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Community Connections

Lesson Plan

Community Connections Lesson Plan

Students will define what a community is, map their own communities, identify roles they play, and brainstorm actionable ways to contribute positively.

This lesson builds empathy, belonging, and civic responsibility by helping students understand interconnected roles and contributions within their school and local communities.

Audience

7th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive mapping, discussion, and reflection.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials and Review Standards

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction to Community

5 minutes

  • Ask: “What comes to mind when you hear ‘community’?”
  • Record responses on board to build a working definition.
  • Clarify definition: a group of people connected by shared location, interest, or goals.
  • Tier 1 Support: Provide sentence starters (e.g., “A community is…”) for EL students.

Step 2

Community Mapping Activity

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Community Mapping Worksheet.
  • Students draw concentric circles to map communities they belong to (family, school, clubs, neighborhood).
  • In pairs, share one community from their map and discuss why it’s important.
  • MTSS Tier 1: Offer examples or visuals for students needing additional support.

Step 3

Role Identification Discussion

5 minutes

  • Project the Role Identification Chart.
  • As a class, list roles students take on in each community (e.g., team member, volunteer, friend).
  • Have volunteers add their roles to the chart.
  • Differentiate: Allow students to write or draw their roles based on preference.

Step 4

Contribution Brainstorm

5 minutes

  • Display the Contribution Brainstorm Slide Deck.
  • In small groups, students list ways they can contribute positively to one community from their map.
  • Share top contributions with the whole class.
  • Support: Provide graphic organizers for groups needing structure.

Step 5

Reflection & Assessment

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Community Contribution Exit Ticket.
  • Prompt: “Name one role you have and one specific action you will take to help that community.”
  • Collect exit tickets to assess understanding of community roles and contributions.
  • Use responses to inform next steps and differentiation.
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Slide Deck

Contribution Brainstorm

In your small groups, pick one community from your map.

Step 1 (1 minute): Each student silently thinks of one way they’ve already contributed.
Step 2 (2 minutes): Share your idea with group members.
Step 3: Build on each other’s ideas to create new contributions.

Introduce the brainstorm activity. Remind students that they will focus on one community they mapped earlier. Explain time limits: 3 minutes for individual thinking, 2 minutes for group discussion.

Consider Your Role

• What role do you play in this community?
• What strengths or skills do you bring?
• How can those strengths help others?

Prompt students to consider their own roles when brainstorming. Provide examples verbally (e.g., “As a team member on the soccer team, you can help by organizing equipment”).

Generate Contribution Ideas

Brainstorm specific actions you can take:

• Action 1: ________________________
• Action 2: ________________________
• Action 3: ________________________
• Action 4: ________________________

Display this slide while groups write on chart paper or digital doc. Circulate and support groups that need help generating ideas.

Share Your Top Ideas

Select your group’s 2 best contribution ideas and be ready to share:

Guide students to choose their top two ideas to share. Remind them to use clear, concise language. Prepare to report out.

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Worksheet

Community Mapping Worksheet

Instructions: In this activity, you’ll visualize the communities you belong to and reflect on their importance.

1. Draw Your Community Map

On the space below, draw five concentric circles. In the very center, place yourself (you can write “Me” or draw a self‐portrait). Then, label each ring with a community you belong to (for example: family, school, sports team, neighborhood, online group).





















2. Label Your Rings

Next to each ring you drew above, write the name of the community it represents. Feel free to use color or symbols to show why each community is meaningful.





















3. Reflect on One Community

Choose one community from your map and answer the questions below.

Community Chosen: ________________________________

a. Why is this community important to you?







b. What role do you play in this community?







c. How does being part of this community help you grow or learn new things?







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Worksheet

Role Identification Chart

Instructions: List up to five communities you belong to. For each community, write one role you take on and describe how that role contributes positively to the group.

CommunityMy RoleHow does this role help the community?













































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Worksheet

Community Contribution Exit Ticket

Instructions: Please answer the two prompts below. Use the space provided to write your responses.

  1. Name one role you have in a community:



  1. Describe one specific action you will take to support that community:






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