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Something We Could Do

A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on planning a real action on a local problem, including who must agree.

Something We Could Do is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D4.7.K-2 — name ways to help with a problem near you or far away. 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:
D4.7.K-2

Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action

D4.7.K-2

Identify ways to take action to help address local, regional, and global problems.

Objective

Students will be able to plan an action naming who does it, who must agree, and how you would know it worked.

Students are successful when they can

  • Names a doable action.
  • Names who must agree.
  • Names how you would know it worked.

What you need

  • The class problem list
  • The council letter as a model
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — one problem

5 min
  1. Take one local problem from the list.
  2. Collect three actions without judging.

Teach — who agrees, and how you would know

13 min
  1. Ask of each action: who does it, and who must agree?
  2. Cross out any with no answer.
  3. Add the Grade 1 step: how would you know it had worked?
  4. Name something you could see or count afterwards.
  5. Draft one line of a letter to whoever must agree.
“How would you know it worked? Name something you could go and count.”

Guided practice — four columns

12 min
  1. Pairs plan an action with all four columns filled.
  2. They mark which needs permission.
  3. They pick one for the class to start.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the what-could-we-do page.
  2. Read each problem aloud.

Close

2 min
  1. Choose one action and name who will be asked.

What goes wrong, and why

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

Plans an action with no way to tell if it worked.

Why: Doing something feels sufficient.

Fix: Name something countable. Less litter, more books returned.

Forgets permission.

Why: The action seems obviously good.

Fix: Ask who owns the place it happens in.

Chooses something beyond reach.

Why: The biggest idea is exciting.

Fix: Ask who would pay and when.

If they are not there yet

  • Three columns rather than four.
  • Give the action and fill the rest.

If they finish early

  • Plan an action needing two permissions.
  • Say what could go wrong.
  • Say what to do if the answer is no.

Exit ticket

There is litter along the shop fronts. Plan an action: who does it, who agrees, how would you know it worked?

What to look for: All three. No success measure means the how-would-you-know question needs asking.

Printable practice for D4.7.K-2

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

Questions about Something We Could Do

How long does the Something We Could Do 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 Something We Could Do teach?

D4.7.K-2 — D4.7.K-2, Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Identify ways to take action to help address local, regional, and global problems.” In plain terms, name ways to help with a problem near you or far away.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

The class problem list, the council letter as a model 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: plans an action with no way to tell if it worked; forgets permission and chooses something beyond reach. 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: “There is litter along the shop fronts. Plan an action: who does it, who agrees, how would you know it worked?.” All three. No success measure means the how-would-you-know question needs asking. 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 Something We Could Do?

Yes — 1 printable D4.7.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 Something We Could Do 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 D4.7.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.