1. Brookline Town Hall Field Trip

2. Grade 3 • Economics Concept: Define what a tax is and the purposes for taxes, and with the help of their teachers, and parents, give examples of different kinds of taxes (e.g., property, sales, or income taxes) • Standard 3.14: Give examples of tax-supported facilities and services provided by their local government, such as public schools, parks, recreational facilities, police and fire departments, and libraries.

3. Unit PlanContextual Background • The children have already learned about maps: their world, their country, their state, and their town. • They have already learned about monuments in the surrounding area and the history of their town

4. Sequence of Activities Morning Meeting: read “The Post Office Book” Walk to Town Hall Activity: debate in Town Hall boardrooms Explore: visit department in groups Lunch: on the lawn Class Discussion: Walk back to school

5. Materials Paper & Pencils, Placards, Roster, First Aid Kit

6. Activity Selectman’s Boardroom Community Meeting

7. Department Exploration 5 Groups: recreation, library, public works, police, and fire

8. Class Discussion Have you ever been to the Town Hall before? Did you know that your tax dollars went to these departments? How do the Recreation, Library, Public Works, Police and Fire Departments address the needs of our community? Are they appropriate uses of tax dollars? Which community did you represent in the debate today? Do you think you did a good job of representing their ne

9. Potential Pitfalls &Reflections Weather, students absent for pre-lesson This field trip would incorporate skill outcomes while allowing students to use exploration as a means to attaining proposed knowledge outcomes.

10. Adaption This lesson plan could be adapted to older levels by formatting the debate in a more formal way. It could be adapted to younger levels by taking our the debate and focusing on vocabulary and community players.