An 8-day social studies and English language development unit for WIDA emerging English learners in high school. Students explore New England's physical geography, climate, and the respective roles of local and state government, while acquiring foundational English grammar including the verb 'to be', possessive 's', simple present verbs, and cardinal directions.
Civic Mapmakers • Unit Student Workbook Page 2 of 4
NAME:
DATE:
Day 5 & 6 Focus
Local & State Roles
Learn how local governments manage our city, and how state governments make laws.
Local Government
The Town / City Manages:
Police & Fire
Schools
Sanitation
Buses/Roads
State Government
The State House Rules:
Sets State Laws (Speed limits, rules for state)
Practice 3: Who Does What?
Write the correct action word (verb) inside the box to complete the sentence.
Verbs: manages sets
1 The local town government
our local high school.
2 The state government of Massachusetts
laws for driving.
3 Firefighters work for local government. They
our local homes.
(Word option: "protect")
Civic Mapmakers • Unit Student Workbook Page 3 of 4
NAME:
DATE:
Day 7 & 8 Assessment Draft
Civic Leader Bio Profile
Draft your final performance task bios! Choose either The Mayor or The Governor.
Color-Coded Vocabulary Helper
Local Leaders:
Mayor (manages the city)
Town Council (manages rules)
State Leaders:
Governor (manages the state)
State Representative (sets state laws)
Draw Your Chosen Leader Here!
Add a hat, face, or building.
Bio Form Sheet
Leader: This person is the
Type: They work in
government.
Duty: Their main role is to
Impact: They help us by
Self-Check List
Pronouns (He/She)
Action verbs (S ending)
Neat handwriting
Civic Mapmakers • Unit Student Workbook Page 4 of 4
Rule Target: State Laws
Local vs. State Powers
Study the verb differences carefully to prepare for the sorting assessment.
Local Power
The town manages community schools.
State Power
The state sets general driving laws.
Constitutional Division of Duties Slide 6 of 7
Daily Practice Protocol Cooperative Speaking
Turn & Talk Conversation Practice
Look at your workbook partner. Take turns speaking using these exact colors!
Partner A Ask the Question
"Is the school managed by the local government or the state government?"
Partner B Give the Answer
"The local government manages the school, not the state."
WIDA Level 1-2 Peer Scaffolding Protocol Slide 7 of 7
Teacher Admin
WIDA Level 1-2 Performance Rubric
Language Domain
Score 1 (Entering)
Score 2 (Emerging)
Score 3 (Developing)
Speaking Domain
Produces single words or basic labels (e.g., "North", "Boston"). Requires prompt.
Produces colored sentence frames using simple present verbs (e.g., "The mayor manages schools").
Produces connected sentences to explain why the mayor manages schools. Some errors present.
Writing Domain
Copies vocabulary words directly from the board. High spelling mistakes.
Successfully completes guided sentence frames with correct "to be" conjugation or possessive 's'.
Writes simple independent sentences outlining state powers vs local powers.
Vocabulary Domain
Requires picture cards to name standard features. Pointing is primary.
Identifies the 6 New England states and 4 distinct local roles accurately.
Uses vocabulary beyond standard list to discuss leadership functions.
Alternative Performance Tasks (Socio-Cultural Scaffolds)
ALT 1 Oral Interview Map Navigation
Instead of a written exam, the teacher conducts a 3-minute oral checkpoint. Using physical pointer sticks on a wall map, students point out the six states in response to oral commands (e.g., "Show me Vermont's east border").
ALT 2 Collage Sorting Poster
Students receive printed pages of community workers (police cruiser, fire station, trash truck, state capitol building). They cut out the pictures and glue them onto a physical sorting poster labeled "Local" and "State".
WIDA standards emphasize student action. Evaluate language development parallel with content knowledge. ELD Curriculum Certified
Civic Mapmakers • Assessment & Rubrics Page 3 of 3
A Four states B Five states C Six states
2. Which body of water is located to the east of New England?
A Pacific Ocean B Atlantic Ocean C Indian Ocean
3. What is the main job of the state government?
A Sets laws for states B Manages local trash C Drives high school buses
Section 2: Writing with Sentences
Use words from the box to complete the sentence frames.
Mayor Governor manages sets
The leader of a town or city is called the
.
The leader of a state is the
.
The state government
laws, but local government
services.
💡 Self-Correction Tip: Go back to Page 1 and check your answers! Make sure you wrote the correct leader names.
