Social Studies Unit - Communities (Urban, Suburban & Rural) - Second Grade

Jon Handel
May 15, 2014
CEDC 722
Social Studies Methods
Professor Debbie Sonu

Table of Contents:
Page 3: Intro/Rationale/Historic Content
Page 6: Curriculum Map
Page 7: Lesson #1: Geography
Page 17: Lesson #2: Public Services
Page 25: Lesson #3: Government & Laws
Page 36: Culminating Project/Writing Assignment
Page 39: References

Intro/Rationale/Historic
ContentEssential Questions:
1. What are urban, suburban and rural communities?
2. How are urban, suburban and rural communities connected?
3. How are we involved in our community?
Lessons:
1. How did urban, suburban, rural communities originally form? (Geography)
2. What is needed for a community to function? (Public Services)
3. What are the laws that protect communities? (Governments & Laws)
Think back to your early elementary school years and the community that you grew up in. Was it a
city, suburb or rural area? Did you assume that everyone else in the world lived a similar lifestyle as
you? Children often believe that the world they see is the only world that exists. This phenomenon is
known as Solipsism (Wikipedia) and almost all children outgrow this belief. This curriculum unit will
debunk this idea and teach children about the various ways people live in our country – i.e. Urban,
Suburban and Rural areas. The unit will explore the origins, benefits, challenges and needs of these
community types in our society.
The development of urban, suburban and rural communities has been a continuous cycle of growth
for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations were built based on the same basic needs that we have
today. A fundamental reason why cities sprang up in certain locations is their proximity to rivers. Water
is vital for life – drinking water, growing food, irrigation, raising animals and the transportation of
supplies. Locations near mountains were also valued for their protection from enemies. Modern
society has evolved past these primitive limitations and allowed for humans to move further from
water supplies. Suburban and rural living has developed as a result. Lesson one will teach these
ideas through a map-making activity.

ContentMigration patterns have shifted drastically around the world in the last century. The invention of the
automobile and highways led to the creation of suburbs and a mass exodus from cities shortly after
World War II (Mohl, p1). The past thirty years has witnessed a huge reversal of this migration. Cities
have become the home to the majority of human beings. Over half the world’s population currently
resides in cities. Studies predict that 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by the year
2050 (UNICEF, p. V) .
Lesson two will explore the necessities that all communities must possess in order to thrive. These
areas include supplying basic human needs (food, clothing and shelter), infrastructure (roads,
electricity, sewage, bridges, etc), public services (government, laws, schools, transportation, police,
fire fighters, hospitals, etc) and utilities (electricity, water supply, sewage, highways/roads). For this
individual activity, students will add the name of each illustrated service along with a description of
their use. For example, roads are needed for delivery (food, supplies, toys), getting to work, taking
vacations and visiting friends.
According to the article Understanding by Design one of the key elements for successfully
understanding informational text is the skill of uncovering “abstract or often misunderstood ideas”
(Wiggins, p. 23). Lesson three in this unit is a discussion on Government & Laws. Most second grade
students are aware of the rules in their classroom as well as their school. They have a vague
understanding that there are laws that people must follow but they do not yet know how these
regulations are created and who enforces them. A misconception that many second graders have is
believing that everyone follows laws. Unfortunately this is not the case.

ContentStudents will learn about rules, regulations and repercussions that impact all communities including
classrooms, schools, neighborhoods, cities, states and the federal government. The lesson also
focuses on elected officials, how elected officials get their jobs and their responsibilities. Through a
group-work activity, students will learn how to create their own “law system”. This rule making and
negotiating process will help students to build a solid understanding of how judicial systems operate.
Throughout this two week unit, students will be assigned homework readings to further their
understanding of communities. A few books that can be used include My New York by Kathy
Jakobsen and Prairie Town by Bonnie Geisert. As a city teacher and urban culture enthusiast, my
class will spend additional time on this community. Cities are a perfect example of diverse lifestyles
and systems working together. It is a chance to open student minds to many of the valuable
experiences that urban living has to offer.

