THEMATIC UNIT MAKIDON

Local Communities

This unit is intended to teach Social Studies for 2nd graders in Michigan. Because

I do teach Social Studies to my 2nd graders, this unit is modeled for my class as

something we will actually be learning in a couple months. In my classroom, I also have

a paraprofessional in the room full-time to help support the ESL students. While

teaching Social Studies, the concepts sometimes seem abstract and difficult to grasp, so

it can be particularly tough for my ESL students. I chose to do Social Studies for this

reason, and for the diverse makeup of my classroom.

The class is made up of 26 students and is inclusive of English speakers and ESL

students. Almost all of my ESL students have been here since kindergarten, so they do

have school experience and some background of what we talk about in Social Studies.

Two students in particular are brand new to the school and country this school year.

One boy has been here since September and speaks Arabic from Yemen. One girl

arrived just in November from Ethiopia and speaks only Tigrinya. The other ESL

students in my class speak wither Arabic or Chaldean at home but have had academic

English experience for the past two school years.

This Social Studies unit is somewhat challenging for my students. I have many

immigrants and refugees, as I previously mentioned, so they have not lived in Michigan

their whole lives. Another challenge is that I work at a charter school and we bus

students into school from cities all over, some even 45 minutes away. Because of this,

teaching about local communities becomes a much broader topic because my students

live in different communities and cities. They all attend school in the same city but live

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in different places. For my 2 new students, they have had even less time in their new

homes, so knowledge about their own community is limited.

During a course reading there was a quote that seemed quite obvious, but really

needs to be thought of seriously, “A great challenge for teachers is making curriculum

accessible to students with a native language other than English ” (Echevarria & Graves,

2003, p. 225). Clearly as teachers, we know that teaching needs to reach all students,

but we do not always intentionally think of it. With SIOP lessons, we are forced to think

of the language and not just the content material. Not that “forced” is a bad thing, it

just makes sure language is brought to the forefront of the lesson as well.

Teachers are not always equipped for this ‘great’ challenge, it is said that

“educators are not being trained or taught the necessary skills to teach ELLs how to

read” (Guzman, 2015, p. 12). It has also been shown that by third grade these students

are struggling because they have not learned comprehension skills or strategies. The

number of ELL students in classrooms seems to constantly be growing, but teachers are

not being prepared enough to teach them. With a subject such as Social Studies, there

is a lot of content vocabulary to understand, and lessons cannot be one size fits all.

There are ELL students who have acquired basic interpersonal communication skills, but

not cognitive academic language proficiency (p. 12). These students may seem like

ones we do not need to worry about when it comes to language, but it’s the academic

language and content vocabulary that are a struggle. These students too needed to be

kept in mind while planning lessons and SIOP lessons. I included small group and

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partner work so that ELL students are able to use their BICS even if they do not yet

have the CALP.

Including cross-cultural considerations seems like just making sure you

understand your students. Knowing the students in a classroom is a huge part in

teaching them. By understanding their backgrounds and prior knowledge, there can be

a lot of information there about ways to help them the best. When doing her

dissertation, Sandra Ingram found that students, “actively engage in classroom

activities if they feel comfortable making connections to their own experiences”

(Ingram, 2018, p. 35). When ELL students can make a connection to something, it is

much easier for them to participate. In my classroom, I am extremely lucky to not only

have a paraprofessional that speaks the language of most of my students, but also to

have students who can speak and translate for each other. A few of my students have a

designated ‘buddy’ or two that they often work with on assignments for extra

clarification. The student in the ‘helper’ role gets to act as a teacher and takes the role

seriously, while the ELL student always has a friend to go to and someone they can

trust to get extra support from. For Social Studies, I allow my Arabic speaking students

to speak in their language to get their ideas and connections out, and other students

translate it for me. This way, students can actively participate, even if they do not yet

have the English language skills to do so.

