Enduring Understandings - important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.

• Societies are diverse and change over time.

• People migrate and settle in different places for a variety of reasons.

• Physical and human characteristics of places define regions.

Essential Questions - most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.

• How are people who live in our community alike? How are they different?

• Why do people settle and live in different places?

• How do physical characteristics help to define urban, suburban and rural communities?

Standards and Benchmarks
History 3: Students understand that societies are diverse and change over time.
Benchmark A: Students know how various societies were affected by contacts and exchanges among diverse people.
Geography 2: Students know the physical and human characteristics of places, and use this knowledge to define and study regions and their patterns of change.
Benchmark A: Students know the physical and human characteristics of places.
Geography 4: Students understand how economic, political, cultural and social processes interact to shape patterns of human populations, interdependence, cooperation and conflict.
Benchmark A: Students now the characteristics, location, distribution, and migration of human populations.

Elementary Social Studies D-11 Indicators, K-5
History
1.Chronological Organization: Organize events and people in history chronologically (time lines, lists, sequencing).
2.Historical Inquiry: Use primary and secondary sources to ask and answer questions (who, what, when, why, how) about the past and present, and to determine cause and effect relationships.
3.Diverse and Changing Societies: Describe cultural similarities, differences and interactions among various groups in both past and present.
4.Science, Technology, and Economic Activity: Identify and explain changes in technology (scientific achievements and inventions) and how they changed history.
5.Political Institutions and Theories: Describe how and why rules and laws (government) have been made and enforced.
6.Religious and Philosophical Ideas: Identify beliefs of individuals and groups and their effects on societies.
Geography
1.Use of Geographic Tools: Use tools (maps, globes, photographs, graphs, charts, and databases) to locate information about places.
2.and 3.Physical Processes/Physical and Human Characteristics of Places and Regions: Identify and describe human and physical characteristics of places, and use them to define regions.
4.Patterns of Human Population: Explain why people migrate and settle in different places.
5.Human and Physical Systems: Describe ways humans change the physical environment and how the physical environment affects human activity.
6.Apply Knowledge of Geography: Describe how and why places change over time.
Civics
1.Purpose of Government and US Constitutional Principles: Explain how people get, use, and misuse power and authority.
2.Structure and Function of Government: Explain how governments are organized at the local, state, and national levels and the responsibilities of each.
3.Political Relationships: Describe ways that peoples and nations interact.
4.Citizenship Participation: Explain the rights, roles, and responsibilities of students as citizens in the classroom, school, community, state, and nation.
Economics
1.Scarcity and Decision-Making: Identify scarce natural, human, and capital resources and evaluate decisions about how they are used.
2.Resources and Production of Goods and Services: Explain how, why, and for whom goods and services are produced.
3.Trade, Exchange, and Economic Interdependence: Identify ways goods and services are distributed through trade, exchange and interdependence.

District 11 Diamond Units/Lessons Overview - includes information about the purpose, goals and structure of these sample instructional units:
Lessons 1-4: What is a Community?
   
Duration: 4-25 minutes class sessions
Enduring Understanding: Societies are diverse and change over time.
Essential Question: How are people who live in our community alike? How are they different?
District Indicators: Describe cultural similarities, differences and interactions among various groups in both past and present.
Assessment: Use Social Studies Alive! Lesson Guide Assessment pp 7-8.

Activities

1. Chart how people in your community live, work, and play. 

2. Introduce "The Community Song" and work in cooperative groups creating an imaginary community.

3. Compare a community in Kenya to Colorado Springs.

Differentiation
Support: Provide copies of the words to the song. Review orally and develop vocabulary as needed. Read My Neighborhood.
Extension: Compose another stanza for the song that includes the concepts learned.
Resources: Social Studies Alive! Lesson 1, CSSD#11 Kenya Trunk , A Country Far Away By Nigel Gray & Phillippe Dupasquie, Time for Kids: Going Places (If web site does not work, search under the title
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/specials/articles/0,28285,182117,00.html

Lesson 5-8: Communities—Urban, Suburban, and Rural
   
Duration: 4-25 minutes class sessions
Enduring Understanding: People migrate and settle in different places for a variety of reasons.
Essential Question: Why do people settle and live in different places?
District Indicators: Explain why people migrate and settle in different places.
Assessment: Social Studies Alive!   Lesson Guide Assessment 2 pp 19-20. Alternative:  writing prompt based on graph in lesson 2.6, p. 17:  Based on what you learned, where would you like to live, and why?

