WHERE YOU BELONG/GROUP NEEDS(Community Involvement) Grades K-2 Skills and Objectives: * Students widl identify the different groups to which they belong. * Students will use counting techniques to take a census of their family and class. WHERE YOU BELONG Suggested Groupings-Whole class, individuals Getting Started: * Discuss the definition of a group with your students. Explain that a very important group is the family, and that families tend to live together in one place, the "household." In addition, households can also include people who are not family members. The U.S. Census Bureau gathers information about households. Have students give examples of other groups. Explain that each student can be a member of other groups, like a class, a school, a local community, and a country. The Census Bureau also gathers information about some of these groups. Using the Activity Worksheets: * Distribute copies of the Lesson 3A Activity Worksheet (page 10). * Guide students step-by-step through the activity: Have them draw each group, then count and fill in the totals. Wrapping Up: Ask your students: What are some ways we could describe members of groups? (Possible answers: students, firemen, etc.) What do the members of this class share? (Possible answers: a room, a teacher, etc.) What do you like about belonging to a group?(Possible answers: making friends, sharing ideas.) * Challenge students to think of other groups they may belong to, such as a team or chorus. Extension Activity: Use the counting techniques from the Activity Worksheet on page 10 to take a census of the class next door to yours. GROUP NEEDS Suggested Groupings-Whole class, individuals Getting Started: * Ask your students if they understand what "needs" means. Write two sentences using the word "needs" on the board. * Explain that individuals "need" certain things to live. Ask students for examples (food, water, shelter, etc.) * Explain that what one person needs might be different from what the group as a whole needs. Use your class as an example. * Ask students what the class needs. Move the discussion from class needs to the needs of a family, then from family to community needs. Using the Activity Worksheets: * Distribute copies of the Lesson 3B Activity Worksheet (page 11). * During or after your classroom discussion of group needs, help students fill in their lists. Wrapping Up: * Review with students their lists of class, family, and community needs. Extension Activity: * Photocopy extra copies of the Lesson 3B Activity Worksheet (page 11). Ask students to take this worksheet home and fill in family needs with the help of a parent. Chalkboard Definitions community: a group of people who live in the same area or who have something in common with each other. group: (1) a number of things or people that are similar in some way; (2) a number of people who get together or share something in common. need: (1) something that a person has to have; (2) to want something very much. Lesson 3A Activity Worksheet WHERE YOU BELONG * We all belong to many groups. You belong to the groups below. Draw a picture of each group, including everyone who is a part of the group. Then count how many people are in each group. My Class-how many? My Household(the people I live with)-how many? * Groups have different needs. Write down some of the things your class needs. Then write down your family and community needs. 1. My class needs: 2. My family needs: 3. My community needs: QUESTIONS FOR TODAY/PICTURE TOMORROW(Community Involvement) Grades 3-4 Skills and Objectives: * Students will understand what a "plan" is and how it helps to achieve goals. * Students will understand that filling in the census form helps the government plan for the country's needs. QUESTIONS FOR TODAY Suggested Groupings-Whole class, individuals Getting Started: * Write the word "plan" on the board and ask your students what a plan means to them. Introduce the concept of different kinds of plans. Draw an analogy between a plan a family member might make to prepare a meal and one a teacher makes to prepare for class. In each case, the family member or teacher first needs to account for or "count" what is needed. * Explain to students that the questions on the census help communities "plan" for the future. By counting and tabulating the information on census forms, the government can find out what people need and work to provide it for them. Using the Activity Worksheet: * Distribute copies of the Lesson 4A Activity Worksheet (page 13) to your students. * Go through each question as a class or review the answers after students have filled in the questionnaire. * Ask students: If every student in your school filled out the questionnaire, what plans could your class or school make using the information that is collected? (Possible answers: student birthday parties; number of bus monitors to assign to each grade.) What questions would students ask if they were taking their own census? What plans could they make using the information gathered from their census? Wrapping Up: * Check that students understand that their community can provide services, such as roads, public transportation, schools, and hospitals, when they know how many people there are and where they live. * What kinds of services do you think you and your family might need in the future? (Possible answers: hospitals, fire department, etc.) PICTURE TOMORROW Suggested Groupings-Individuals Getting Started: * Start a class discussion about how students see themselves in the future. Ask them to use their imaginations for ideas about where they will live, the kind of work they will do, and the families they might have. * Ask students: Why is it important to think about and plan for the future? (Possible answer: so they can prepare for what they will be when they are grown up.) Using the Activity Worksheet: * Photocopy and distribute copies of the Lesson 4B Activity Worksheet (page 14). * Distribute art supplies (crayons, colored pencils, markers), and encourage students to imagine and then draw a picture of one of the things they plan to be or do in the future. * Remind students that they should try to use their picture to convey information (such as career, education, family size, etc.) Wrapping Up: * Display students' drawings in the classroom on a wall or bulletin board. Chalkboard Definitions plan: an idea about how you are going to do something. Lesson 4A Activity Worksheet QUESTIONS FOR TODAY * Here are questions like those on a census form. Answer these questions about yourself. Student Form 1. You are: Male/Female 2. What is your age? 3. What is your date of birth? 4. How do you usually get to school? Car, truck, or van/City bus/School bus/Subway or elevated train/ Skateboard/Ferryboat/Taxicab/Bicycle/Walk/Other Lesson 4B Activity Worksheet PICTURE TOMORROW * What do you think your future will be like when you are grown up? Draw a picture of a plan you have for yourself in the future, at home or at work.