Overall, I know that Social Studies can be a complex subject for my ELLs and

want to make it as accessible to them as possibly. In the lessons previous to the ones in

this unit, we have used many pictures and videos to show different types of

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communities, pictures of community workers, and places in communities. Through

these pictures, my 2 newcomers we able to understand what we were talking about,

even though they did not have the academic English to understand exactly what I was

saying. Throughout this unit I intentionally included picture books, graphic organizers,

videos, pictures, and group work. These are strategies that I know have worked for my

not only my ELL students, but all of my students in the past.

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SIOP Lesson Plan Outline

Date: 12-3-2018 Grade/Class/Subject: 2nd Grade/ Social Studies

Unit Theme: Local Communities Standards: 2 – G2.0.2 Describe how the local
community is part of a larger region (e.g., county, metropolitan area, state). 2 – G1.0.3 Use maps
to describe the location of the local community within the state of Michigan in relation to
other significant places in the state.

Lesson Objectives:
Content Knowledge: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will:
1. Locate the city they live in and go to school in on a map
2. Understand they live in a city while also living in the state of Michigan
3. Create a simple map of Michigan with their city and the capital

Language Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will demonstrate increasing proficiency in
the performance of the following functions and their forms:

Form
Function
(grammatical term and/or example, eg. “Past
(in –ing form, eg. “Retelling a story” )
Tense: ‘The boy went to see his grandfather;’”)
1) Finding Madison Heights, Michigan on a Content vocabulary
physical map of Michigan

2) Creating a flow chart of where they live Location words

3) Making their own map of the state, including Content vocabulary

marking their own city

Vocabulary Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will demonstrate an understanding of
the following vocabulary words:

Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary Cohesion Words

(vocabulary that may need to be taught (vocabulary that may need to be taught
(new vocabulary to be explicitly taught
or emphasized that is critical to or emphasized that link concepts in
that is critical to an understanding of the
participation in academic tasks, such as meaningful ways, such as conjunctions
content) “categorize”, “list”, describe”) and time markers)
Map Describe Near
City Create Far
State Find Right
Community Locate Left
Capital Flow chart Above
Location Below
Capital
Special Cross-Cultural Considerations for ESOLs: Some of my ESOLs are very new to the
county, and may not know what city they live in.
Materials: Blank print-out of map of Michigan for each student, digital map, Where Do I Live?

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by Neil Chesanow, a list of cities the students live in (in case they do not know), blank bubble flow
chart (attached), document camera and screen, map of Michigan.
Lesson Sequence (This may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate unique lesson plan
features)

MOTIVATION: (Describe how you will build background and the specific strategies that you will use
to ensure the participation of ESOLs.)
Ask students where they live. Have them write down a few examples before calling on volunteers.
Walk around during the writing step check in on ESOLs, asking prompting questions if they are
having a difficult time coming up with a place they live. Accept ALL answers and write them down
on a board. Any answers about where students live should be accepted, cities, states, houses,
countries, all of it. This will start a brainstorming activity so that students can understand that they
do not live in just one place.

PRESENTATION: (Describe the specific techniques you will use to make your presentation of new
material comprehensible to ESOLs, to provide opportunities for interaction through appropriate
questioning, and to assess whether or not ESOLs are “getting it”. )
Start by reading Where Do I Live? by Neil Chesanow to the whole class. This book introduces
students to the idea of location, started at their bedroom and panning out until it is the country they
live in. Once the book is done, show the flow chart on the document camera so that all students can
see, explain that we will start with the smallest place we live (bedroom) and keep expanding until
we get to the country. Split the students into small groups of 5 to complete a flow chart. On the
bottom of the ESOLs charts, the words “bedroom, house, city, state, country” will be written as a
word bank for them to use. Each student will write on their own but work together. After the
discussion on the flow chart, show students a map of Michigan and show them where Madison
Heights is because that is where the school is and where Lansing is because it is the capital. Then
allow students to come up and find their city. Match ESOL students up with another student that
lives in their city so they may find it together.

PRACTICE/APPLICATION: (Describe the activities you will use to allow for meaningful interaction
and practice using ALL language skills, the strategies you will use to ensure full participation by
ESOLs, and the techniques you will use to assess their success in the activities. )
Give each student a blank map of Michigan, have them use the map on the board to place the city
they live in on the map. Also have students label Madison Heights and Lansing. Then have students
partner up (match ESOL students with high preforming students for support) and let them describe
where they live in comparison to the school and capital.

