E Pluribus Unum:  From Many, One

Grade 2

Strand:  Civics

 

Overarching Question: How can people show responsible citizenship?


 

Essential Questions:

 

¨        What are some rights and responsibilities of a citizen?

¨        What are the qualities or habits that make fictional characters or real people admirable?

 

Enduring Understandings

MA History/Social Science Curriculum Framework (2003)

 

Assessments

Learning Standards

We have a responsibility to be responsible citizens; respectful of the diverse traditions and cultures in our community.

 

Citizens in our country come from many different places around the world.

 

A citizen of a community has a variety of rights and responsibilities.

 

Individuals in the past who were good leaders and responsible citizens have improved the quality of our lives today.

 

 

 

Vocabulary

 

 

 

Learning Standards

 

Define and give examples of some of the rights and responsibilities that students as citizens have in the school (eg. Students have the right to vote in a class election and have the responsibility to follow school rules)

 

Give examples of fictional characters or real people in the school or community who were good leaders and good citizens, and explain the qualities that made them admirable. (e.g. honesty, dependability, modesty, trustworthiness, courage).

 

On a map of the world, locate the continent, regions, or the countries from which the students, their parents, guardians, grandparents, or other relatives or ancestors came.

 

With the help of family members and the school librarian, describe traditional food, customs, sports, and games, and music of the place they came from.

 

With the help of the school librarian, identify and describe well-known sites, events, or landmarks in at least three different countries from which students’ families came and explain why they are important.

Sample Assessments

Compose a class charter for new students (or incoming class) reflecting classroom values and codes of conduct.

 

Write a letter to a boy from the Middle East explaining our culture.

 

Create a Venn Diagram or write a story describing/comparing a typical school day for a child in the United States and a child in another country.

 

Create a new club, write a charter for the club outlining rules and members’ responsibilities.

 

 

Describe traditional foods, games, customs, holidays connected to where their ancestors came from.

 

Connect different cultures to their geographic locations.

 

Create a classroom charter.

 

Demonstrate appreciation for differences among cultures.

 

 

 

Sample Learning Experiences

 

Invite three people from different cultures into the classroom to share customs, stories, traditions, food, clothing, etc.

 

Children interview families about ancestors’ countries of origin.