Lesson #1: Geography
Essential Questions:
 What are the different communities that people live in?
 How do communities decide on their location?
Understandings/Content:
Students will learn about the characteristics and history of three community types in the United States.
These communities include Urban (cities), Suburban (suburbs) and Rural (countryside). The lesson
will also teach students about the geographic locations and features of these communities such as
rivers, lakes and mountain ranges. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to discuss various
ways of living and read/label maps.
Vocabulary:
urban, suburban, rural, region, population, density, geography, resources.
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.5: Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings,
glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
NY Scope and Sequence:
 Communities are Diverse:
 Communities can be characterized as urban, rural, or suburban 3.1d
 Geography and natural resources shape where & how communities develop 3.1a, 3.1e, 3.2a, 3.2b

(Continued)Prior Knowledge/Key Misconceptions:
Children often believe that the world they see is the only world that exists. This lesson will debunk this idea and
inform children of the various communities in our country. Students in urban schools may not have any
experiences yet in suburban and rural areas. This lesson will provide them with a better perspective of their place
overall in our country’s landscape.
Students will have basic prior knowledge of geography and maps starting at the beginning of second grade. The
extent of this prior knowledge is an understanding of the United States as a whole and New York City in isolation.
Many other connecting components (states, regions, other cities) are not yet encoded in their minds.
Materials & Media:
 Illustrated Map - Urban, Suburban and Rural communities – Smart Board
 Photographs - Urban, Suburban and Rural communities – Smart Board
 Lesson Map (New York State) – Smart Board & Handout
 Map Labeling Worksheet (New York State) - Smart Board & Handout
 Book – Where Do I Live? by Neil Chesanow (read-aloud)
Lesson Tasks:
Part 1: Introducing three types of communities (approximately 10 minutes)
The lesson will begin with a verbal assessment of student prior knowledge. The teacher will bring all students to
the carpet area and ask questions such as “What type of community do we live in?”, “Does everyone in our
country live in communities that are similar to ours?” and “What are other types of communities in our country?”
Keeping the assessment information in mind, the teacher will proceed with an introduction of the communities
(Urban, Suburban and Rural) and their characteristics.

(Continued)The information that will be taught must include:
 Urban – Often have large populations, high density of inhabitants, high diversity of races/nationalities, little
wildlife and few animals. Most people live in apartment buildings and travel by subway or walk.
 Suburban – Often have moderate populations, moderate density of inhabitants, moderate diversity of
races/nationalities, moderate wildlife and moderate animals. Most people live in houses and travel by car.
 Rural – Often have small populations, low density of inhabitants, low diversity of races/nationalities, vast
wildlife and many animals. Most people live in houses/barns/farms and travel by car/truck.
Part 2: Read-aloud of Where Do I Live? by Neil Chesanow (approximately ten mins). The book will be used as
scaffolding for students to better absorb (encode) the information taught in part 1.
Part 3: Brief history of all three communities (approximately five minutes)
-The basic information that will be taught includes:
 Early civilizations developed near rivers as water was vital for survival and growth.
 Migration patterns have shifted drastically around the world in the last century.
 The invention of the automobile and highways led the creation of suburbs and a mass exodus from cities
shortly after World War II.
 The past thirty years has witnessed a huge reversal of this migration. Cities have become the home to a
majority of the world’s human beings.
 Over half the world’s population currently resides in cities.
 Studies predict that 75% of the world’s population will live in cities by the year 2050.
Part 4: Map reading/labeling lesson: (approximately 10 minutes)
-Using the attached Lesson Map, the teacher will discuss map features including scale, direction (N, S, E, W),
distance, highways, rivers, lakes, mountain ranges, etc. The map will be projected on the Smart Board and
students will be given a hard copy to keep. The teacher will also explain (and show) that New York State contains
all three community types.

