What is Community?

Lesson 6
Overview
This lesson is part of the following unit:
Identity & Community: An Introduction to 6th Grade Social Studies
With Lesson 6, students move away from the study of individuals to the study of groups
of people. An investigation of world history is ultimately an exploration of how groups of
people formed communities, cultures, and civilizations. Communities are distinguished
from groups by the fact that they share a common interest, background, or purpose that
gives them a sense of cohesion. Although any collection of people can be called a group,
not all groups could be called communities.
Throughout history, groups of people have formed communities to increase their
chances of survival. They may have shared an interest in providing food for their
families so they joined with others to hunt or farm. Or they may have formed a
community to protect themselves from other groups that wanted their resources. Often
people shared a common interest, such as a religion, which gave them a sense of
community. Members of a community typically feel a sense of responsibility to one
another.
In this lesson, students will analyze one definition of community in order to construct
their own definitions. Students can refer to these definitions throughout the year as they
think about how and why people throughout history have formed communities and
consider the factors that have caused communities to break down. As students explore
the meaning of community, they will reflect on how their class is a community with a
shared purpose in promoting the learning and achievement of all its members. The
explicit designation of the class as a community can build the sense that students are
responsible not only for their own learning but for nurturing the learning of their
classmates as well.

Learning Goals
1. Students will distinguish between a community and a group.
2. Students will be able to define the word community.
Students will identify what makes their classroom a community