Quarter One:  Exploring Our School

In this quarter students will begin learning about how our school works by learning about maps, what a map is, and what maps are used for. Students will then create their own maps of the classroom and identify important components of their school map. Students will have the opportunity to explain the most important places on the map of their school and justify why those places are important. Students will complete the unit by learning about our school community and how the staff and students work together to make it a positive learning environment.

Quarter Two – Exploring Our Community

In this quarter students will learn how our neighborhood works. Students will explore different places in your specific school neighborhood, then they will compare those places to another school neighborhood in Lincoln. Students will think critically about the most important places in their neighborhood as a formative assessment. Students will learn about community helpers within their neighborhood and how those individuals help make a neighborhood community work. Students will pick a job in community that they would like to do and write about why they feel it is an important part of the community. To close the unit, students will engage in community involvement by thinking of a community helper they would like to thank.

Quarter Three – Exploring Our Country (places)

In this quarter students will focus on the framing question, “How has our country changed?”. Students will look at pictures of how our country has grown and how the flag has changed with our nation. Students will explore the current U.S. Map, learn the history of the U.S. flag and discuss what it represents. Students will have a Summative Assessment opportunity to show they understand why the flag has changed over time as each new state joined our country.

Students will go on virtual field trips to four cities across the nation and answer the framing question, “What is life like in other cities?”. Students will virtually visit the cities Lincoln, NE, New York City, NY, New Orleans, LA, and Juneau, AK. Students will have a Summative Assessment opportunity to decide which of these four cities they would like to live in and why.

Quarter Four – Exploring Our Country (people)

n this quarter students will learn how one person can make a difference in our country. Students will learn why it is important to make a difference. We will look at how people in history have identified problems and came up with solutions to change our nation. We will discuss Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington Carver, Susan B. Anthony, and Ruby Bridges. As a Formative Assessment will write a letter to Ruby Bridges and identify the change she made in history and why it is important. Students will identify current kids who are change-makers and then come up with a solution to a problem in our country to become a change-maker themselves.