I Love Where I Live! Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Children will identify and explore three types of communities.

 

Social Studies Focus:

communities

 

ELA Skills:

key details, vocabulary, compare/contrast

 

Page 4 Skill:

riddles

 

Vocabulary:

community, urban, suburban, rural

 

CCSS:

SL.2.3, RI.2.1, RI.2.3, RI.2.4, RI.2.10

 

Guided Reading Level:

K

 

Lexile level:

450L

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Download Common Core Standards

Provide students with some background on communities.

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

Watch our video “At Home in Three Communities.”  After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following question:

  • Which kind of community do you live in?

Preview vocabulary (3 min.)

Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are community, urban, suburban, and rural.

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. What kind of community do children think Dylan might live in, based on photo clues?
  • Next, read the As You Read prompt on the cover: “Think about the different kinds of places where people can live.” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

Read together (20 min.)

Pass out the Read and Think printable. Use it to check comprehension as you read the issue together, pausing to ask the questions. 

Assessment: Reading Quiz 

Pass out the Reading Quiz to review key concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key nonfiction reading skills.

  • The “Build a Community” game lets children pick buildings, transportation, and animals. Based on their choices, a community is built on screen. Then children determine which kind of community they’ve built!

You can use our printable worksheets to focus on important social studies and ELA skills. Here’s how.

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the words community, urban, suburban, and rural.

Editor’s Pick: Make a Map (15 min.)

  • The Your Favorite Spot skill sheet invites children to draw their favorite place in their community, and then draw a map of how they get from their home to that place.

ELA Focus: Nonfiction Text Features (15 min.)

  • The Compare the Communities skill sheet provides children with a partially filled chart describing urban, suburban, and rural communities. Children complete the chart by writing and drawing to fill the empty boxes.

 Here are two past issues you can use to extend your lesson on communities:

You can find a higher-Lexile-level and a lower-Lexile-level version of the article online here:

  • Higher Lexile level: 580L
  • Lower Lexile level: 310L