Social Studies – Classroom Ready Resources (Division 1)

General Outcome Lesson Plans

• Alphabet Page – Students create an alphabet page that effectively represents daily life in Inuit, Acadian, and Prairie communities.
• 3.1.2 Design a Pysanky – Using information from the Ukrainian folktale The Bird’s Gift, students design a pysanky to represent some common values of the Ukrainian people. An extension social action project follows.
• 3.1.2 Carolina’s Gift – Through examination of the book Carolina’s Gift: A Story of Peru, by Katacha Diaz, students utilize skills of historical thinking and explore cultural aspects of a community in the Peruvian Andes.

Technology Infusion

1.1 My World: Home, School, and Community

• Uncovering the Stories of Our Community Landmarks – Students explore and photograph aspects of their community to create a guidebook slideshow
• Then and Now: A Community ABC – Students demonstrate an understanding of their community in the past and present by creating a portion of an ABC movie using the vocabulary and key concepts from the unit.
• Where in the World Are We? – Using technology, students manipulate maps to gain a greater geographic understanding of their town and school community. (Support Materials: Mapping Our School – Notebook file)
• To What Groups do You Belong? – Students create a section of a photostory that effectively shows the groups to which they belong.
• What Makes Our Community Great? – Can be used as an opening research activity. Students will create a simple PowerPoint slide to illustrate an aspect of their thriving community.

1.2 Moving Forward with the Past: My Family, My History and My Community

• Family: Surveying the Generations – Using a survey, students make personal connections between the past and present.
• Family: Past Memories and Present Stories – Gr.1 classes create a “digital museum” in which personal artifacts are celebrated in the class context. The core concept of “identity” is the focus of this work

2.1 Canada’s Dynamic Communities

• Communities in Canada – Students create a group slide show of a Canadian community, then create a timeline of a day in the life of a child.
• Interpreting the Past, Connecting to the Present – Students will analyze pictures and record their observations using voice thread technology.
• Natural Resources in Canadian Communities – Using group investigation, students explore 3 geographic areas to create a group poster.
• Occupations in Canadian Communities – Gr. 2 classes explore the inter-relationship between natural resources resources and occupations.
• Goods and Services in Our Community – Gr. 2 classes create an e-scrapbook of pertinent, local discoveries to build conceptual understandings.
• Oral Traditions – Students investigate daily life in an Inuit community
• Traditions and Celebrations – Through creation of a slideshow, students examine stories of the past and their contribution to present communities

2.2 A Community in the Past

• A Community in the Past: How Did My Community Start? – Students dialogue with community members to build a class digital story of origins of their community.
• Changes Over Time – Using SMART Notebook, students discover links between the past and the present through inquiry.
• Characteristics of a Community – Students research their own community to create an e-brochure advertising its attributes and the contribution of the past to the present

3.1 Communities in the World

• 3.1.2 In Search of Cinderella – Students investigate different versions of “Cinderella” from different countries and retell a version in a movie format.
• 3.1.2 So What is Quality of Life? – In this introductory lesson, students review basic needs and their relationship to quality of life, understanding also that others have similar and different points of view about quality of life in their community.
• 3.1.2 Four Faces of Quality of Life – In this inquiry project, students investigate quality of life in India, Tunisia, Ukraine or Peru and create a poster using their information.
• 3.1.2 Please, Please, Let’s Move To . . . – In this Web Quest, students gather information about India, Tunisia, Ukraine and Peru to decide in which country they would prefer to live.
• 3.1.3 Which Way is North? – Students practice concepts of cardinal directions and location of countries in relation to Canada.
• 3.1.4 Connecting the World – Students investigate connections between transportation and aspects of countries.

3.2 Global Citizenship

• 3.2.2 We Are All Connected – Students choose a class service project, graph their progress, and create a movie to express their ideas of global citizenship.
• 3.2.2 Investigating Rights and Responsibilities – Through various literature sources and credible websites, Gr. 3 classes can explore current and possible rights and responsibilities in various nations around the world.