Students will be able to:
~ describe different laws associated with Spencerport
~ apply their knowledge of the laws of Spencerport to create a story about those laws
New York Core Curriculum:
Making and Changing rules and laws
- People in rural, urban and suburban communities develop rules and laws to govern and protect our community members
Materials
- �The Secret Knowledge of Grownups� by David Wisniewski
- Computers
- Paper
- Marker/Pencils
Procedures:
1. Talk to students about Rules and laws and how everyone has to follow these rules in the community and at home etc. (Ask students what are some rules around their house? What are some things that their parents are always telling them?)
- If students seem stuck start the conversation, whose mother always tells them not to eat candy before dinner, brush their teeth, and eat your vegetables? Get them really into what you are going to have them do.
2. Ask students, if their parents ever told them to drink plenty of milk or do not play with their food or do not jump on their beds? (have students tell stories about what their parents might have told them, Teacher should also tell them stories to show that they also have rules they have to follow)
3. Tell students that I was at the library getting a book out and I discovered this book hiding in the back of the library. I picked it up and noticed that it had all the secrets behind why parents give us rules. I thought it was so interesting that I thought I would share it with you guys as well. Tell them that this is all top secret and these are the real reasons why parents tell you to do something (Go over the stories about, Drinking plenty of milk, not to play with your food and not to jump on the bed) Tell them that this has never been released till now.
4. Tell students what documents they would be reading today and have them predict what the story might be about. Then talk to students during the reading, get them involved, ask them questions about the story.
5. After reading the book talk to students about rules in the community. (Help them generate a list, talk about rules everyone has to follow and ones just the community members might have to follow)
- examples
o What happens when you come to a red light?
o Do not Jay walk
o Do not litter
o Don�t walk a dog with out a leash
o Don�t smoke in restaurants
6. Have students form groups (use their table clusters or pull names) and have each group pick a law or rule of the community from the list they generated
7. Then they have to write a story like the ones that David Wisniewski did about the rules. Tell students they must be creative but have to be respectful and good about the words they choose.
Modifications:
- If you have some behavioral students make sure you organize tables to accommodate their behaviors
- Also groups will help students who are not as creative to not feel bad about their creativity
Resources:
Wisniewski, David. (1998). The Secret Knowledge of Grownups. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard.
Assessment:
~Final piece of work from students and will be displayed at their community fair
