📖

The First Settlers

How Communities Begin

Day 6of 180
Week 2of 36
20Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)
🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Understand how communities start

2

Learn about early settlers and their choices

3

Recognize God's guidance in community formation

📖 Scripture Connection

Proverbs 16:9

“A man's heart plans his way, but Yahweh directs his steps.”

— Proverbs 16:9 (WEB)

God helps people choose where to live and build communities

📦 Materials Needed

  • Construction paper
  • Crayons
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Picture of early settlement
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (5 min)

Gather students in a circle. Show a picture of an early settlement. Ask children what they see in the picture.

💭 Review Question: What do you think people need to start a new place to live?
2Teaching (8 min)

Explain how early settlers chose places with water, good land, and safety. Talk about how families worked together to build homes and help each other.

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • Settlers looked for good places to live
  • Families worked together
  • They needed water, food, and shelter
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • What would you look for if you were going to start a new community?
  • How do families help each other?
3Activity: My Community Village (5 min)
hands-on

Create a simple paper community showing how settlers might start a new place

📝 Instructions:
  1. Fold construction paper into four sections
  2. Draw a river or stream in one section
  3. Draw trees or fields in another section
  4. Draw a simple house in the third section
  5. Draw people working together in the last section
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Teacher helps draw basic shapes

Challenge: Add more details about community life

4Closing (2 min)

Review what we learned about how communities begin

📝 Review Questions:
  • What do people need to start a community?
  • How do families help each other?
🙏 Prayer:

Dear God, thank You for guiding people and helping families work together. Amen.

Coming up: Tomorrow we'll learn about why people choose certain places to live

💎 Memory Verse

Proverbs 16:9

“A man's heart plans his way, but Yahweh directs his steps.”

— Proverbs 16:9 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Step and Repeat: Children take a step forward while saying part of the verse

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

First grade students are learning about how communities form and the importance of working together

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Use simple language
  • Encourage imagination
  • Help children understand community cooperation
🤔 Common Struggles:

Understanding abstract concepts of community formation

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Child's ability to describe basic community needs

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Build a community with blocks
  • Talk about your own family's community
  • Draw a map of your neighborhood

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

Continue to Day 7 →Back to History & Social Studies