involves important actions by taking turns and sharing; taking responsibility for certain classroom chores; care of his/her own things (pencils, clothing, papers, books) and respecting what belongs to others; identifying examples of honesty, courage, patriotism, and other admirable character traits seen in American history; and identifying examples of rules and the consequences of breaking them. HSS.1.6 The student will construct a simple map of a familiar area incorporating cardinal direction, scale, and map symbols. HSS.1.9 The student will describe the differences between human resources (people at work), natural resources (water, soil, wood, coal, etc.), and capital resources (machines, tools, etc.) used to produce different goods or services. HSS.1.10 The student will explain the difference between goods and services and will describe how people are both buyers (consumers) and sellers (producers) of goods and services. HSS.1.11 The student will explain that limits on resources require people to make choices about producing and consuming goods and services. HSS.1.12 The student will simulate the exchange of money for goods and services and will identify ways to save money. HSS.1.13 The student will describe and compare the making of some class rules by direct democracy (e.g., the entire class votes on the rules) and by representative democracy (e.g., the class elects a smaller group to make the rules).
Technology Tools	Digital camera Computer and printer TV hooked up to the computer Software: KidPix, AppleWorks, Internet, Graphic Converter, Neighborhood Map Making Machine, Community Construction Kit Video: "Lorax" Books on community helpers Coin-U-Lator purchased at the Teacher’s Store
Assessment	Observation of students with anecdotal records Social Studies Journal entries using word banks of appropriate words KWL about communities Comprehension questions about community Money pre and post testing Directions Assessment (map skills) Post student survey containing questions about the community