Social Studies Lesson Plan

Name: Erica Williams Central Focus/Big Idea

of the Lesson: Natural
Grade Level/Subject: 1st grade/ Environmental Resources are used in
Change our daily lives. It is up to
human beings to use
them responsibly

Essential Standard/Common Core Objective: 1.G.2.1 Date taught:

Explain ways people change the environment
(planting trees, recycling, cutting down trees, building
homes, building streets, etc.)

Daily Lesson Objective: Students will be able to create their own

neighborhoods; Students will be able to see and use natural resources in
order to imagine what it takes to help the earth thrive Students will work
independently in making their houses for the neighborhoods but ultimately
work in groups of three or four to create a neighborhood.

st
21 Century Skills: (Go to this link for more info Academic Language
Demand (Language
about these skills: 21st century skills promotes
Function and
Environmental Literacy and Implements
Vocabulary):
Innovations
Natural Resources
Recycling
Neighborhoods
Homes
Head of Households
Nonrenewable
Resources
Renewable Resources

Prior Knowledge: Students should have prior knowledge of what the

environment is and why it is important. They should also understand how to
communicate and work together.

Activity Description of Activities and Setting

Time

1. Focus and Alright guys! Did you know that it is up to us 8 mins

Review to make earth healthy and happy? We are
going to listen to this song and talk about it
afterwards. Starting out this lesson Students
will be able to hear the Natural Resources
 song from Youtube.Okay can you guys tell
me some natural resources that we learned
about in the song whatever answers they
give me will be made on an anchor chart.

2. Statement of Awesome! We learned a lot about natural 10

Objective resources and what they do to the mins
for Student environment, What we are going to do is
create our own house out of a paper bag and
paper.When we make this house you will tell
me about the household and what you do in
order to help save the earth and natural
resources

3. Teacher Input I will have my own paper bag as an example. 15

We will go over how we can make the house mins
together. The most important part however is
the type of natural resources and strategies
you use in order

4. Guided Together we will go over the instructions of 10

Practice the house making. We will then go over which mins
all the resources you need in your
neighborhood. I will give the students natural
resources cut outs and will have them give
cutouts to put inside of the home. The rest of
the water will but up to you and your
neighbors.

5. Independent Allow students to work together and finish 15

Practice their houses and the rules of the mins
neighborhood. I will ask questions such as
what are some ways you are going to make
your neighborhood eco friendly? How are
you going to make an example for everyone
else in your neighborhood What are some
ways you can allow leniency in using non
renewable resources? Students are to write
down their thoughts and ideas about the
natural resources in their neighborhoods
and what they are doing to make their
neighborhood eco friendly. They will stick
their reflection on the bottom of the homes
that they have created .

6. Assessment Formative Assessment: Our formative assessment will be

Methods of an exit ticket that will state the following question:
all What are some examples of nonrenewable and
objectives/skills: renewable resources?

7. Closure Students will turn and talk about what they 5 mins
have so far in their neighborhood.
Presentations will be on the second day and
allows them to have some time in what they
are suppose to do.This will also be a form of
a assessment. Each Student will be graded
independently on their home and collectively
as a group as what rules and strategies they
had as a neighborhood.

8. Assessment Students will be graded on the types of renewable and

Results of nonrenewable resources, how much they used and how
all much they had left over. This will be the standard for
objectives/skills: both individual and collectively as a group.

Targeted Students Student/Small Group

Modifications/Accommodations:
Some students will need help
sometimes so I will allow them to
meet one on one with me in order
to figure out what are some ways
we can create a home full of
nonrenewable and renewable
resources.
Modifications/Accommodations: I will
allow some students extra help and
can pair up with someone and have
one on one time with me. Sometimes
students wont need to meet one one
one with me and other students can
help out from their assigned group.

Materials/Technology:

Bright Construction Paper

Paper Bags
Markers
Natural Resources Cut Outs
Wifi Access
Natural Resources Song
White Cardstock

References:
Paper Bag House

Reflection on lesson: What I learned most about my lesson plan is that social
studies is something that you as the teacher can use to impact your students
if you choose to. I say choose to because in my clinical placement did not
have a strong social studies presence in the classroom. I found that when
you expose the students to this they will be so intrigued and go home
learning so much more. When I had spoken with my other kids at work who
are in the higher grades, they would say that they learned so much and
sound so excited about what they learned and then when I asked my first
grade babies, they wouldnt have those types of stories to tell. I think that the
strengths that I had in this lesson was that the song was fun and engaging. I
also think the house that I had them to do was also fun. I always have a great
rapport with the kids. And I believe that my kids understood what was
happening. The weaknesses were mainly trying to get some kids to focus. I
also think I didnt have much time to do what I wanted to to do. I had such
little time and they were almost getting dismissed for today. Regarding
teaching and student learning I learned that time is most certainly a virtue. I
would really love to schedule my class where we can have time to cover every
subject. I also learned that I really need to have a backup plan if something
goes wrong or if something does not go as planned.For instance; The video
that I used in my lesson plan is now off of youtube and you have to now pay
for it to use it in your classroom. I did not have to do that when I did my
lesson plan which I am happy about but I know I would have been in so much
trouble when I showed the song to the kids and an error message popped
up. In the future, I plan on trying to cut my time shorter and shorten my
lesson plan. I could have possibly made the homes myself and have the kids
put in the natural resources while decorating the actual houses at the end. I
also think that I should have had one house to each group instead of having
each student have a house to make on their own. I would consider the lesson
plan I did today to be some sort of a unit project instead of an everyday
thing.