Unit 17 — Our Community and Maps

Welcome back!

Every person belongs to a community.

A community is a group of people who live, work, and help one another.

Communities can be:

• neighborhoods
• towns
• cities
• rural areas

Communities are stronger when people work together.

Places in a Community

Communities contain many important places.

Some examples are:

• homes
• schools
• libraries
• parks
• hospitals
• fire stations
• police stations
• grocery stores
• post offices

Each place serves an important purpose.

People Who Help Us

Many people work every day to help others.

Some community helpers include:

• teachers
• firefighters
• police officers
• doctors
• nurses
• farmers
• builders
• mechanics
• librarians

Every honest job contributes to the community.

Working together helps everyone.

What Is a Map?

A map is a drawing that helps us find places.

Maps can show:

• roads
• rivers
• mountains
• parks
• buildings
• neighborhoods

Maps help us understand where things are located.

Directions

There are four main directions.

• North
• South
• East
• West

Directions help us travel from one place to another.

If you know the directions, maps become much easier to use.

Finding Locations

Imagine you want to visit the library.

A map can help you discover:

• where the library is
• which streets to follow
• what buildings are nearby

Maps help people travel safely and efficiently.

Being a Good Citizen

Good citizens help make communities better.

You can help by:

• being kind
• following rules
• helping neighbors
• taking care of parks
• picking up litter
• respecting other people

Even small acts of kindness improve a community.

Activity

Draw a simple map of your neighborhood or school.

Include:

• your home or classroom
• nearby buildings
• roads or paths
• a park or playground
• a compass showing North

Share your map with someone and explain it.

Practice

Answer these questions.

What is a community?

Name three community helpers.

What is a map?

Name the four main directions.

How can you help your community?

Review

Today you learned:

• communities are groups of people who help one another
• many workers serve important roles
• maps help us find places
• directions help us travel
• good citizenship makes communities stronger

Learning about our community helps us understand our place in the larger world.

Looking Ahead

Next we will explore the history of families and communities.

We will discover:

• how communities change over time
• traditions
• family history
• learning from the past

Understanding history helps us appreciate the people who came before us.