Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
SS0205
Second Grade Social Studies: Local Communities
Unit 5: How Do Communities Change?
Big Picture Graphic
Overarching Question:
How Do Communities Change Over Time?
Previous Unit:
How Do People Work
Together in a
Community?
This Unit:
How Do Communities Change?
Questions To Focus Assessment and Instruction:
1. How do historians study the past?
2. How can an individual impact history?
3. How do communities change over time?
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Next Unit:
How Can a Citizen Affect
a Community?
Types of Thinking
Cause and Effect
Compare and Contrast
Synthesizing
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
SS0205
Graphic Organizer
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
SS0205
Unit Abstract:
In this unit students use historical thinking to explore their local community’s past and how
communities change over time. The unit begins with a review of historical concepts and ideas from
first grade. Using the book The Oxcart Man or a similar literature choice from the economics unit,
students identify evidence the story took place in the past. Using a graphic organizer, students
compare life in the past with life today. Acting as historians, students investigate various ways we
learn about history and begin to gather information about the history of their local community. In a
lesson on chronology (sequence) they explore a timeline of local community events. Using The
House on Maple Street and A River Ran Wild or similar books, students investigate and compare
change over time in a fictional and a non-fictional community. First, students investigate change in
the community in The House on Maple Street and then investigate change in their own local
community. Students identify historical figures in the local community and explain their
contributions and significance in local history. Using the book, A River Ran Wild, students identify
how a problem was solved in a community’s past and look for examples of past problems in their
own local community. Students are introduced to the concept of historical perspective as they
begin to understand why people may view the same historical event in different ways. Finally,
using the information about their community’s past which they have gathered throughout the unit,
students create a class book describing and illustrating the history of their local community.
Focus Questions
1. How do historians study the past?
2. How can an individual impact history?
3. How do communities change over time?
Content Expectations
1 - H2.0.1: Demonstrate chronological thinking by distinguishing among past, present, and future
using family or school events.
1 - H2.0.6:
Compare life today with life in the past using the criteria of family, school, jobs, or
communication.
2 - H2.0.1:
Demonstrate chronological thinking by distinguishing among years and decades
using a timeline of local community events.
2 - H2.0.2:
Explain why descriptions of the same event in the local community can be different.
2 - H2.0.3:
Use an example to describe the role of the individual in creating history.
2 - H2.0.4:
Describe changes in the local community over time (e.g., types of businesses,
architecture and landscape, jobs, transportation, population).
2 - H2.0.5:
Identify a problem in a community’s past and describe how it was resolved.
2 - H2.0.6:
Construct a historical narrative about the history of the local community from a variety
of sources (e.g., data gathered from local residents, artifacts, photographs).
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
2 - G5.0.2:
SS0205
Describe positive and negative consequences of changing the physical environment
of the local community.
Integrated GLCEs:
R.NT.02.03: Identify and describe characters’ actions and motivations, setting (time and place),
problem/solution, and sequence of events. (English Language Arts)
R.NT.02.04: Identify and explain how authors/illustrators use literary devices including illustrations
and titles to depict major story events, and comparisons including metaphors or
similes to reveal characters’ thoughts and actions. (English Language Arts)
R.CM.02.01: Make text-to-self and text-to-text connections and comparisons by activating prior
knowledge, connecting personal knowledge, experience, and understanding of
others to ideas in text through oral and written responses. (English Language Arts)
R.CM.02.02: Retell in sequence the major idea(s) and relevant details of grade-level narrative and
informational text. (English Language Arts)
W.GN.02.01: Write a narrative piece such as realistic fiction, fantasy, or personal narrative
depicting major story events, using illustrations to match mood, and containing
setting, problem/solution, and sequenced events. (English Language Arts)
N.MR.02.07: Find the distance between numbers on the number line, e.g., how far is 79 from 26.
(Math)
Key Concepts
artifact
change
chronology
decades
historian
historical evidence
historical narrative
historical perspective
history
past
people
timeline
Lesson Sequence
Lesson 1:
What is History?
Lesson 2:
How do We Learn About History?
Lesson 3:
What is a Timeline?
Lesson 4:
How Do Communities Change Over Time?
Lesson 5:
How Do People Create the History of a Community?
Lesson 6:
How Have Communities Solved Problems in the Past?
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
Lesson 7:
SS0205
Writing About the History of Our Local Community
Assessment
Selected Response Items
Constructed Response Items
Extended Response Items
Performance Assessments
Resources
Equipment/Manipulative
2 or 3 photographs depicting the past in your local community
12” X 18” Construction Paper – one piece per student
An artifact from the past such as an old toaster, an old iron, a washboard, etc – Note that if you
cannot locate an artifact use the photograph of the old telephone located in the Supplemental
Materials (Unit 5, Lesson 2)
An old tea cup
Chart Paper and Markers
Overhead Projector or Document Camera and Projector
Scissors
Student Notebook/social studies journal
Student Resource
Brenner, Martha. Abe Lincoln’s Hat. New York: Random House for Youth Readers, 1994.