Activities

1. Identify places in this area that meet each description, i.e. urban, suburban, and rural.
   Use the Geocites Rural Communities website to learn a definition and description of rural communities. Use the Geocites Urban Communities website to learn a definition and description of urban communities. Read the City Mouse, Country Mouse Story to learn the differences in urban and rural communities.
   What is Urban? 
2. Using visual discovery, explain how the urban, suburban and rural communities are alike and different. 

3. Discuss why people would move to an urban, suburban or a rural community and demonstrate by using graphs.

Differentiation
Support: Using the placards from the unit, have students point (have ELL say them) to urban, suburban, and rural community when prompted by the teacher.
Extension: Using a 3-circled Venn diagram, have students compare and contrast the 3 communities.
Resources: Social Studies Alive! Lesson 2

Lesson 9-12: Physical Characteristics of Communities
     
Duration: 4-25 minutes class sessions
Enduring Understanding: Physical and human characteristics of places define regions.
Essential Question: How do physical characteristics help to define urban, suburban and rural communities?
District Indicators: Identify and describe human and physical characteristics of places, and use them to define regions.
Assessment: Social Studies Alive!  Lesson Guide Assessment 4 pp 45 -46; Alternative: Lesson Activity 4.5 - Students complete pp 16 & 17 from Student Notebook

Activities

1. Every place has a personality. And, just like people, places may have a lot in common, but no two are exactly alike. What makes a place special? What are the physical and human characteristics of your hometown? Is the soil sandy or rocky? Is the temperature warm or is it cold? Did important historical events occur there? Is it near a river or lake? What physical characteristics are most important or unique?  Use the Geography Places website.
2. Use pictures in Social Studies Alive! Lesson 4 or pictures from other sources to identify physical characteristics. These include land and water forms, weather and climate, animals, plants and minerals.
3. Take field trips/or share pictures of surrounding areas in Colorado Springs, such as Bear Creek, the Air Force Academy, or Garden of the Gods, and then identify physical characteristics of each.
4. Use Kenya resources to discuss physical characteristics of Kenya as well as similarities and differences with physical characteristics of Colorado Springs, including Time for Kids: Going Places.

Differentiation
Support Draw pictures and use correct vocabulary for physical characteristics.
Extension:  Write a creative account of a trip across Colorado, describing physical characteristics.
Resources: Social Studies Alive!  Lesson 4
Physical Geography Web Resource
National Geographic Earthspace Lessons - includes lessons for both physical and human characteristics

Lesson 13-16: Human Characteristics of Communities
     
Duration: 4-25 minutes class sessions
Enduring Understanding: Physical and human characteristics of places define regions.
Essential Question: How do human characteristics help to define urban, suburban and rural communities?
District Indicators: Identify and describe human and physical characteristics of places, and use them to define regions.
Assessment: Social Studies Alive!  Lesson Guide Assessment 5
Alternative: Have the children go back to Chapters 2 & 3 and find human characteristic examples.

Activities

1. What makes a place special? In the last lesson, students learned about physical characteristics. In this lesson they learn about human characteristics: language, religion, government, economics, arts, and education.
2. What about the people? How are they affected by the characteristics of place? Their language, style of government, architecture, industries, all define the special character of a place. Explore the Geography Places website.
3. Students identify features that are made by people. Examples from Chapter 4 include farming, airplanes, and ships. Examples from Chapter 5 include pollution and clothing.
4. Use Kenya resources to discuss human characteristics of Kenya as well as similarities and differences with physical characteristics of Colorado Springs. Use the Time for Kids: Going Places website.

Differentiation
Support:  Draw pictures and use correct vocabulary for human characteristics.
Extension:  Continue creative account of a trip across Colorado, describing human characteristics.
Resources: Social Studies Alive!    Lesson 5 Assessment; Text Chapters 4 and 5
Use the Geography About website and scroll down to Urban, Economic, and Transportation Geography, and Political Geography.
Explore the National Geographic Earthspace website for lessons on physical and human characteristics.

Parent Resources

This unit presents a perfect opportunity for you to talk with your child about changes you see taking place in our community. As you drive with your child through Colorado Springs and the surrounding area, point out both physical and human features--from mountains and plains to historical and modern buildings-- and discuss how t our community has changed over the years since you moved here. Your child will be learning about how communities differ and how they are alike. Share with your child stories of where you have lived and what those communities had in common with the Colorado Springs communities. Refer to the essential questions listed above and help bring those ideas alive for your child by connecting the ideas with his or her past experiences.

ABCs of Elementary Years: These ABC Tips are designed to help you support your child’s learning in social studies during their years in elementary school.