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EXTENSION: (Describe additional follow-up activities you will use with ESOLs to address any areas
that you deem need further explanation or practice to ensure their mastery of the content and
language objectives.)

Have students go home and list things they see in their neighborhoods, things such as: stores,
parks, restaurants, other houses, etc. This will be used for an upcoming project. Allow ESOLs so
draw pictures if they are unable to write down the places.

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SIOP Lesson Plan Outline

Date: 12-3-2018 Grade/Class/Subject 2nd Grade/ Social Studies

Unit Theme: Local Communities Standards: 2 – G1.0.1 Construct maps of the

local community that contain symbols, labels, and legends denoting human and natural
characteristics of place.
2 – G1.0.2 Use maps to describe the spatial organization of the local community by applying the
concepts including relative location, and using distance, direction, symbols, and the key or legend.
Lesson Objectives:
Content Knowledge: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will:
1. Create a map of the school’s neighborhood
2. Define and produce a map key
3. Utilize a key in order to read a map

Language Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will demonstrate increasing proficiency in
the performance of the following functions and their forms:

Function
(in –ing form, eg. “Retelling a story” )
1)Collaborating with a group to create a map
Form
(grammatical term and/or example, eg. “Past
Tense: ‘The boy went to see his grandfather;’”)
Content vocabulary, conversational English

2)Presenting the map, including the key Content vocabulary, direction words, Adjectives

3)Reading other students’ maps by Content vocabulary

understanding the key

Vocabulary Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will demonstrate an understanding of
the following vocabulary words:

Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary Cohesion Words

(vocabulary that may need to be taught (vocabulary that may need to be taught
(new vocabulary to be explicitly taught
or emphasized that is critical to or emphasized that link concepts in
that is critical to an understanding of the
participation in academic tasks, such as meaningful ways, such as conjunctions
content) “categorize”, “list”, describe”) and time markers)
Legend Label Direction words (left, right,
Key Define above, below)
Labels Comment
Symbols
Special Cross-Cultural Considerations for ESOLs: The academic vocabulary is most likely very
new, and they may not have any prior knowledge of it to this point.
Materials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd-AEhQ2xCE, legal size paper, pencil, eraser,
crayons, colored pencils, markers, document camera, sticky notes

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Lesson Sequence (This may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate unique lesson plan
features)

MOTIVATION: (Describe how you will build background and the specific strategies that you will use
to ensure the participation of ESOLs.)
Start by brainstorming as a class what a key is. Ask students to talk with their table groups about
what a key is and to draw a picture of it. Have each table share their drawing and what they think a
key is.=

PRESENTATION: (Describe the specific techniques you will use to make your presentation of new
material comprehensible to ESOLs, to provide opportunities for interaction through appropriate
questioning, and to assess whether or not ESOLs are “getting it”. )
Show the YouTube video about map keys and legends. Ask students to once again talk with their
group and have them alter their definition of a key as well as the picture. Show the YouTube video
again, stopping when the map is displayed. Let students know they will be creating their own map,
with their group, of the neighborhood the school is in. Give each group a legal size sheet of paper,
and drawing materials for their map (colored pencils, markers, crayons, etc.). On the document
camera, start the students out by drawing a symbol for school, and placing it both on the map and
in the key.

PRACTICE/APPLICATION: (Describe the activities you will use to allow for meaningful interaction
and practice using ALL language skills, the strategies you will use to ensure full participation by
ESOLs, and the techniques you will use to assess their success in the activities. )
Students will work in small groups to create a key and map for the neighborhood of the school.
Students will communicate and draw together to include elements they think are important in the
neighborhood. Students will need to include AT LEAST houses, a park, a store, and the school in
their map.

EXTENSION: (Describe additional follow-up activities you will use with ESOLs to address any areas
that you deem need further explanation or practice to ensure their mastery of the content and
language objectives.)