Cherry Lynne. A River Ran Wild. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1992.
Hall, Donald. The Ox Cart Man. New York: Viking Junior Books, 1979.
Marshall, Pam. From Tree to Paper (Start to Finish Series). Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications,
2003. (one copy for each two students)
Pryor, Bonnie. The House on Maple Street. New York: Harper Trophy, 1992.
Teacher Resource
Egbo, Carol. Supplemental Materials (Unit 5). Teacher-made material. Michigan Citizenship
Collaborative Curriculum, 2010.
Historic Farm Photographs. The Making of Modern Michigan website. 20 September 2010
<http://mmm.lib.mus.edu/>.
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
SS0205
Montgomery County Public Schools. Economic and Geography Lessons: The House on Maple
Street. 20 September 2010
<http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/Socialstd/grade2/House_Maple.html>.
Resources for Further Professional Knowledge
American Local History Network. 20 September 2010 <http://www.alhn.org/>.
American Memory Collection from the Library of Congress. 20 September 2010
<http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/>.
Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village. 20 September 2010 <http://www.hfmgv.org/>.
History Cooperative. 20 September 2010 <http://www.historycooperative.org/>.
The History Place. 20 September 2010 <http://www.historyplace.com/>.
The Making of Modern Michigan: Digitizing Michigan’s Hidden Past. 20 September 2010
<http://mmm.lib.msu.edu/>.
National Council for History Education. 20 September 2010 <http://www.nche.net/>.
Social Studies Lesson Plans and Resources. 20 September 2010
<http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/>.
Strategies for Teaching Social Studies. 20 September 2010
<http://www.udel.edu/dssep/strategies.htm>.
Teaching Social Studies. 20 September 2010
<http://www.proteacher.org/c/185_Teaching_Social_Studies.html>.
Using Primary Sources in the Classroom. 20 September 2010
<http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/lessons/primary.html>.
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
SS0205
Instructional Organization
Lesson 1:
What is History?
Content Expectations:
1 - H2.0.1: Demonstrate chronological thinking by distinguishing among past, present, and future
using family or school events.
Integrated GLCEs:
R.NT.02.03: Identify and describe characters’ actions and motivations, setting (time and place),
problem/solution, and sequence of events. (English Language Arts)
Key Concepts: historian, historical evidence, history, past
Abstract: In this lesson, students learn that history is the study of the past. It begins with a review
of the book The Oxcart Man. Students are asked if the story takes place in the past or present.
The teacher prods their thinking with the question, “How do you know?” Students learn that in
order to prove the story takes place in the past; they will need to find evidence (clues) in the
illustrations and words of the story. Using a T-chart labeled “Pictures” and “Words”, students
identify pieces of evidence that this story took place in the past. Students then extend their
learning by using the T-chart to compare the past and present. Finally, students explore the term
‘historian’ as the teacher explains that students have been working as historians in this activity
because they gathered evidence, or clues, about the past by examining a story which took place in
the past.
Lesson 2:
How Do We Learn About History?
Content Expectations:
1 - H2.0.6: Compare life today with life in the past using the criteria of family, school, jobs, or
communication.
Key Concepts: history, historical evidence
Abstract: This lesson begins with students working as historians to analyze a photograph
depicting a family from the past. Students then consider additional ways historians learn about the
past including interviewing people, reading books, and studying artifacts. The teacher then
explains that students will be using these different methods to gather evidence about the history of
their local community. Displaying three large charts labeled “People”, “Events”, and “Other
Information,” the teacher explains that the class will use these charts to record the information they
gather. Finally, students are placed in small groups and given two or three photographs depicting
the past in their community. They explore the photographs and as a group investigate the story
these photos tell them about the history of their local community.
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
Lesson 3:
SS0205
What is a Timeline?
Content Expectations:
2 - H2.0.1: Demonstrate chronological thinking by distinguishing among years and decades
using a timeline of local community events.
Integrated GLCEs
N.MR.02.07: Find the distance between numbers on the number line, e.g., how far is 79 from 26
(Math)
Key Concepts: chronology, decades, timeline
Abstract: This lesson expands students’ knowledge of the concept of chronology through an
exploration of decades and timelines. Students create a timeline of their own history which
includes at least four important events in order. The timelines are displayed on a bulletin board
and the teacher explains that a timeline can also show the history of a community. Using a two
decade timeline with six events from the history of a local community, the class considers ideas
such as what came first, as well as what happened before and after other events. As an optional
activity, the class explores a timeline of the early history of their own community and information
from the timeline is added to the history charts that the class began in Lesson 2.