(Continued)Part 5: Map labeling individual activity (approximately 15 minutes)
The teacher will thoroughly explain the activity to students. The assignment entails labeling a blank New York
State map with rivers, lakes and mountains. Once it is clear that the students understand the assignment,
worksheets (attached) will be distributed and students will return to their desks. The teacher should circulate to all
students during the fifteen-minute work time and provide scaffolding to those in need.
Culmination/Reflection:
The teacher should bring students together to review key concepts and summarize the lesson. This will not
possible today as all 45 minutes of lesson time have been accounted for. Instead, the teacher can plan to review
this material prior to the next Social Studies lesson.
The map labeling worksheets will be collected for the teacher to review that evening. By assessing their progress
on the map activity, the teacher will better understand how to proceed during the next lesson in this unit.
Extension Activity/Follow Up:
After students have a fundamental understanding of maps, a fun follow-up activity would be to use Google Maps in
a fun, eye-opening way. Students can either ask to see their homes or any other place they love from space
through Google Maps on the Smart Board. Teachers should explain that students can explore places around the
world on their computers any time that they wish.

(Continued)Differentiation:
 Students struggling with map labeling assignment: The teacher can model individually with this student how
to label one feature (ex. a river) to the student’s map.
 Students that complete map labeling assignment quickly: If the teacher notices students finishing ahead of
time, s/he should make an announcement telling them to write a few sentences on the “best” place they have
visited in New York State.
Assessment:
Review the student map labeling worksheet to assess comprehension and next steps. It should be expected that
most students will not be able to fully label map worksheet. Students will most likely need an additional map
labeling review assignment to fully solidify the concept.

Lesson #1: Geography (Illustrated
Map)

(Photographs)Urban:
Suburban:
Rural:

Lesson #1: Geography (Time-Lapse
Photo)

(Activity)Lesson Reference Map (New York State)

(Activity)
A. In the map to the left, find and label the
following features:
-12 Lakes (write “Lake” on each location)
-7 Rivers (write “River” on each location)
-2 Mountain Ranges (write “Mountain” on
each location)
Suggestion: Use the map key as your
guide.
B. Using your lesson map from earlier
today, add as many lake, river and
mountain names as you can to your map.
(Example: “Hudson River”)

Lesson #2: Public Services
What is needed for a community to function?
This lesson will teach students the purpose of public services as well as a detailed understanding of each utility.
Students will also discover that all communities have similar public services regardless of location.
Vocabulary:
danger, function, private, public, public services, safety, sanitation, sewage, system, transportation, utilities.
Writing - CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8: Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Recall information from
experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
NY Scope and Sequence:
Unit 3: Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities
 Features of urban, rural, and suburban communities are different 3.1d
 Rural areas may have limited public services (hospitals, police, public transportation, etc.) 3.1a, 3.1d, 4.1f
 Types of transportation in rural and urban communities may be different 3.1a, 3.1d, 3.1e
 People in suburbs often commute to cities for work 3.1a, 3.1d, 3.1e
Prior Knowledge/Key Misconceptions:
Second grade students have encountered most public services in their daily lives including schools, roads, public
transportation (subways, buses), police officers, fire fighters, sanitation workers and hospitals. They do not have a
deep understanding of why these services exist, how they work or what life would be like without them.

(Continued)Materials & Media:
 The Works: Anatomy of a City by Kate Ascher
 Public Services Worksheet
 Photographs of each public service and utility
Lesson Tasks:
Part 1: Explain each public service and their use. (Approximately 15 minutes)
Below are the vital aspects of each public service and the workers that provide them for the community.
 Services:
 Fire Fighters/Fire House: Needed to stop fires and inspect building.
 Hospitals: Needed to help sick people in situations that doctors can’t take care of in their offices such as broken bones and surgery.
 Police Officers/Police Station: Needed to stop crimes & keep citizens safe.
 Public Transportation: Subways and Buses. Needed for people to travel to work, stores, visit friends, vacations. (Show examples in The Works book)
 Schools: Needed to educate children on the skills, rules and ideas to be successful in life.
 Post Office/Mail Person: Needed to send and receive mail from any part of the country for a small cost. Imagine if people had to deliver their own mail!
 Sanitation/Garbage Men: Needed to remove trash and pick up recyclables.
 Utilities:
 Electricity: Needed for people to power lights, refrigerators, computers, TVs, factories, cash registers, street lamps, traffic lights and more. (Show
examples in The Works book)
 Roads/Highways: Needed for people to travel to work, stores, visit friends, vacations, emergency workers (police officers, fire fighters, ambulances) to
do their jobs. Businesses need roads to delivery products such as food, clothing and toys.
 Sewers: Needed to remove waste from houses, apartments and businesses. (Show examples in The Works book)
 Water Supply: Needed for drinking, showering, washing dishes and washing clothes. Clean water travels from lakes through pipes and is stored in water
tanks high above the ground. (Show examples in The Works book)

