Governments Provide Services

Second Grade

Social Studies

Unit: 8 Lesson: 02

Lesson Synopsis:
One function of government is to provide services for the public. Money is collected to finance these services. This lesson addresses government services such as libraries, schools, police, firefighters, and parks. This builds upon the previous lesson, Functions of Government, and lays the groundwork for learning about U.S. government.

TEKS:

2.4 / History. The student understands how historical figures and other individuals helped shape the community, state, and nation. The student is expected to:
2.4A / Identify contributions of historical figures including Thurgood Marshall, Irma Rangel, John Hancock and Theodore Roosevelt who have influenced the community, state and nation.
2.5 / Geography. The student uses simple geographic tools such as maps and globes. The student is expected to:
2.5B / Create maps to show places and routes within the home, school, and community.
2.11 / Government. The student understands the purpose of governments. The student is expected to:
2.11A / Identify functions of governments such as establishing order, providing security, and managing conflict.
2.11B / Identify governmental services in the community such as police and fire protection, libraries, schools, and parks and explain their value to the community.
2.11C / Describe how governments tax citizens to pay for services.
2.13 / Citizenship. The student understands characteristics of good citizenship as exemplified by historical figures and other individuals. The student is expected to:
2.13C / Identify other individuals who exemplify good citizenship.

Social Studies Skills TEKS:

2.19 / Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
2.19B / Create written and visual material such as stories, poems, maps, and graphic organizers to express ideas.
2.20 / Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:
2.20B / Use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, generate options, predict outcomes, take action to implement a decision, and evaluate the effectiveness of the decision.
Getting Ready for Instruction
Performance Indicator(s):

· On a blank map of a community, add symbols and labels for services that the government provides. Write a sentence for three of the services explaining why each service is important to the community. Then, in a summary sentence, explain how governments pay for the services they provide. (2.5B; 2.11B, 2.11C; 2.19B)

Key Understandings and Guiding Questions:

· El gobierno recauda impuestos de los ciudadanos para proveer servicios comunitarios para su comunidad.

— ¿Qué servicios proveen las comunidades?

— ¿Por qué las comunidades proveen servicios?

— ¿Por qué los gobiernos recaudan impuestos?

Vocabulary of Instruction:

Second Grade

Social Studies

Unit: 8 Lesson: 02

· Servicios del gobierno

· impuestos

Grade/Course

Social Studies

Unit: Lesson:

Grade/Course

Social Studies

Unit: Lesson:

Materials:

Grade/Course

Social Studies

Unit: Lesson:

· Refer to the Notes for Teacher section for materials.

Grade 2

Social Studies

Unit: 08 Lesson: 02

(appropriate materials may be substituted as needed to incorporate district resources and availability

Grade 2

Social Studies

Unit: 08 Lesson: 02

Attachments:

Grade 2

Social Studies

Unit: 08 Lesson: 02

· Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Individuals Influence Communities

· Handout: Government Services Exploration Stations (1 per student)

· Handout: Private Sector Picture Cards (1 set for teacher use and 1 set per pair of students, cut apart and shuffled)

· Handout: Government Services Picture Cards (1 set for teacher use and 1 set per pair of students, cut apart and shuffled)

· Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Example Community Map

· Handout: Community Map (1 for teacher use and 2 per student)

Grade 2

Social Studies

Unit: 08 Lesson: 02

Grade 2

Social Studies

Unit: 08 Lesson: 02

Resources and References:

None identified

Advance Preparation:

1. Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson.

2. Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.

3. Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.

4. Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines.

5. Copy and cut apart the cards from the Handout: Private Sector Picture Cards and the Handout: Government Services Picture Cards. Make one set for each small group.

6. Gather materials for government service stations (books, pictures, brochures, toys, or video clips) on police, fire protection, libraries, schools, and parks. Set up the stations for Day 1.

7. Create a blank map of the local community for use in the Evaluate section.

8. Prepare materials and handouts as needed.

Background Information:

Grade 2

Social Studies

Unit: 08 Lesson: 02

Communities provide services for their citizens. These services are different from private sector services. Government services are paid for through taxes and fees. Individuals do not own government services, though private companies can be contracted by communities to provide the services.

