Title: What Matters in a Community?
Duration: 40 minutes
Objectives: Students will be able to: Discuss the idea of people as a fusion in society. One group is not responsible for the development of New Haven, but many groups of people in collaboration with one another.
Vocabulary: Community, Native, Immigrants, fusion
Materials: flip book, large white paper, Legos, blocks, art materials, We Came to America by Faith Ringgold.
Anticipatory Set: Begin with the story We Came to America by Faith Ringgold and review previous lesson discussions about why people came to New Haven. Then ask: Who created New Haven? Who built the buildings, made the food, created the music, etc.?
We Came to America by Faith Ringgold was chosen for this lesson to help explain that people traveled across the world to reach different opportunities in life. The story has been added at this point in the unit to transfer student thinking from an understanding of the original New Haveners to an ever-changing diverse community and the importance of recognizing all people as members of the same community. Students may identify or be reminded of their own family members' paths as referenced in lesson 2 with the popsicle sticks. Students may also think about the items that they brought into class for this lesson to share with others. After the story reading, students may take the time to share their items or stories with the class (Plan for 10 minutes of discussion).
Direct Instruction: Students will create their own version of New Haven, CT. Students will begin to think about what they will place within the community. Students should consider their values and human needs. Then students will circle two items on their community picture that they are most proud of or value. Using the large white paper, students will contribute their circled items to the classroom community drawing that students’ are co constructing as a whole class. When ideas are shared and added to the community drawing, the teacher will write the specific idea that was created and the students name on the board. By the end of the activity, each student will be recognized for their thoughtful ideas and see that their creation was not their own alone but made together. Refer to the flipbook for additional student tasks. An additional day may be added to this lesson if sharing time took additional time for all students to participate.
Images and Citations:
Ringgold, F. (2016). We Came to America. Alfred A. Knopf.
30, T. M. M. J. Image (2021, August 27). 100 years later, a vision lives on. New Haven Independent. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/city_plan_centennial_approaches
*Note the 8th lesson for parents/guardians to join the classroom. Letters to be sent home.