Walking down the 1st grade hallway at Ramseur Elementary School, you will see a vibrant display of colorful homes, each uniquely crafted with construction paper, glue, and a lot of heart.

As part of an integrated English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies unit on Communities and Belonging, our first-grade students have been exploring an essential question: How do individuals and groups come together to shape a community where everyone belongs?

To connect their reading and social studies learning, students took on the role of community planners. Using only sheets of construction paper, scissors, and glue sticks, the young artists carefully measured, cut, and assembled their own "Community Houses."

While every student focused on crafting a home, no two creations look alike. The project encouraged students to think about how different types of houses and the diverse people who live inside them contribute to the fabric of a neighborhood.