Home Sweet Home Unit 1 Home is Where

Home Sweet Home Unit 1: Home is Where the Heart Is Mrs. Hamilton’s 1 st grade Conn. West Elementary

Essential Question Why do people say “There’s no place like home”?

Unit Plan Summary Everyone has a home, no matter what its shape or size. There are elements about homes that are universal and some that are familyspecific. In this first quarter unit, students will explore the definition of home based on form and function specifically focused on human homes.

Unit Plan Summary As a culminating project, students will create a Power. Point presentation showing the differences in human homes and reasons for those. They will also evaluate whether a house is a home based on group created definitions. This will be accomplished using interviews, literature, and their own human experience.

Unit Questions • What makes a house a home? • Why aren’t all homes the same?

Content Questions • • • Name and describe different kinds of homes. How does location affect home design? How does a home affect a family? How does a family affect a home? How do homes meet different needs?

Project-based Learning Benefits: HProject based learning is student centered HBasic skills and content area knowledge are developed HState standards and higher-order thinking are tied to real-world contexts HSo many choices are included, students are engaged regardless of learning style

Gauging Student Needs I will use my Essential and Unit Questions to: • Discover my students’ knowledge level regarding elements about homes that are universal and those that are family-specific. • Assess my students ability to compare and contrast concrete and abstract attributes. • Introduce the yearlong theme of homes and habitats.

Student Needs Assessment • What I will learn from this assessment: – My students’ knowledge of types of homes. – My students’ level of understanding of the term home and house. – My students’ ability to compare and contrast attributes. • What my students will gain from the assessment: – An understanding that not all homes are alike. – Experience with a venndiagram. – An understanding of the terms “home, house, apartment, location, details”

21 st Century Skills Home Sweet Home, Unit 1 will develop the following skills: HAccountability and Adaptability HCommunication Skills HCritical Thinking and Systems Thinking HInterpersonal and Collaborative Skills HSelf-Direction

My Goals • Systematically teach students to use school’s available technology. • Develop higher-order thinking skills in my students. • Provide a conceptual framework for students as they develop basic reading, math and communication skills.