Lesson 4:
How Do Communities Change Over Time?
Content Expectations:
2 - H2.0.4: Describe changes in the local community over time (e.g., types of businesses,
architecture and landscape, jobs, transportation, population).
Integrated GLCEs:
R.NT.02.04: Identify and explain how authors/illustrators use literary devices including illustrations
and titles to depict major story events, and comparisons including metaphors or
similes to reveal characters’ thoughts and actions. (English Language Arts)
R.CM.02.02: Retell in sequence the major idea(s) and relevant details of grade-level narrative and
informational text. (English Language Arts)
Key Concepts: artifact, change, chronology
Abstract: This lesson begins with the teacher showing students an old china cup and a picture of
an arrowhead. In a Pair/Share activity, students predict what the items are. The teacher then
reviews the idea that studying artifacts or objects from the past is one way to learn about history.
Next, the teacher explains that he/she will be sharing a book called The House on Maple Street.
As they listen to the book, students determine what the arrowhead and china cup have to do with
the story. After listening to the book, the class discusses the role of the two artifacts in the book as
well as the changes that took place in the community featured in the book. Then, using a variety of
resources such as a guest speaker from a local historical group, photographs, historic maps, etc,
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
SS0205
the class continues to explore the history of their local community and how their own local
community has changed over time.
Lesson 5:
How Do People Create the History of a Community?
Content Expectations:
2 - H2.0.3: Use an example to describe the role of the individual in creating history.
Integrated GLCEs:
R.NT.02.03: Identify and describe characters’ actions and motivations, setting (time and place),
problem/solution, and sequence of events. (English Language Arts)
Key Concepts: history, people
Abstract: In this lesson, students explore the role of people in shaping history. It begins with the
teacher sharing Abe Lincoln’s Hat or a similar book about an important historical figure. The class
discusses how one person can affect history, with a focus on Lincoln’s actions and motivations.
The teacher then guides students in understanding that one person can create history in a local
community as well. Using information gathered from a local historical society, books, etc., students
discover someone of significance in the history of their local community. This could be one of the
founders of the community, a prominent business person, someone who had a road named after
him/her, etc.
Lesson 6:
How Have Communities Solved Problems in the Past?
Content Expectations:
2 - H2.0.2: Explain why descriptions of the same event in the local community can be different.
2 - H2.0.5:
Identify a problem in a community’s past and describe how it was resolved.
2 - G5.0.2:
Describe positive and negative consequences of changing the physical environment
of the local community.
Integrated GLCEs:
R.CM.02.01: Make text-to-self and text-to-text connections and comparisons by activating prior
knowledge, connecting personal knowledge, experience, and understanding of
others to ideas in text through oral and written responses. (English Language Arts)
Key Concepts: change, historical perspective, history
Abstract: This lesson begins with a review of the book The House on Maple Street and how it
depicts over 300 years of history. Using the book, A River Ran Wild, the teacher guides students
in comparing and contrasting the two stories. Students then role play (using a script) a factory
owner, an environmental activist and a fisherman. The role play shows each person’s story about
the pollution of the river. The class then discusses why each story is different. Next, the class
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Local Communities
How Do Communities Change?
SS0205
discusses how the factory became a problem in the Nashua River community and how the
problem was resolved. Students then list the positive and negative consequences of building
factories along the river. Connecting back to the previous lesson, students discuss how the
character of Marion shaped the history of the Nashua River community by working to stop the
factory pollution. Finally, as a culminating project, pairs of students create a Venn diagram
comparing and contrasting The House on Maple Street and A River Ran Wild.
Lesson 7:
Writing About the History of Our Local Community
Content Expectations:
2 - H2.0.6: Construct a historical narrative about the history of the local community from a variety
of sources (e.g., data gathered from local residents, artifacts, photographs).
Integrated GLCEs:
W.GN.02.01: Write a narrative piece such as realistic fiction, fantasy, or personal narrative
depicting major story events, using illustrations to match mood, and containing
setting, problem/solution, and sequenced events. (English Language Arts)
Key Concepts: chronology, historical narrative
Abstract: In this culminating lesson, students create a picture book that synthesizes their learning
about the history of their local community. Students are directed to the class charts that have been
maintained throughout the unit and determine which events to include in the book. The class
sequences in chronological order the chosen events in the community’s history. From the
sequenced event list, students select one event of interest and write and illustrate a short historical
narrative. Student work is collected and organized into a class picture book.
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