Have each group leave their map on their table, and do a gallery walk of the other maps in the
room. Every student will need to leave a sticky note “comment” about each group’s map. Comments
can include something they really liked, or something interesting they noticed about the map. ESOL
students can have a partner.
SIOP Lesson Plan Outline

Date: 12-3-2018 Grade/Class/Subject 2nd Grade/ Social Studies

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Unit Theme: Local Communities Standards: 2 – G2.0.1 Compare the physical and
human characteristics of the local community with those of another community.

Lesson Objectives:
Content Knowledge: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will:
1. Compare the school community with their own community
2. Contrast the school community with their own community
3. Create a Venn Diagram

Language Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will demonstrate increasing proficiency in
the performance of the following functions and their forms:

Form
Function
(grammatical term and/or example, eg. “Past
(in –ing form, eg. “Retelling a story” )
Tense: ‘The boy went to see his grandfather;’”)
1)Listing similarities Present tense verbs, adjectives, comparison
words

2)Listing differences Present tense verbs, adjectives, comparison

words

3)Creating a Venn Diagram Adjectives, content vocabulary

Vocabulary Objectives: By the end of the lesson, ESOLs will demonstrate an understanding of
the following vocabulary words:

Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary Cohesion Words

(vocabulary that may need to be taught (vocabulary that may need to be taught
(new vocabulary to be explicitly taught
or emphasized that is critical to or emphasized that link concepts in
that is critical to an understanding of the
participation in academic tasks, such as meaningful ways, such as conjunctions
content) “categorize”, “list”, describe”) and time markers)
Similarity Venn Diagram Conjunctions
Difference Listing
Compare
Contrast

Special Cross-Cultural Considerations for ESOLs: Students may benefit from comparing the
school neighborhood to the home they lived in in their home country, because they had more time
and experience there.
Materials: Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-shaw, pencils, paper

Lesson Sequence (This may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate unique lesson plan
features)

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MOTIVATION: (Describe how you will build background and the specific strategies that you will use
to ensure the participation of ESOLs.)
Read Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-shaw to start a discussion about similarities
and differences.

PRESENTATION: (Describe the specific techniques you will use to make your presentation of new
material comprehensible to ESOLs, to provide opportunities for interaction through appropriate
questioning, and to assess whether or not ESOLs are “getting it”. )
Draw a Venn Diagram on the board and start by comparing and contrasting breakfast and lunch.
Students will have the opportunity to practicing comparing and contrasting something very familiar
to them, so that when they need to do it for communities, they will have an example. After that,
have students compare and contrast New York City to a farm (which they have experience with from
a previous unit on rural, suburban, and urban communities). Have students work in pairs to
complete this diagram (have ESOL students paired with a high-performing student).

PRACTICE/APPLICATION: (Describe the activities you will use to allow for meaningful interaction
and practice using ALL language skills, the strategies you will use to ensure full participation by
ESOLs, and the techniques you will use to assess their success in the activities. )
Students will create their own Venn Diagram comparing the characteristics they found in their city,
to the characteristics of the school neighborhood. Display the maps of the school neighborhood
around the room for reference. ESOL students will be given a word bank with words from the maps
as well as words they wrote, or drew pictures for. If helpful, ESOL students can compare the school
neighborhood to their home in their native country if they had a substantial time living there.

EXTENSION: (Describe additional follow-up activities you will use with ESOLs to address any areas
that you deem need further explanation or practice to ensure their mastery of the content and
language objectives.)

Students who live in the same or very nearby cities will pair up first and see how their Venn
Diagrams are alike or different. Next, students who live in cities further apart with pair up and
compare their diagrams as well.

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References

Echevarria, J., & Graves, A. (2003). Curriculum adaptations in sheltered content

instruction: Teaching English-language learners with diverse abilities (2nd ed.,

pp. 224-247). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Guzman, R. (2015). A study of the impact of english language learners; literacy

development through the SIOP model (pp. 1-70). Joliet, IL: ProQuest

Dissertation Publishing.

Ingram, S. W. (2018). Analysis of the sheltered instruction observation protocol model

on academic performance of english language learners (pp. 1-93). Capella

University.

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