Grade: 1st
Subject: Social Studies
Standards:
A. Civics, Government, and Human Rights
• How do citizens, civic ideals, and government institutions interact to balance the needs of individuals and the common good.
• How have economic, political, and cultural decisions promoted or prevented the growth of personal freedom, individual responsibility, equality, and respect for human dignity.
B. Geography, People, and the Environment
• How do physical geography, human geography, and the human environment interact to influence or determine the development of cultures, societies, and nations?
D. History, Culture, and Perspectives
• How do our interpretations of past events inform our understanding of cause and effect, and continuity and change, and how do they influence our beliefs and decisions about current public policy issues?
• How can the study of multiple perspectives, beliefs systems, and cultures provide a context for understanding and challenging public actions and decisions in a diverse and independent world?
Objectives:
• Students will discuss what it means to show courage from personal experience.
• Students will create goals for themselves that they will work hard for in first grade.
Procedure:
1. Anticipatory Set: Tell students that today we are going to be talking about courage. Ask the students if they know what I mean by courage. If a student raises his or her hand, call on a student to answer. The answer I am looking for is, “It means to work really hard in school even if something seems really hard”. If none of the students can tell me what courage is, tell them the definition of courage.
2. Tell the students to share a time they showed courage at school.
3. Ask students why showing courage makes them a good citizen.
4. Process: Show students the “All About Courage” video on YouTube.
5. Ask students what they learned about courage based on watching that video. I expect a response similar to, “It’s important to try new things even if it’s hard or scary”.
6. Ask students if they want to try something new and have courage, if it is important to work really hard. The class should respond collectively with, “Yes”.
7. Tell the students that there are probably some things that they want to do in first grade that they will need courage to do. Tell those students that those things they really want to do in first grade are called goals. Ask students what goals they have for first grade.
8. Call on students to tell me some of their goals in first grade. Type each of the students’ responses on the SMART Board.
9. Tell the students that now that they have made a list of these goals, they are going to make posters about their goals for first grade.
10. Have the paper-passers pass out long pieces of construction paper.
11. Guided Practice: Once all the students have a piece of construction paper, direct the students to the document camera. Position a finished project of the poster vertically underneath the camera. Show the students the top of the construction paper, “In first grade, I want to…”. Have the students write the same phrase across the paper. Tell the students that they may write underneath the top if they run out of room.
12. Direct the students to the ideas they brainstormed in step 8. Pick a goal they have listed and write it on the paper.
13. Tell the students that they can pick anything that I wrote on the SMART Board but remind them that if they want to write something that is not up there, I will write it on a piece of paper for them to copy.
14. Tell the students when they are done, they must draw a picture of themselves doing whatever goal they want to achieve. Also, tell them that they can trace their sentence in marker after I check the writing on the poster.
15. Independent Practice/Check for Understanding: Students will write their first-grade goals and draw their pictures.
16. Walk around the room and see if the students need any help with the directions, writing their goals, or drawing their pictures. Check students writing to see if they can get a marker and trace their writing. Also, ask them how they plan to reach their goals while they work.
17. Closure: Ask the students to share their goals in first grade and how they plan to achieve their goals. Then, ask students why is important to work hard and show courage when trying to achieve your goals.
Materials:
• “All About Courage” YouTube Video
• SMART Board
• Construction Paper
• Marker
• Document Camera
• Crayons
Differentiation: Each student can think about his or her own goal to achieve in first grade.
Assessment:
• First Grade Goals Poster