Social Studies Strands:
Community Helpers
ED417-02
Andrea Priest
Becky Harrison
Table of Contents
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History
People in Societies
Geography
Economics
Government
Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities
Social Studies Skills and Methods
Community Helpers
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Unit: Social Studies
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Grade Level: First Grade
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Lesson: Community Helpers
History
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Activities:
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1. Create a community helpers collage
that compares the past to the present
2. Using preprinted materials,
students will create a time line of
community helpers of the past and
present
3. Students will create a community
helper for the future and include the
tools that they will use
History
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Activities (cont.):
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4. Students will identify tools used by
community helpers in the past,
present, and future
5. Guest speaker (firefighter or mail
carrier) will compare and contrast
various changes in their profession
throughout history
History
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Web sites
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http://www.usps.com/history/his2.htm
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www.ponyexpress.org/history.htm
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A complete history of the U.S. postal system
Complete history of Pony Express, including
a bibliography, stations, and riders
www.cincyfiremuseum.com
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Web site includes information about history,
fire safety, special events, and a virtual tour
History
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Web sites
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www.standardsmadeeasy.com/Act
ivityDetail.asp?ActivityID=11634
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Web site allows children to put
community helpers in their correct
building
www.hud.gov/kids/job1.html
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Interactive web site invites children
to read a short job description and
match it to the community helper
People in Societies
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Activities:
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1. Compare our community helpers to
those of other cultures
2. Identify the person who performs
community helper duties in other
countries (i.e. gender, class, race)
3. Allow students to view various tools
and uniforms from different countries
People in Societies
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Activities (cont.):
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4. Discuss the availability of tools
used by community helpers in other
countries
5. Students will choose their favorite
community helper from a different
country and draw the uniform and
tools that are used
People in Societies
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Web sites
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www.ci.coe.uni.edu/uniquest/webque
st/lewis109
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Introduction to various community helpers
www.beenleigss/qld.edu.au/requested
_sites/services/#PEOPLE%2QAT%2Q
AIRPORTS%20PROVIDE
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Discusses various helpers within the
community
People in Societies
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Web sites
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www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/
communityhelpers.html
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www.gms.lu/~chenutd/links.html
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Resource for teachers which includes print
outs and ideas
Interesting police links from Europe
www.militarymorons.com/gear/gear.4.
html
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Pictures of various police uniforms from
Africa
Geography
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Activities:
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1. Students will draw a map of their
community and include locations of
community helper buildings (i.e. fire
station, post office, police station)
2. Identify various community helper
symbols (i.e. flashing lights, red cross,
etc.)
3. Create a graphic organizer that tells
what community helpers do within
their community
Geography
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Activities (cont.):
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4. Allow students to select a pen pal
from a different country to correspond
with
5. As a class, conduct an interview of
a person from a different country.
Include questions about various
community helpers in their country
Geography
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Web sites
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www.lfelem.lfc.edu/resources/sstudies/kin
der/communhelpers.html
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A webquest about where community
helpers work and how they help us
www.standardsmadeeasy.com/ActivityDet
ail.asp?ActivityID=11634
Students place the community helpers in
the correct building
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http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k2/neighborhoood/
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Webquest allows children to click on
various buildings within the community to
learn more about that particular helper
Geography
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Web sites
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www.standardsmadeeasy.com/A
ctivityDetail.asp?ActivityID=116
52
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Printable materials about where a
letter goes after it is mailed
www.mapquest.com
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Include detailed maps of various
communities
Economics
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Activities:
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1. Discuss how community members have
to pay for certain services (i.e. doctor visit,
stamps, fire fighters)
2. After creating a mock grocery store,
give students a specified amount of money
and have them determine what goods they
can buy
3. Discuss how the use of technology has
effected the postal service (i.e. decrease in
letters mailed due to e-mail)
Economics
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Activities:
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4. Have a banker come into the
class and discuss some of
his/her job responsibilities
5. Students will act out the
money flow process (i.e. buying
goods, selling goods)
Economics
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Web sites
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www.standardsmadeeasy.com/ActivityDetail
.asp?ActivityID=11626
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www.dentonisd.org/pecancreek/lattaya/eco
nomics.htm
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Printable materials discussing what basic
economic processes occur around town
Provides ideas about how children can earn
money to purchase goods
www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~sstudies/world/
firstgrade.html
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Various ideas regarding social studies
curriculum
Economics
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Web sites
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http://hometown.aol.com/mellettk/
Webpage/TeacherSites.html#ss
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Great resource for teachers that
includes social studies themes, songs,
lessons, and links
www.teacher.scholastic.com/comm
club/
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Teacher resource site
Government
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Activities:
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1. Students will vote for their favorite
community helper
2. Compare classroom rules to laws
within the community
3. Create a list of community helpers
who provide safety
Government
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Activities (cont.):
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4. Identify public figures who
make an impact on our
immediate community (i.e.