Grade 2

Social Studies

Unit: 08 Lesson: 02

Getting Ready for Instruction Supplemental Planning Document

Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.

Instructional Procedures
Instructional Procedures / Notes for Teacher /
ENGAGE / NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1 ‒ 10 minutes
1. Show pictures of individuals who have contributed to the community, state, and nation. (See the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Individuals Influence Communities, which includes pictures of individuals studied this year.)
2. Set the purpose of the lesson using words such as:
· Individuals can have a huge influence on communities. When people in communities work together, they can accomplish a great deal.
3. Review the reasons people form communities (e.g., safety and security, shared values and goals, job specialization, material well-being).
· Why do people form communities?
· What are the advantages of living in a community?
4. Apply learning to the local community by asking:
· What makes our community a nice place to live?
5. Create a list of student responses. / Materials:
· chart or butcher paper
Attachments:
· Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Individuals Influence Communities
EXPLORE – Stations / Suggested Day 1 (continued) Day 2 ‒ 50 minutes
1. Continue discussion by talking about goods and services that can be purchased in the community and ownership of businesses. Concepts of business ownership and profit can be included in the discussion.
2. Steer conversation to the needs of the community as a whole (safety, security, manage conflict):
· Why do we have a police department?
· Why do we have a court system?
· Who owns the police department?
3. Introduce the idea and term “government service.”
4. Set up Exploration Stations for government services including police, fire protection, libraries, schools, and parks.
5. Divide students into groups of four or fewer students, one group for each service included.
6. Distribute the Handout: Government Services Exploration Stations. At each station, students will fill out a section of the handout, speculating on the government service provided and writing a sentence explaining how the government service helps the community.
7. Students travel through the exploration stations, reading, exploring, and investigating the materials provided. Allow students enough time to fully explore the materials provided.
8. Return to the list of reasons the local community is a nice place to live (Engage) and add appropriate government services to the list. Discussion may lead to the addition of other private sector goods and services and government services.
9. On Day 2, use the cards from the Handout: Private Sector Picture Cards and the Handout: Government Services Picture Cards (cut apart and shuffled) to implement a concept attainment strategy to help students understand the difference between government services and private sector goods and services.
· Concept Attainment Strategy: Display the picture cards one at a time, saying only Yes (if the card shows a government service) or No (if the card shows a private sector good or service) and placing the cards on a T-chart (not labeled).
10. Facilitate a brief discussion about the characteristics of the cards in each section of the T-Chart, helping students infer the characteristics and titles of the categories.
11. Add the titles to the T-Chart (Government Services, Private Businesses) and summarize that government services are services provided by the government for the good of the community / Materials:
· chart paper
· list of things that make our community a nice place to live (from the Engage section)
· information (books, pictures, brochures, toys, or video clips) on police, fire protection, libraries, schools, and parks for the Exploration stations
Attachments:
· Handout: Government Services Exploration Stations (1 per student)
· Handout: Private Sector Picture Cards (1 set for teacher use)
· Handout: Government Services Picture Cards (1 set for teacher use)
Purpose:
· Students learn about government services and think about the ways they benefit from those services personally.
TEKS: 2.11B; 2.13C; 2.19B

