The purpose of this unit is for grade 1 and 2 students to build a strong classroom community and foster belonging from the beginning of the school year by having students consider what makes a strong community and the unique identities that each student brings to the classroom. Students will discover how they are connected to other people and to their communities and will be encouraged to express interest, sensitivity and responsibility in their interactions with others. Through inquiry into their social, physical, cultural and linguistic environments, students will see themselves as part of the larger world, or
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global village. During a time of a global pandemic, community is more important than ever. Fostering a strong classroom community is one of the core purposes of this unit in order for students to learn more about their support systems already in place and to explore the content knowledge of this unit.
This unit promotes critical thinking through the process of inquiry, where students analyze and evaluate stories and how they tell us about history, culture, and land, and will then make a reasoned judgement of how these stories tell us about our role in our communities. Creative thinking is also supported so that students can make unique connections to story and their personal experiences, bringing in prior cultural knowledge and comparing it (Alberta Education, 2005, p. 8).
This unit promotes critical thinking through the process of inquiry, where students analyze and evaluate stories and how they tell us about history, culture, and land, and will then make a reasoned judgement of how these stories tell us about our role in our communities. Creative thinking is also supported so that students can make unique connections to story and their personal experiences, bringing in prior cultural knowledge and comparing it (Alberta Education, 2005, p. 8).
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This unit fostered critical, place-based literacy by honouring the place-based resources that students already hold. Students were empowered through welcoming and inclusive literature with an emphasis on the strength in diversity. Students began this unit understandably shy to share where they or their family's come from in a new class in the middle of a pandemic. By the end of this unit, students had openly shared about their Blackfoot, Jamaican, Filipino, Arabic, French, American, and Somalian backgrounds and languages. Students openly shared about how they believe that it is important that we are all different because it would be boring if we were all the same. To avoid a "rainbow stereotyping" as Mendoza would say, we also talked about how being different can be hard, that people are sometimes unkind to those who are different, and personal and collective responsibility to stand up to injustice like this. The class read about Residential Schools and demonstrated their desire to understand why people would treat others in this way. They thought critically about wanting everybody to fit into a certain mould or to look a certain way by analyzing pictures of residential school children.
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Place-based learning played an important role in the study of community for both grade 1 and 2 outcomes. For some students who had never seen downtown Calgary or the Rocky Mountains, the emphasis on the immediate neighbourhood community was important to honour their place-based resources. Students used a simple community map to locate local doctor's and dentist offices, the nearest gas station and grocery store, the library and firehall, and the school in the community. Students then worked in groups emphasizing oral literacy to create a commercial or short skit for their
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community place. Every student was able to bring their place-based resource to their work explaining the many layers of these places. For example, for a grocery store students explained that you could buy groceries but also flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, cosmetics, medication, and sometimes clothes. They were also able to identify the different jobs such as a deli worker, butcher, cashier, shelf stocker, and someone who puts the carts back. While a seemingly simple activity, students get proud to demonstrate the knowledge they have from life experience and real world examples, they had a chance to talk and discuss with limited teacher support to strengthen their communication skills, and could demonstrate their knowledge orally allowing everyone to participate and honouring alternate modes of literacy and learning.
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Planning
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Assessment
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Resources
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Alberta Assessment Consortium. (2020, August 06). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://aac.ab.ca/
We Belong!, Welcome to Our Community, Making a Contribution are all taken from this website and adapted for the purposes of this unit. Also used to create rubrics.
Book Creator - bring creativity to your classroom. (2020, June 16). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://bookcreator.com/
A free app and a simple way to make digital books online - on Chromebooks, PCs, iPads or tablets. Create. Read. Publish.
FANELLI, S. (2019). MY MAP BOOK. Place of publication not identified: HARPERCOLLINS.
A book of maps through a child’s eyes of their bedroom, home, school, route to the playground and so on. Introduces students to the many types of maps that can be created, Can be used as inspiration for the culminating task, to draw the community, and to create “heart maps” for discussion regarding identity and belonging.
Fox, M., & Staub, L. (2017). Whoever you are. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
A book about superficial differences and meaningful similarities of the human experience. Opens up discussions of multiculturalism, inclusion, acceptance, and belonging.
Green, J., & Gordon, M. (2014). Why should I protect nature? New York, NY: Scholastic.
