A House, A Home – First Grade
TEKS Objective: : 1.6 Geography. The student understands various physical
and human characteristics of the environment. (C)
Identify and describe the human characteristics of places
such as types of houses [and ways of earning a living.]
Related TEKS: : 1.17 Social Studies Skills. The student applies critical
thinking skills to organize and use information acquired
from a variety of sources including electronic technology.
(B) The student will obtain information about a topic
using a variety of visual sources such as pictures,
graphics, television, maps, computer images, literature,
and atifacts.
: 1.1. Listening/speaking/purposes. The student listens
attentively and engages actively in a variety of oral
language experiences. (C) Participate in rhymes, songs,
conversations, and discussions.
Rationale:
The use of literature can be used as a strategy to teach Social Studies concepts and content. It
is an easy way to integrate Language Arts and Social Studies. It is also a more interesting way
to teach Social Studies, making it fun for the students.(50 Social Studies Strategies for K-8
Classrooms, p. 98) I chose this piece of literature because it is colorful and shows diversity. I
thought this book could be used as a great way to teach students about different types of houses
and why different people have different houses. This book fits into the strand of Geography
because it talks about different houses all over the world. The end pages discuss each type of
home and tell exactly where in the world they are. It is grade level appropriate. According to
Barnes and Noble, it is geared towards ages 5 to 8. I think it is important to the child because it
shows different types of homes. This lesson is geared towards several of Gardener’s Multiple
Intelligences. First, it is visual and verbal because of the reading of the book aloud, looking at
the pictures, and the discussion as a group. It also has a hands-on activity of making a house,
so this caters to tactile learners.
Materials: -Houses and Homes by Ann Morris
-Dry-erase board or butcher paper
-Markers
-Map of the World
-Star stickers
-Toothpicks
-Miniature marshmallows
-Writing paper
-Milk carton
-Pretzels
-Popsicle sticks
-Pine needles
-Pencils
Engagement:
Read the book Houses and Homes by Ann Morris.
Facilitation Questions:
What does a house look like?
Are all houses alike?
How are houses different?
What makes a house a home?
A House, A Home – First Grade 1
A House, A Home – First Grade
What types of materials do people make houses out of?
Why do people use different types of materials to make their houses?
Explore:
We will discuss the houses in the book. Using a map, we will point out where the different types
of houses are found in the world. We will discuss why the houses of that region or part of the
world are built like they are.
Facilitation Questions:
Why do you think this house is built this way?
Does the weather have anything to do with what type of house they live in?
Explain:
The students will have the opportunity to talk about their type of home with a neighbor. We will
share our ideas and list the types of homes we live in on the board or chart paper.
Facilitation Questions:
Do we all live in the same type of houses?
What kind of home do you live in?
Why is your house built like it is?
Who built your house? Did you help build it? Why not?
Do we build our own houses?
Do other people in the world build their own houses?
Elaborate:
The students will build a house that they saw in the book. Students will be given a variety of
materials including but not limited to: toothpicks, marshmallows, pine needles, pretzels, milk
cartons, popsicle sticks. They will write a story about their house and talk about where it was
built, who built it, the type of climate it is in, and who lives there.
Evaluate:
To evaluate this lesson, I would create a checklist and check all the behaviors each child exhibits
during the lesson and use the house and their story to help evaluate. See attached checklist
References: www.proteacher.com, www.lessonplanspage.com,
http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-
bin/outsidesite.cgi?external=http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/grade1/Houses_H
omes.html&original=http://www.proteacher.com/090086.shtml&title=Houses%20and%20Homes
Related Books: The Three Little Pigs, The House that Jack Built, There was an Old Lady who
Lived in a Shoe, Homes around the World by Bobbie D. Kalman
Other Ideas:
-Math: Find shapes houses are made out of. What different kind of shapes can houses be made
of?
-Cooking: Create a gingerbread house.
-Science: Move from human homes to animal homes. What types of habitats do animals live in?
Discuss habitats.
-Science: Talk about animals that are found around our homes. Which ones are invited and
which ones aren’t?
-Make a paper house.
A House, A Home – First Grade 2
A House, A Home – First Grade
Houses and Homes by Ann Morris
A simple discussion of different kinds of houses and what makes
them home.
The world is full of houses. Big houses and little houses. Houses
that stay in one place and houses that move from place to place.
Some houses are made of wood or stone; others are made from
mud or straw. But all of them are made for families to live in.
Reflection:
When I taught me lesson, I had to teach a shortened version of it. I had to modify it because
my teacher gave me a limited amount of time. We read the book and discussed the different
types of houses we saw. I incorporated the geography portion by asking them what type of
weather they thought occurs in that place. Then we listed what types of houses they live in. We
talked about the similarities and differences between the houses they live in and the houses that
are in the book (who made them, what they are made of, etc.). I had them create houses, but
only provided them with toothpicks and marshmallows. I also didn’t have them write the story
about their house. I feel that it went well. I was comfortable with the class enough to teach the
lesson. I think it was a good topic to talk about, so they had a lot of ideas. They had fun
building the houses. I wish I could have given them the different materials to see the different
types of houses they would make. I also would have loved to see the stories they would have
written. Time seems to be such a factor. That is one thing I would change. In my own
classroom, we could spend all morning on this, or several days. One thing that I saw while
reading it is that the book is fairly simple. If we divided the lesson up and did a small amount
each day, by the second or third day, I could have them read the book (depending on the level
of the class). And I think it would have been fun to create the map showing where the houses
are found in relation to us. The one thing I have seen is that they spend so little time on Social
Studies. This is one lesson I would use that I think would be of great value and teach the
children several aspects of Social Studies.
A House, A Home – First Grade 3
A House, A Home – First Grade
Evaluation Checklist
_____ Student listens to book being read aloud and participates in the group
discussion.
_____ Student can name a purpose of a house.
_____ Student can name two characteristics of a house.
_____ Student can name at least one similarity between two different houses.
_____ Student can name at least one difference between two different houses.
_____ Student realizes why houses are made differently in different parts of the
world.
_____ Student contributes to the discussion by including his own type of house.
_____ Student creates a house using given materials.
_____ Student writes a story about the house.
_____ Student writes about where the house would be found in the world and
what the climate is like.
_____ Student writes about who built the house and the materials it would be
made out of in real life.
_____ Student writes about who lives in the house.
Additional Comments:
A House, A Home – First Grade 4