Skip to content
LessonPrint

Close to Home or Far Off?

A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on naming local and distant problems and who is already working on them.

Close to Home or Far Off? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D4.6.K-2 — name problems near and far, and some ways people are tackling them. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Kindergarten to Grade 2
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
D4.6.K-2

Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action

D4.6.K-2

Identify and explain a range of local, regional, and global problems, and some ways in which people are trying to address these problems.

Objective

Students will be able to name a local and a distant problem and somebody working on each.

Students are successful when they can

  • Names a local problem.
  • Names a distant one.
  • Names somebody working on each.

What you need

  • Problem cards and two rings
  • Photographs of the local area
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — walk to the gate

5 min
  1. Name three problems visible between the classroom and the gate.
  2. Keep them small and real.

Teach — and somebody is on it

13 min
  1. Place the local problems in the first ring and name who could work on each.
  2. Add two distant ones and name somebody working on those too.
  3. Say the Grade 1 addition: for the local ones, that somebody might be us.
  4. Mark which local problems the class could act on.
  5. Keep the distant ones honest and not frightening.
“Somebody is working on that one. On this one, it could be us.”

Guided practice — place and name

12 min
  1. Pairs place eight problems and name a worker for four.
  2. They mark which the class could act on.
  3. They pick one to take further.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the near-or-far page.
  2. Read each problem aloud.

Close

2 min
  1. Take one local problem the class could act on.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Names only huge problems.

Why: Those are the ones discussed.

Fix: Start at the school gate.

Thinks nothing is being done far away.

Why: The helpers are not visible.

Fix: Name somebody for each. The question is not optional.

Thinks children can only act on tiny things.

Why: Adults do the visible acting.

Fix: Mark one real local problem for the class and pursue it.

If they are not there yet

  • Four problems rather than eight.
  • Give the ring and name the worker.

If they finish early

  • Find a problem that is both local and distant.
  • Say how a distant problem reaches our street.
  • Say what would have to change to fix a local one.

Exit ticket

Name one problem near us and one far off. Who is working on each?

What to look for: Both rings with named workers. A worker-free problem means that question needs asking every time.

Printable practice for D4.6.K-2

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Close to Home or Far Off?

How long does the Close to Home or Far Off? lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Close to Home or Far Off? teach?

D4.6.K-2 — D4.6.K-2, Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Identify and explain a range of local, regional, and global problems, and some ways in which people are trying to address these problems.” In plain terms, name problems near and far, and some ways people are tackling them.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Problem cards and two rings, photographs of the local area and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: names only huge problems; thinks nothing is being done far away and thinks children can only act on tiny things. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Name one problem near us and one far off. Who is working on each?.” Both rings with named workers. A worker-free problem means that question needs asking every time. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Close to Home or Far Off??

Yes — 1 printable D4.6.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Close to Home or Far Off? free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D4.6.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.