(Continued)Part 2: Public Services List Activity (Approximately 20 minutes)
For this individual activity, students will add the name of each illustrated service along with a description of their
use. For example, roads are needed for delivery (food, supplies, toys), getting to work, taking vacations and
visiting friends. Before students return to their desks and begin the worksheets, the teacher should display the
work sheet and model one example. The teacher may also decide to quickly review all the services one more time
before students head to their desks to complete their assignment.
Part 3: Recap (Approximately 5 minutes)
Students should be brought back together for a quick review of the lesson highlights. See the Reflection section
below for further suggestions.
Culmination/Reflection:
During reflection time, students should consider a world without these services. This will help them to better
understand the importance of each service in our lives. The teacher can ask hypothetical questions like “What
would happen if garbage men stopped picking up our garbage?” or “What would happen if there were no
schools?” to help students decode the information in this lesson.
Extension Activity/Follow-Up:
If time allows, students can write a few sentences on an experience that they had with public services/workers.
The teacher can model an example from his/her life (i.e. “There’s a nice lady that lives on my floor. She was
feeling very ill and wasn’t able to walk well. I called an ambulance and they took her to the local hospital. I rode in
the ambulance with her and gave her lots of positive encouragement. The doctors at the hospital gave her medical
treatment and she felt all better”).

(Continued)Differentiation:
 Struggling Students: Struggling students will need to observe the teacher modeling one more example
directly with the student on the worksheet. This should be the extra push that they need to get started. If
students continue to struggle, the teacher can add a word bank on the Smart Board with all of the relevant
terms and uses.
 Students that complete assignment quickly and satisfactorily: See Extension Activity/Follow-Up section above
Assessment:
The most straightforward technique for assessing this lesson is for the teacher to collect and review each student’s
worksheet. From here, the teacher can decide whether each student was able to overall comprehend the lesson or
if further time is needed to solidify certain ideas.

(Activity)
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________
Service:___________________
Use: _____________________
_____________________

(Photographs)
The Works: Anatomy of a City
By Kate Ascher

(Photographs)
Public Transportation (Subway) Public Transportation (Bus) Garbage/Sanitation
Police Department Hospital/Ambulance Fire Department

(Photographs)

Lesson #3: Government & Laws
 What are the laws (rules) that protect a community?
 What are the rights of an individual and their community?
 Who decides the rules and consequences in a community?
This lesson will touch on the following content:
 Rules and regulations that impact all communities including classrooms, schools, neighborhoods, cities,
states and the federal government.
 Legal punishments (judicial system, courts, judges, police, jail)
 Elected officials (District Representatives, Mayors, Governors, Senators, Judges, President, etc)
Through a group-work activity, students will learn how to create their own rule system and consequences. The
process will help students to build a solid understanding of how judicial systems operate.
Vocabulary:
consequence, court, crime, criminal, elected officials, government, judicial system, justice, laws, legal, legal
system, punishment, rights, rules.
Reading: Informational Text: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where,
when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Writing: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided
sources to answer a question.

