Dr. Michael Kester-Haynes

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 10 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Exploring Our Classroom Map

Teach students to create and label classroom maps using symbols, a legend, and cardinal directions, turning real observations and simple maps into accurate bird’s-eye drawings.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 9 (Grade 2 Social Studies): My Neighborhood and Local Helpers

Explore local places, helpers, goods, and services as students map their neighborhood and learn how communities meet everyday needs through people, places, and economic roles.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 8 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Sharing Ideas and Taking Action

Promote classroom kindness with student-made posters and simple presentations that teach respect, inclusion, and positive behavior through visuals, labels, and clear speaking.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 7 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Using Sources to Learn

Learn how second graders gather facts from books, interviews, and photos, sort relevant information, and check basic reliability while investigating people and communities.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 6 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Asking Questions About Our World

Learn how to help second graders ask strong who/what/why questions and use simple sources—pictures, maps, texts, and interviews—to investigate their community.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 5 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Symbols and Traditions of Our Nation

Explore U.S. and local symbols—like the flag, pledge, national songs, and holidays—and help second graders understand what they represent and why we honor them.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 4 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Working Together to Solve Problems

Learn how second graders practice listening, voting, and compromise to solve classroom problems with respect, fairness, and shared responsibility.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 3 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Leaders Who Help Us

Identify school and community authority figures and explain how their responsibilities help keep people safe, organized, and supported every day.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 2 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Rules at Home and in the Community

Compare home, school, and community rules to explore how consequences and expectations in each setting promote fairness, safety, and cooperative living.

Blog

Closing the Early Literacy Gap: Tiered Reading Stations and Family Engagement

Early literacy gaps widen without support. Tiered reading stations and Family Reading Packs build decoding, fluency, and confidence for all learners.

Paid-members only

Grade 2 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 1 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Our Classroom Community

Build a strong classroom community by exploring why rules matter, how they support fairness and safety, and how students can help create and follow a respectful Class Charter.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 36 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Cumulative Synthesis & Exhibition

Showcase yearlong learning as students create and host a Community Expo featuring maps, history projects, civic action work, and economic displays.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 35 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Responsible Citizens in a Global World

Help students connect local citizenship to global respect by exploring symbols, shared values, and real examples of kids around the world solving problems and helping their communities.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 34 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Taking Action in Our Community

Guide students to identify a community issue, create a simple action plan, practice responsible citizenship, and share their project through clear, student-made communication products.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 33 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Stewardship and Conservation

Promote environmental stewardship as students explore how daily choices and simple projects help conserve natural resources and care for their community spaces.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 32 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Natural Resources and Industries

Explore how geography and natural, human, and capital resources shape regional industries like farming, tourism, fishing, and manufacturing.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 31 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Trade and Choices Around the World

Explore how different resources shape what communities can produce, why they trade, and how opportunity cost influences every choice in hands-on classroom simulations.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 30 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Working and Saving for Goals

Understand why people work and how earning, saving, spending, trade, and opportunity cost shape smart choices through hands-on market and decision-making simulations.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 29 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Producers and Consumers in Our Community

Identify producers and consumers, understand goods and services, and learn why people work, earn, save, and spend to meet personal and community goals.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 28 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Needs, Wants, and Scarcity

Learn needs vs. wants and how scarcity forces choices through hands-on simulations, using simple charts and photos to make smart decisions with limited resources.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 27 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Midyear Review—Our History, Our Home

Create a collaborative “Our History, Our Home” display where students use timelines, sources, traditions, and local stories to show how their community’s past and present connect and evolve.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 26 (Grade 3 Social Studies): How Communities Grow and Change

Explore why communities grow and change by comparing past and present places, examining human–environment interaction, and learning how people adapt, modify, and conserve their surroundings.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 25 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Community Landmarks and Monuments

Discover how local landmarks and monuments honor important people, groups, and events, helping students explore human-made features, community history, and why these places matter.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 24 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Primary and Secondary Sources

Students learn to tell primary from secondary sources and use both to answer 5W questions, evaluate facts vs. opinions, and create simple Source Detective Reports.

Paid-members only

Grade 3 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 23 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Traditions and Culture Through Time

Students explore traditions like music, food, and celebrations, learning how culture is shared across generations while practicing respect and inclusion.