Misconceptions:
· Students readily recognize police and fireman services as provided by the government, but they do not always know about other services provided by the government as a result of taxes collected such as schools, libraries, and parks.
Instructional Note:
· Students usually know that fire and police protection are government services, but they do not always know that libraries, parks, and schools are also government services.
· Concept Attainment Strategy: Display the picture cards one at a time, saying only Yes (if the card shows a government service) or No (if the card shows a private sector good/service) and placing the cards in 2 piles.
· Government services – services provided by the government for the good of the community. Examples include public services such as police, fire, and street lights; public utilities such as water, gas, and electricity; transportation services including road maintenance and construction, bus or subway systems, airports, and harbors; and education and recreation services such as schools, libraries, museums, parks, and sports facilities. Local governments generate revenue to pay for these from property and sales taxes and grants from state and national governments.
EXPLAIN – Categorizing / Suggested Day 2 (continued) ‒ 20 minutes
1. With students in small groups or pairs, distribute a set of cards made from the Handout: Private Sector Picture Cards (cut apart and shuffled) and Handout: Government Services Picture Cards (cut apart and shuffled) to each group.
2. Students look at the cards, discuss categories using academic language, and divide the cards into two categories, one of which is government services, and explaining why each card is placed in that category.
3. Circulate to ensure students have grasped the concept and are categorizing correctly.
4. Conduct a gallery walk of student categories. / Attachments:
· Handout: Private Sector Picture Cards (1 set per group)
· Handout: Government Services Picture Cards (1 set per group)
Instructional Note:
Swimming pools could be private, but also public.
EXPLORE – Paying for Government Services / Suggested Day 2 (continued) ‒ 20 minutes
1. Return to the chart of government services and ask:
· Who pays for these services? (we all do)
2. Facilitate a discussion to help students understand that citizens pay taxes that are then used to pay for services.
· When we all contribute, we are able to accomplish some big projects that we could not do individually.
3. Distribute five pennies to each student. (Teachers may use play money, counters, beans, or other manipulatives if preferred.)
4. Then, collect one penny from each student.
5. This penny is their “tax”.
6. Show students the pile of collected pennies and explain using words such as:
· This represents taxes. This is how the government pays for services. Each citizen puts in a portion from their income, sales tax and property tax.
· When these monies are all put together, the government can pay for government services.
· The community can provide valuable services for all members of the community, services that include police and fire protection, libraries, schools, and parks. / Materials:
· T-chart showing government services
· chart paper
· plastic money or real pennies
Purpose:
· Students make the connection that taxes pay for our government services.
TEKS: 2.11B, 2.11C
EXPLAIN / Suggested Day 3 ‒ 5 minutes
1. To review Day 1 learning, students turn to a partner and brainstorm answers to questions such as:
· What kinds of services do communities provide for their citizens? (e.g., police and fire protection, libraries, schools, and parks)
· How do governments pay for the services they provide? (tax citizens)
EXPLORE – Mapping a Community / Suggested Day 3 (continued) ‒ 35 minutes
1. Display and distribute a blank map of a community or use the Handout: Community Map.
2. Lead students to complete their map using the map elements TODAL.
3. Return to the list of things that make our community a nice place to live (from the ENGAGE section).
4. Lead students to identify appropriate things on the list of government services (from the ENGAGE section).
5. Model and have students follow along on their own maps adding government services to the map. Use the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Example Community Map as needed.
6. Once complete, give directions for students to follow on their maps. (e.g., From the library, travel 1 block west. What other government service is located there? Park) / Materials:
· list of things that make our community a nice place to live (from the Engage section)
Attachments:
· Handout: Community Map (1 per student)
· Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Example Community Map
Instructional Note:
· TODAL:
· T = Title
· O = Orientation
· D = Date
· A = Author
· L = Legend and Labels
Instructional Note:
· The Law-Related Education poster “In Your Community Map” could be used as an alternative activity.
EXPLAIN / Suggested Day 3 (continued) ‒ 10 minutes
1. Students discuss the map, add private businesses, and take turns giving directions to a partner.
ELABORATE / Suggested Day 4 ‒ 10 minutes
1. Facilitate a discussion where students synthesize their learning, providing answers to the guiding questions and support for the Key Understanding.
· Governments collect taxes from the citizens to provide community services for their community.
— What services do communities provide?
— Why do communities provide services?
— Why do governments collect taxes?
EVALUATE / Suggested Day 4 (continued) ‒ 40 minutes
· On a blank map of the community, add symbols and labels for services that government provides. Write a sentence for three of the services explaining why each service is important to the community. Then, in a summary sentence, explain how governments pay for the services they provide. (2.5B, 2.11B, 2.11C, 2.19B)
5B
1. Provide students with a blank map of the community or use the Handout: Community Map.
2. Students individually complete the map as described in the Performance Indicator. / Materials:
· blank map of the community
Attachments:
· Handout: Community Map (1 per student, optional)
Purpose:
· Students display their understanding of government services, practice their map skills, and provide a basic explanation of taxation.
TEKS: 2.5B, 2.11B, 2.11C, 2.19B