(Continued)NY Scope and Sequence:
Communities: Rights, Rules and Responsibilities: 5.2b, 5.2fd 5.2e, 5.2f
• Community leaders represent the people in a neighborhood, borough, city, state, etc. 5.2b
• State and national leaders are elected (governor, senators, president) 5.2f
• Local government’s relationship to national government 5.2d, 5.2e
Prior Knowledge/Key Misconceptions:
Most second grade students are aware of the rules in their classroom as well as their school. They have a vague
understanding that there are laws that people must follow but they are not yet aware of how these regulations are
created and who enforces them. A misconception that many second graders have is believing that everyone
follows laws. Unfortunately this is not the case.
Materials & Media:
 Elementary School Rules Handbook
 Local Government Laws Document (i.e. NYC Rules and Regulations)
 “Friendship Rules” worksheet
Lesson Tasks:
Part 1. Discussion/Overview of Laws (approximately 5 minutes):
Teacher should ask students the following pre-assessment questions:
 What are rules?
 Why do rules exist?
 What happens if people don’t follow rules?
 Where do we find rules? (i.e. school, home, towns, cities, states and the federal level)
Based on their responses, the teacher can adjust the planned lesson accordingly.

(Continued)Part 2. Review Elementary School Rules Handbook (approximately 5 minutes):
 What are some of the rules that kids at PS 183 must follow?
 Highlight a few specific rules from the sample school handbook using the Smart Board document camera
 Discuss why these rules are necessary (i.e. to be fair to all students, minimize distractions, etc)
 Transition from school rules to city laws
Part 3. Review NYC Government Laws & Elected Officials (approximately 5 minutes):
There are specific rules that NYC residents must obey as well as guaranteed rights that they are entitled to in
relations to Banking, Businesses, Employment, Homelessness, Housing, Human Rights, Parks, Safety, Sanitation,
Schools, Taxes, Transportation, Voting and many other areas.
Review NYC Housing Rules and Regulations document as a sample (attached)
As NYC residents, we have Housing rights including:
 Heat and Hot Water
 Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors
 Housing Court
 Illegal Basement and Cellar Conversions
 Bedbugs

(Continued)Elected officials create rules for a community.
 Discuss how elected officials get their jobs (voting) and their responsibilities
Part 4. “Friendship Rules” Worksheet - Modeling (approximately 5 minutes):
 Model writing and thinking out-loud of one rule and one consequence.
 Groups will add five rules that individuals must follow to be good friends.
 Groups will also add two consequences that will occur if a friend does not follow the rules.
 All members of the group must sign (or write) their name on the bottom of the document to make it official.
Part 5.Creating “Friendship Rules” - Group Activity (approximately 15 minutes):
 Each group will be given a blank rules document.
 Groups should select one Scribe (writer)
 Make sure all group members agree on each rule and consequence before they are written.
 Give all group members a chance to contribute (at least one rule per student)
Community: Elected Officials:
Town Mayor
City Mayor, Borough Presidents, District
Representatives, City Council, Judges
State Governor, Senators,
Congressmen/women, Judges
Federal President, Vice President, Secretary of
State, Treasurer, Federal Judges

(Continued)Part 6. Culmination/Reflection - Recap (approximately 5 minutes):
 Bring students to the carpet
 Ask each group to share their favorite rule to the class (provide scaffolding as needed).
 Remind students that this activity was a mini-version of the way that governments create their laws. They
should be proud of their achievement.
Extension Activity/Follow-Up:
Following this lesson, the teacher can compile the most “appropriate” rules and consequence into a poster to hang
in the classroom. A printed handout of this list can also be created for students to keep as a reminder of
rulemaking and consequences.
Literacy Extension: During the following social studies period, students can write about New York laws (or school
rules) that they think are fair and unfair. The teacher should provide a worksheet for this assignment with a list of
ten big-picture laws to consider (i.e. Residents may not steal. Residents have to pay money to park their cars
during business hours. Residents may not look at their neighbor’s mail, etc)
Differentiation:
 Struggling Students: During the group work activity, the teacher can model the creation of another rule for
struggling groups. The teacher can also provide a copy of the school rules as reference for struggling
students to use while working.
 Students that complete assignment quickly and satisfactorily: These students can either draw a picture of one
rule on the back of the worksheet or write a list of vocabulary words that relate to rules and laws.

