Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the difference between equal and fair in the context of government and citizenship.
Materials and Prep
- Whiteboard or paper
- Markers or pencils
- Index cards or small pieces of paper
No prior knowledge or preparation is required for this lesson.
Activities
- Start by drawing two columns on the whiteboard or paper. Label one column "Equal" and the other "Fair".
- Explain to the student that equal means everyone gets the same thing, while fair means everyone gets what they need.
- Give examples to illustrate the difference. For example, in an equal situation, everyone might get the same size cookie, but in a fair situation, someone who is very hungry might get a bigger cookie.
- Ask the student to come up with their own examples of equal and fair situations. Write their ideas in the respective columns on the whiteboard or paper.
- Next, hand out index cards or small pieces of paper to the student and ask them to draw or write about a situation where they think equal and fair are important in their daily lives.
- Once they are done, have the student share their examples and explain why they think those situations are either equal or fair.
First Grade Talking Points
- "In social studies, we learn about government and citizenship."
- "Government is the group of people who make rules and decisions for a place, like a city or a country."
- "Citizenship is being a member of a community and following its rules."
- "Equal means everyone gets the same thing."
- "Fair means everyone gets what they need."
- "Sometimes, equal and fair can be different."
- "For example, if we all got the same size cookie, that would be equal. But if someone is very hungry, it might be fair to give them a bigger cookie."
- "Can you think of any other examples of equal and fair situations?"
- "Now, let's draw or write about a situation where equal or fair is important to us."
- "Great job! Let's share our examples and explain why we think they are equal or fair."