Kindergarten Social Studies: Myself and Others SS000106

Unit 1: Who Am I? Lesson 6

Lesson 6: I am Responsible

Big Ideas of the Lesson

Responsibility means doing what you are supposed to do.

Everyone has many responsibilities.
Problems occur when people do not do their responsibilities.

Lesson Abstract:
This lesson begins with the teacher writing the term Responsibility on a large piece of chart paper
and sharing some of his/her responsibilities including: I am responsible for keeping you safe; I am
responsible for keeping the room organized; I am responsible for helping you learn; I am responsible
for sharing with other teachers; I am responsible for taking care of my family, etc. The teacher then
poses the following question: What responsibilities do you have? As students share ideas, the
teacher writes their responses underneath the term Responsibility on the chart paper. When
necessary the teacher prompts students with questions such as: Do any of you have some
responsibility for a pet at home? What about school rules? What about some of the things we listed
on our How to Get Along with Others and Be a Good Citizen Chart? Finally, each child finishes the
stem: I am responsible when I and draws a matching picture. Finally, the students complete the
last part of their I Am a Person project by adding one responsibility that they have at home or at
school.

Content Expectations
K - C5.0.1: Describe situations in which they demonstrated self-discipline and individual
responsibility (e.g., caring for a pet, completing chores, following school rules, working
in a group, taking turns).

Key Concepts
citizenship
responsibility

Instructional Resources
Equipment/Manipulative
Chart paper, 2 large pieces
Chalkboard/dry erase board
Computer (optional)
I Am a Person pictures from previous lessons
Internet access (optional)
Markers, Colored pencils, crayons, etc. (classroom set)
Markers for teacher use

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Kindergarten Social Studies: Myself and Others SS000106
Unit 1: Who Am I? Lesson 6

Student Resource
I Can Be Responsible! (A Sunburst Title). Sunburst. 2000. Discovery Education. 13 August 2009
<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Responsible Me (A Sunburst Title). Sunburst. 2000. Discovery Education. 13 August 2009

<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Tunes: Responsibility. Discovery Education. 2009. Discovery Education. 13 August 2009

<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Teacher Resource
Clark, Jennifer. Supplemental Materials (Unit 1, Lesson 6). Teacher-made material. Michigan
Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum, 2009.

Lesson Sequence
1. To begin this lesson, write the word Responsibility on a large piece of chart paper or on the board
and share some of responsibilities of being a teacher or an adult. Some possible responsibilities
might include:
I am responsible for keeping you safe.
I am responsible for keeping the room organized.
I am responsible for helping you learn.
I am responsible for sharing with other teachers.
I am responsible for taking care of my family.

2. After sharing some of your own responsibilities, ask the students, What responsibilities do you
have? Provide students with time to respond and then write their responses on the chart paper or
board under the word Responsibility.

3. If the students struggle and need some prompting questions, the following questions could be
used:
Do any of you have some responsibility for a pet at home?
Do any of you have responsibility at school?
Do any of you have some responsibility for a job/chore at home?
Think about our How to Get Along with Others chart we created, are there any
responsibilities on there that you have?

4. For the next part of the lesson, share one of the videos from Discovery Streaming
(http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/) about responsibility. After showing the video, ask the
students to identify what responsibilities the children in the video(s) had. Assess from responses if
any students need further instruction regarding responsibility.

5. Next, take a large piece of chart paper and write the following prompt in the middle: We are
responsible when we. With your guidance, each student illustrates a picture of what they are

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Kindergarten Social Studies: Myself and Others SS000106
Unit 1: Who Am I? Lesson 6

responsible for and pastes it on the chart paper. The final product, a collection of what everyone
in the classroom is responsible for, could be hung up in the classroom as a reminder that
everyone has responsibilities. A page titled We Are Responsible, with several examples, is
included in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 1, Lesson 6) for your reference.

6. The students return to their I Am a Person project. For this lesson, the students cut out or add a
picture to show a responsibility they have. Examples of possible ideas are located on the I Am a
Person page in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 1, Lesson 6). This serves as an assessment
that they know what it means to be responsible.

7. When the students are finished with their I Am a Person project, it can be hung up in the room to
illustrate the knowledge students learned about being a person from this unit. Note that these are
wonderful to display for conferences or open house.

Assessment
The I Am Responsible chart that the students complete as a class serves as an assessment. For
another assessment, use the I Am a Person people that the students finished in this lesson that
demonstrate their knowledge about being a person. The completed I am a person project is a final
unit assessment. The students can also create word cards similar to the word cards provided in the
Supplemental Materials (Unit 1, Lesson 6) as an assessment.

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