(Continued)Assessment:
Teachers should circulate throughout the groups during activity time. Specific questions can be asked to assess
each student’s comprehension such as:
 What rule did you think of? Why?
 Are there any rules that you do not agree with? Which ones? Why?
 Why is this list of rules and consequences important?
Following the activity, the teacher can collect the worksheets for a closer assessment of understanding.

(Activity)Friendship Rules Worksheet
In order to be a good friend to others, kids must follow these rules:
Rules:
1:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Consequences:
1:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Signatures:
1._____________________________
2._____________________________
3._____________________________
4._____________________________
Date:__________________________

Elementary School Rules Handbook:
We do not allow the following items:
Toys, Hats, Gum, Electronics, i.e. game boys/I-pods/laptops/cell phones, Animals - Due to individuals with significant allergies to fur,
feathers, odors, and airborne elements, South Hill School does not allow animals including birds and reptiles at school. This includes
living and dead beings. We all love animals and certainly believe that they can enhance learning experiences. However, the health and
well-being of our students and staff takes priority.
Safe school annual drills
•Fire and evacuation drills
•Severe weather drills
•Lockdown drills
Valued Personal Property
The school is not responsible for items that children bring to school. Therefore, CHILDREN MUST NOT BRING EXPENSIVE OR
VALUED BELONGINGS SUCH
AS TOYS, RADIOS, IPODS, CALCULATORS, SPORTS EQUIPMENT, DOLLS, COMPUTERS, ETC
Valuables can get lost, broken, stolen, or traded. We have found that when children trade toys, they often regret it later. It would be very
helpful if you would help your child understand the possible consequences of bringing valued possessions to school.
Student Dress Code
ICSD Policy 5311.5 - Please see School Conduct Manual for full policy.
The purpose of this dress code is to support a school community environment that is safe, orderly, and committed to the delivery of
educational services without distractions or disruptions. While recognizing the rich diversity in our school community, in order to meet
our purpose it is necessary to establish standards which are based on the principles of mutual respect, civility, and dignity. Defining
expectations for acceptable and unacceptable dress, and working cooperatively with students and their families to meet these
expectations minimizes confusion and conflict in this potentially emotionally charged area.

Elementary School Rules Handbook
Clothing and/or Accessories
Clothing must fit appropriately in order to avoid injury and to prevent distractions that impede the educational process. The student may wear clothing
and/or accessories that:
1. Are clean 2. Are composed of intact and opaque fabric 3. Meet the safety requirements set forth by specific student activities, i.e. family and
consumer science, technology, physical education, and laboratories.
The Student may not wear clothing and/or accessories that:
1. Bear an expression or insignia which is obscene, lewd, vulgar, or libelous, or which advocates unlawful violence or prejudice on the basis of
protected classification as defined by District Policy 5020.
2. Are extremely brief or otherwise revealing such as tube tops, muscle shirts, sagging pants, halter-tops, spaghetti straps, and plunging necklines
(front and/or back).
Footwear:
Footwear is required to promote health and safety of students, students must wear footwear at all times in the school building. Students shall not wear
house slippers, or any other type of footwear that could constitute safety hazards. The Board requires students to wear appropriate footwear in certain
classes including but not limited to physical education, technology, home and careers as well as on climbing structures.
Hats:
Non-verbal communication, as expressed through facial expression, is an integral part of the educational interchange between teacher and student
and among students. A clear view of one another and the learning environment is essential to the educational process.
Release of School Directory Information
“By law, the school district may release, without prior consent, directory information for each student (i.e. to a school’s recognized parent organization
or for the coverage by the media of program activities, awards and prizes for students). Directory information for a student consists of the student’s
name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, age, school currently attending, grade in school, participation in officially recognized
activity and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous
education institution attended.
Volunteers and family members are crucial to student achievement. Nothing means more to a child's academic and social success than involved
families! You are a valued participant in your child's education. Classroom teachers will let parents/caregivers know when their help is needed in the
classroom.

