This curriculum includes five Common Core and DC Social Studies standards aligned lessons. Although designed in a sequence, each part can be taught individually if teachers need to be selective about the standards they will address.
Lessons includes the following components: outline, standards, lesson plan, vocabulary, and graphic organizers. Graphic organizers are scaffolded to account for different grade and ability levels, so educators have various options for identifying the most appropriate resources. For example, teachers can choose one version to use for the whole class, select multiple versions and assign to students based on need, or allow students to self-select which template will allow them to successfully access the content.
All learning experience following the 5E model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) and will take between 75 to 90 minutes. Given realistic time constraints during the school day, the minutes allocated to each section allow teachers to break up content across multiple days. Teachers in fourth and fifth grade can also use these resources, although it is likely that their students will complete the activities in less time. Therefore, there is an additional document outlining extension activities that aligns with this guide.
As teachers work through each lesson, they will notice several comprehension questions and sentence stems. While educators may prefer to orally share these checks for understanding, there is a companion resource (Lesson Visuals Grades 1-3) that includes all vocabulary, objectives, essential questions, comprehension questions, and sentence stems. Teachers can project this presentation while teaching to provide additional support for students.
While the series highlights opportunities for students to delve deeply into neighborhood histories, teachers may find that honing in on their school’s history as a microcosm of the neighborhood achieves similar objectives to the broader scope of the project. If educators determine this change to be necessary, references to “neighborhood” in the guide will need to be changed to “school” by the teacher.