Social Studies

April 25, 2015

Civics: How to be a good citizen

Grade 2

3 class periods

I.

Intended Student Outcomes/ Objectives

A) Students will identify and list characteristics of a good citizen.
B) Students will apply their knowledge of what it means to be a good citizen by
discussing the roles and responsibilities of a good citizen in a short, one-page
paper. A picture will accompany the written paper, information must be
accurate or student will need to re-write.
C) Students will identify what makes them a good citizen by completing a cause
and effect worksheet on what makes a good citizen. The effect is in the center,
why I am a good citizen; while the five causes stem off from the center. 85%
accuracy will be achieved on this worksheet.
D) Students will create a poster identifying good citizens in our community. They
will identify the citizen; explain what they do in the community, etc. Students
will be graded based on a given rubric, and an 85% score or higher must be
achieved.

Civics and government, Maine State Learning Results: Students understand key ideas and
processes that characterize democratic government in the community and the United States.
C.) Identify community workers and volunteers and the roles they play in promoting the
common good.
II.

Preparation
A) Materials-

1) Student materials: Lined paper, pencils, poster paper, glue sticks, makers.
2) Teachers materials: Story paper sheets, power point presentation, cause and effect
worksheets, various books on community citizens, laptop, and computer lab.
B) Need to do ahead of time1) Print enough copies of the story paper sheets, copy cause and effect worksheets,
prepare the short power point presentation on good citizenship, check out books
on good citizens from the library, and reserve the computer lab for the next class
period.
III. Body of the lesson
A) Introduction/setting the stage for learning
1. I will start the lesson by showing a brief power point presentation on good
citizenship, what it means to be a good citizen, and a few of the good citizens that
are part of our communities. I will connect with the students on people in the
community they know who are good citizens and make a list of those people and
what makes them a good citizen. We will also discuss the poster assignment they
will be completing in pairs at the end of the lesson.

B) Procedure and Closure

1. First, students will be shown the brief power point presentation about good
citizenship, what it means to be a good citizen, and who some good citizens are in
our community. I will then go over the first assignment and hand students the first
worksheet, the story paper worksheet. I will give the students time to raise their
hands to ask any questions they may have. They will have about 20 minutes to write
their story and the last 10 minutes of our 30 minute session will be to draw their
picture. We will then pick up and students will turn in their worksheets. For

homework, the students will be researching with a parent and deciding which good
citizens in our community they will create their poster about. When the students
arrive for class the next day, I will go over the cause and effect worksheet and they
will have about 15-20 minutes to complete it and pass it in. For the remaining class
time, I will be picking pairs of students that will be working together on their good
citizen posters. The next day in class, we will be going as a group to the computer
lab for 45 minutes for the students to complete the work necessary for their
projects. Once they have done the necessary research, we will go back to the
classroom and finish out the day. For homework, the students are to finish the good
citizenship posters and bring them in the following day for presentation to the class.
They must receive an 85% or higher on the poster to show their understanding.

IV. Evaluation/ Assessment

A) For the assessment, the students will be creating the good citizens poster. They will
have ample class time to perform the necessary online research aspect of the project,
as well as to work with their partner to create as much of the poster as possible in class.
The students are to identify four different good citizens in our community, have a
picture of that person, explain why they are a good citizen, and why they would like to
be like them. An 85% score or higher will be achieved to pass this assessment. It is
made very clear to me on the worksheets and assessment who understands and who
doesnt; I use this as a base for my future worksheets and assessments.
B) Assessment with rubric
1. Names 5%

2.
3.
4.
5.

Accuracy of research on community citizens 50%

Creativeness of pictures drawn/provided 15%
Eligibility of handwriting & answers 10%
Clear and concise answers to given questions 10%

6. Equal partner participation 5%

7. Class presentation 5%
8. For a total possible points of 100%

V. Modifications/ Differentiation
A) D/I left/ right brained - Smart Board/power point presentation is used for those students
who favor demonstrated instruction while my brief verbal introduction of good citizens and what
makes them such favors those left brained folks that prefer verbal instruction.
B) M/I- The partner poster activity gets them up and working together to get the
cooperative learning going. The self-work of the cause and effect worksheet and story creation is
geared towards the students who learn best by not working with others, but alone.
C) L/S & V/A/K- Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners will all do very well with this
lesson, as it connects to all of them. Visual learners will have the Smart Board/power point with
examples, the worksheets, and the posters. The auditory learners will have my brief intro lecture
and the answering of any questions during the worksheets/activities, and the kinesthetic learners
will be up and moving around in partners to help get the juices flowing.
D) I/P- The students will be learning about what it takes to be a good citizen, what
attributes of a good citizen they possess, why its important to be a good citizen, and identify good
citizens in their community. The students will spend a total of 3 class periods completing this

lesson. First completing their story sheets, second completing the cause and effect worksheets,
and lastly, working with a partner to create a poster of good citizens in their community.
E) I/R- Whole class, small group, and independent work. Teacher interaction and teacher
check-ins. Connecting with existing interests/knowledge, who do they know that is a good
citizen, what makes that person a good citizen? Also, learning about the many good citizens in their
communities, such as fire fighters, nurses, teachers, etc, the students will be able to connect what
they already know to what they now know.

VI. Reflection
A) Given my group of students, I think this lesson should go very smoothly. They all enjoy
the Smart Board/power point presentation, so implementing the use of it in my lesson
can only help me to gain their undivided attention. Pairing up the students for the
poster assignment could make for some noisiness, but they do very well at keeping to a
level one work voice and keeping on task when necessary. On both the worksheets and
the project/assessment, I have asked the students to achieve an 85% or greater for me
to know they understand the material. I will be able to see here what students might
have had a hard time with and how to modify the worksheets or assessment for the next
year. Given the students, I do not think they should have a hard time achieving the 85%
on the given material as they will have ample time in class and at home to complete
their work as well as asking me any questions they may have on the material. Overall, I
think this lesson should go very smoothly and create a high level of understanding
amongst the students.