Local Government Laws (NYC):
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development: An Overview
As the nation’s largest municipal housing development agency, HPD’s primary goals are improving the
affordability, availability and quality of housing in New York City. Since 1987, the agency has financed the
construction or rehabilitation of more than 400,000 affordable apartments and homes.
Using a variety of preservation, development and enforcement strategies, we work with private, public and
community partners to strengthen neighborhoods, expand the supply of new affordable housing and keep families
in their homes. Among its critical missions, HPD is responsible for enforcing the New York City Housing
Maintenance Code (HMC) and the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL). The HMC establishes the
minimum standards for health, safety, light, ventilation, cleanliness, maintenance, and occupancy in residential
apartments in New York City.
HPD’s responsibilities include dispatching housing inspectors in response to complaints about housing conditions
reported through the City’s 311 customer service center. As a result of these inspections, HPD may issue
violations, employ contractors to make critical repairs if landlords fail to address immediately hazardous violations,
and bring Housing Court actions.
First of all, and most important, owners and tenants have legal responsibilities to their buildings and to each other.
This booklet is designed to help you, whether you are an owner or a tenant, gain an understanding of the rules
and regulations, and your basic rights and responsibilities.
It is not meant to be a complete or final statement of your rights and duties.

Local Government Laws (NYC):
OWNERS’ AND TENANTS’ RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Building Owners
Owners must ensure that buildings are safe, clean and well maintained, in both common areas and in individual
apartments. Among other responsibilities, owners must provide and maintain security measures, heat, hot and
cold water, good lighting, make repairs to keep the building in good repair, and provide smoke detectors, carbon
monoxide detectors, and window guards (where required or requested). The owner must be in compliance with the
HMC and MDL. Owners must register the property annually with HPD. If the building is rent-stabilized, the owner
must register rents annually with the NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) agency.
Tenants
Tenants have responsibilities to their building owners and their apartments. They may not damage the building,
intentionally or through neglect. Tenants are also responsible for the actions of their guests. They have a
responsibility to respond to annual owner inquiries related to window guards and lead paint, and to maintain
smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Tenants must obey the terms of their leases, pay rent on time, and honor
the rights of other tenants.
Complaints and Violations
Tenants in privately owned buildings with maintenance problems should first notify the building owner or manager.
If verbal notification does not result in a resolution to the problem, tenants may wish to send written notification
through certified mail, with a return receipt requested. If the problem persists, or the condition constitutes an
emergency, tenants may file a complaint by calling 311, which is open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-per-week.
Complaints regarding heat and hot water may also be filed through 311 Online (nyc.gov/311).

Culminating Project/Writing
Assignment: Thank-You Letter
Description:
After this unit, second grade students should have a solid background on the three types of communities that exist
in our country (urban, suburban, rural). Students will also understand map-making and how communities operate.
For the Culminating Project, students will each write a thank-you letter to a local public service provider (i.e. police
officer, fire fighter, EMT, sanitation man/woman, subway conductor, etc).
Purpose:
This culminating project will help students to translate their community unit knowledge into real-life context.
Connecting students directly to community public service providers will facilitate a deeper understanding of the
systems that are in place to support citizens. An added bonus would be a response letter from the workers!
Requirements:
 Students must write a draft and final version of letter.
 There will be two writing sessions and one editing session.
 Letters must be at least two paragraphs in length.
 Students must include three specific reasons on how the service has helped them, their family or their
community as a whole.
 Students must include an explanation of what it would be like if that particular public service did not exist.
 Students must find the service’s mailing address using resources such as the internet, phonebook or the
school library.
 Students must properly label their envelope.