mayor, governor, president)
5. Discuss what happens when
citizens within the community
break rules/laws
Government
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Web sites
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http://hometown.aol.com/mellettk/W
ebpage/coresocialstudies.html
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http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresour
ces/units/MonsonUnits/sheesp/index.
htm
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Link to social studies lessons
Community helpers resource for teachers
www.econedlink.org/lesson/index.cf
m?lesson=EM197
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Community helpers lesson plan
Government
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Web sites
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http://cuip.net/~yolostev/lessontemplate1.htm
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Interactive community helper web quest
http://mail.plano88.kendall.k12.il.us/p
h/community/webq.htm
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First grade web quest about community
helpers
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities
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Activities:
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1. Create a graphic organizer which
includes various community helpers.
List the characteristics that make that
helper a good citizen
2. Using the graphic organizer from
above, list the responsibilities of the
community helpers
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities
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Activities (cont.):
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3. Discuss why community helpers
wear flags on their uniforms
4. Invite a guest speaker to come into
the class to speak about their rights
and responsibilities as a community
helper
5. Read the book, “Everyone Makes a
Difference: A Story about Community”
by Cindy Leaney and Peter Wilks
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities
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Web sites
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www.odedodea.edu/curriculum/1stGra
de/social/htm
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www.oswego.org/sbartlet/citizenship/
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Great citizenship activities and lessons
Introduction, standards, essential
questions, lessons, resources, assessment,
reflections, and examples of citizenship
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/35/citizenship/rights.html
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Ben’s guide to government for kids
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities
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Web sites
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www.standardsmadeeasy.com/Topic
Activity.asp?grade=1&subject=CE&t
opic=CE10
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27 activities related to community
helpers
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/DDN4L
earning/ThemeUnits/Communities/st
andards.htm
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Resources, links, lesson plans, and
activities for social studies
Social Studies Skills and
Methods
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Activities:
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1. Draw a picture of a family member at
work. Tell how the family member is a
helper to the community
2. Group students together to present a
community helper and discuss how they
effect the community
3. List various facts that the students
have learned and decide how to
organize the information
Social Studies Skills and
Methods
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Activities (cont.):
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4. Have students use posters and
charts from the classroom to collect
information on a specific helper
5. At the end of the unit, have students
determine/discuss the main idea
behind the title “community helper”
Social Studies Skills and
Methods
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Web sites
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http://members.tripod.com/~Patricia_F/ssmo
tor.html
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www.usask.ca/education/ideas/tplan/sslp/rur
al.htm
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Great ideas for hands-on activities
Lesson plan directed towards rural community
helpers
www.thecoo.edu/~apeter/social_studies.htm
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Various links related to social studies grades K8
Social Studies Skills and
Methods
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Web sites
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http://expage.com/4commhelpers
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Links to web sites and lesson plans
focused on the theme of community
helpers
www.google.com
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Search engine for students to explore
community helpers