A child friendly book to introduce students to the importance of sustainability and environmental responsibilities of communities.
Inquiry into learning. (2020, April 08). An Inquiry into Inquiry Cycle. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://inquiryintolearningblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/08/an-inquiry-into-inquiry-cycle/
A great visual for meaningful and authentic learning. Week 1-3 begins with observations, explorations and discovery. Week 4 and 5 shares ideas and reflects. Week 6 asks what the students can do or change.
McCloud, C. (n.d.). Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness.
A book all about giving, sharing, and caring to promote kindness, cooperation, acceptance, and conflict resolution in the classroom.
McLellan, J. (2009). Nanabosho: How the turtle got its shell. Halifax, N.S.: Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired.
A traditional Cree story about working together and cooperation incorporating the natural world and environment. Students can learn about both receiving and giving back to the community and how cooperation is vital to a thriving community. Indigenous perspectives and FNMI connections to introduce land acknowledgements.
Milich, Z. (2013). City signs. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.
Photographs of signs and symbols found in the city. Allows students to extend their thinking to their own communities and the signs, symbols, and landmarks found at home, school, and the city of Calgary.
Penfold, A., & Kaufman, S. (2019). All are welcome. London: Bloomsbury Children's Books.
A book all about starting school where everyone is welcome. Introduces many different types of children and families reinforcing that everyone should feel welcome and safe at school.
Sanderson, E., & Beyer, D. (2017). Two pairs of shoes. Winnipeg, MB: Pemmican Publications.
The story of a young indigenous girl who lives in the city and visits her grandmother on the reserve living in two worlds or communities. Introduces the idea of belonging to more than one community, identity and FNMI connections.
We Belong!, Welcome to Our Community, Making a Contribution are all taken from this website and adapted for the purposes of this unit. Also used to create rubrics.
Book Creator - bring creativity to your classroom. (2020, June 16). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://bookcreator.com/
A free app and a simple way to make digital books online - on Chromebooks, PCs, iPads or tablets. Create. Read. Publish.
FANELLI, S. (2019). MY MAP BOOK. Place of publication not identified: HARPERCOLLINS.
A book of maps through a child’s eyes of their bedroom, home, school, route to the playground and so on. Introduces students to the many types of maps that can be created, Can be used as inspiration for the culminating task, to draw the community, and to create “heart maps” for discussion regarding identity and belonging.
Fox, M., & Staub, L. (2017). Whoever you are. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
A book about superficial differences and meaningful similarities of the human experience. Opens up discussions of multiculturalism, inclusion, acceptance, and belonging.
Green, J., & Gordon, M. (2014). Why should I protect nature? New York, NY: Scholastic.
A child friendly book to introduce students to the importance of sustainability and environmental responsibilities of communities.
Inquiry into learning. (2020, April 08). An Inquiry into Inquiry Cycle. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://inquiryintolearningblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/08/an-inquiry-into-inquiry-cycle/
A great visual for meaningful and authentic learning. Week 1-3 begins with observations, explorations and discovery. Week 4 and 5 shares ideas and reflects. Week 6 asks what the students can do or change.
McCloud, C. (n.d.). Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness.
A book all about giving, sharing, and caring to promote kindness, cooperation, acceptance, and conflict resolution in the classroom.
McLellan, J. (2009). Nanabosho: How the turtle got its shell. Halifax, N.S.: Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired.
A traditional Cree story about working together and cooperation incorporating the natural world and environment. Students can learn about both receiving and giving back to the community and how cooperation is vital to a thriving community. Indigenous perspectives and FNMI connections to introduce land acknowledgements.
Milich, Z. (2013). City signs. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.
Photographs of signs and symbols found in the city. Allows students to extend their thinking to their own communities and the signs, symbols, and landmarks found at home, school, and the city of Calgary.
Penfold, A., & Kaufman, S. (2019). All are welcome. London: Bloomsbury Children's Books.
A book all about starting school where everyone is welcome. Introduces many different types of children and families reinforcing that everyone should feel welcome and safe at school.
Sanderson, E., & Beyer, D. (2017). Two pairs of shoes. Winnipeg, MB: Pemmican Publications.
The story of a young indigenous girl who lives in the city and visits her grandmother on the reserve living in two worlds or communities. Introduces the idea of belonging to more than one community, identity and FNMI connections.