Standards:
Writing Standards - Grade 2:
 Text Types and Purposes - Standard #2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic,
use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
 Production and Distribution of Writing - Standard #5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus
on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
Assessment Plan:
Teachers should collect both the drafts and final versions of the letters after each writing session. The letters
should be assessed for content, grammar, writing style and overall comprehension of the assignment. Teachers
can use a simple check off of the following elements:
A. Letter Components:
 Did the student include at least two paragraphs of writing?
 Did the student include three reasons on how the service has helped them?
 Did the student include an explanation of what it would be like if that particular public service did not exist?
 Did the student use the proper format and mailing address on the envelope?
B. Assignment Comprehension:
 Did the student complete the assignment with satisfactory understanding?
 Was the student’s letter coherent?
 Did the student’s letter stay on topic?
Copies of the final versions should be saved for student portfolios.

Scaffolding for Success:
 The teacher should write a model thank-you note to one particular public service provider. While writing the
sample letter using the document projector, the teacher should “think-aloud” about his/her thought process.
 Teacher should model how to find a sample service mailing address during the lesson.
 During individual letter writing time, the teacher should be circulating around the classroom and monitoring
student progress. Scaffolding should be provided based on teacher’s discretion. Minimal scaffolding should
be offered during the first draft writing session.
 The teacher should provide detailed written feedback and suggestions on each student’s draft.

References
Ascher, Kate (2005). The Works: Anatomy of a City. Penguin Books.
 This illustrated book is an excellent reference for an understanding of city infrastructure. With NYC as the example, Ascher guides readers through descriptions and images of
the subway system, electricity grid, water delivery, buildings, bridges, roads, tunnels and more.
Chesanow, Neil. (1995) Where Do I Live? Barron's Educational Series. ISBN: 0812092414.
 Kids love this book which describes communities from the micro to the macro. The book starts off in a kid’s room, followed by their house, town, suburb, city, countryside and
even to outer space. It’s a great starter book for children to fist learn about different communities.
Evans, Ronald W. (2004) The Social Studies Wars: What Should We Teach the Children? Teachers College Press. NY, NY.
 Evans discusses many relevant factors and history involved in the debate over the best ways to teach Social Studies. Policies have changed over the years, but the debate still
rages on.
Hamilton, Alexander; Madison, James; and Jay, John. (1787) The Federalist Papers. No. 51 Chapter 10. Page 347
 In the late 1780’s, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay published eighty-five articles on their suggested changes for the United States Constitution. The final eight
articles were published separately as The Federalist Papers.
Mohl, Raymond A. (2002). The Interstates and the Cities: Highways, Housing, and the Freeway Revolt. Poverty and Race Research Action Council. University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Department of History.
 Through this article, we learn the history of our country’s highways and public works projects. The main focus of the article is to explain how highways connected cities and the
changes that this brought to our country. The author also dives deep into the political debates that raged through the government on the topic.
UNICEF. “Children in the Urban World – The State of the World’s Children”. http://www.unicef.org/sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC%202012-Main%20Report_EN_13Mar2012.pdf United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Feb 2012. Web.
 A 2012 report about population growth worldwide. Overall, the report states that population growth will come with enormous problems and pressure put on our environment. The
best news in the report is that the largest migration of humans will be to cities. Cities are the most efficient and environmentally friendly community choice.
Wikipedia. “Solipsism”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsism. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 29 April 2014. Web
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2011). The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
 The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units is a helpful book for teachers to create useful lesson plans and units. The book breaks out each of the
elements in a successful unit. I would recommend this book for both rookie teachers and experts who are interested in learning about different styles of unit creation.
Wisconsin Legislative Council. (2012) Wisconsin Legislator Briefing Book – 2013/14. Madison, WI.
 This public document reviews updates in Wisconsin’s legislature as well as the budget process. It is written in a simple manner that students as young as fourth or fifth grade can
understand. When speaking about specific topics such as law making, teachers can highlight specific elements in this document to discuss with students.
Wood, Denis. (1992) The Power of Maps. Guilford Press, New York.
 A theoretical discussion of maps, their history and their many purposes. Much of the text in this book is too advanced for elementary students, but the ideas can definitely be
distilled in map-making lessons.

Social Studies Unit - Communities (Urban, Suburban & Rural) - Second Grade

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Social Studies Unit - Communities (Urban, Suburban & Rural) - Second Grade