ss-2026:3:4ss-2026:3:5
ss-2026:3:4 Individuals have a variety of opportunities to act in and influence their school and local community.
ss-2026:3:5 Groups use problem-solving and compromise to achieve goals and work toward the common good.
Learning goal: Describe the variety of opportunities individuals have to act in and influence their school and local community, and explain how groups use problem-solving and compromise to achieve goals and work toward the common good. This lesson teaches two statements from Ohio's July 2026 K–8 social studies standards, which the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce anticipates districts will begin to implement in the 2027-28 school year.
Individuals can act and influence. To act in a community means to do something that affects it. To influence a community means to help shape a decision other people make. Third graders cannot vote in public elections, but they still have a variety of opportunities to act in and influence their school and local community.
Opportunities at school. A student can:
- serve on a student council or class committee;
- vote in a class or school election;
- share an idea at a class meeting;
- write a respectful letter to the principal about a problem;
- volunteer to help, such as reading to younger students or caring for a school garden.
Opportunities in the local community. A person can:
- volunteer at a food pantry, library or park cleanup with a trusted adult;
- attend a public meeting of the city council, village council or township trustees, many of which set aside time for public comment;
- write to a local official, such as a mayor or council member;
- join a group, such as a scout troop or a neighborhood club, that does service projects;
- sign a class or school petition, or help an adult group collect signatures (only adults who are registered voters can sign the official petitions that put an issue on a ballot).
Some opportunities are about doing (cleaning a park). Others are about influencing (asking the council to add a trash can). Both matter.
Groups and the common good. The common good means what is good for the whole community, not just for one person or one small group. Groups often want to achieve goals together, but members may want different things. That is where problem-solving and compromise come in.
Problem-solving steps. Groups use problem-solving to reach goals. One useful set of steps is:
1. Name the problem clearly.
2. Gather facts about it.
3. List possible solutions.
4. Think about the good and bad results of each solution for everyone affected.
5. Choose a solution and act.
6. Check whether it worked.
What compromise means. A compromise is an agreement in which each side gives up part of what it wants so the group can move forward. A compromise is not one side winning and the other losing. It is also not always splitting everything exactly in half. A good compromise keeps what is most important to each side and still serves the common good.
A misconception. Some students think compromise means "nobody gets anything." That is not true. In a good compromise, everybody gets something important, even if nobody gets everything. Another misconception is that the loudest person should decide. Problem-solving uses facts and fairness, not volume.
A fully worked model (hypothetical). The third-grade classes at a hypothetical school share one playground at recess. Group A wants the blacktop for four-square. Group B wants it for jump rope. They argue every day.
Step 1, name the problem: two groups want the same space at the same time.
Step 2, gather facts: recess is 20 minutes; the blacktop has room for about two four-square courts and one jump-rope area if they are placed carefully.
Step 3, list solutions: (a) four-square every day; (b) jump rope every day; (c) take turns by day; (d) divide the blacktop.
Step 4, think about results: (a) and (b) leave one group out every day; (c) is fair but each group waits a whole day; (d) lets both groups play daily but each has less room.
Step 5, compromise: the groups choose (d), and each gives up some room. Four-square gets two courts, jump rope gets one area.
Step 6, check: after a week, the class meets again. Both groups played every day. The compromise worked for the common good of the class.
Notice that one student alone could not have fixed the problem. The group reached its goal by using problem-solving and compromise together.
From school to community. The same steps work in a community. A hypothetical neighborhood wants a safer crosswalk near a school, but some drivers worry about slower traffic. Residents gather facts, speak at a council meeting, and the council might agree to a compromise, such as a crossing guard at school times only. Individuals influenced the decision, and the group worked toward the common good.
Worked example 1: Doing or influencing? Sort these actions. (a) Picking up litter in a park with a scout troop: doing, because the student changes the park directly. (b) Writing a letter to the village council asking for a recycling bin: influencing, because the council makes the decision. (c) Voting in a student council election: influencing, because the vote helps decide who leads. Each is an opportunity to act in or influence the community.
Worked example 2: Is it a compromise? A class has $30 (hypothetical) for a party. Half want pizza that costs $30. Half want a movie with popcorn that costs $20. Option 1: buy pizza only. That is not a compromise; one side gets everything. Option 2: rent the movie for $10, buy popcorn for $10 and spend the last $10 on a little pizza. Check the sides: the movie side gets its whole $20 plan and gives up nothing, while only the pizza side gives something up. That is not yet a compromise, because in a compromise each side gives up part. Option 3: rent the movie for $10, buy a small bag of popcorn for $5 instead of $10, and spend the other $15 on half as much pizza. Check: 10 + 5 + 15 = 30, so it fits the budget. The movie side gives up half its popcorn, and the pizza side gives up half its pizza, but both get something important: a movie with a snack and some pizza. That is a compromise.
Worked example 3: Using problem-solving steps. Problem: the classroom library books are always messy. Facts: 5 bins, 120 books, no labels. Solutions: (a) teacher cleans it every day; (b) label the bins by type and choose two library helpers each week. Results: (a) takes the teacher's time and students do not learn to help; (b) shares the work. The class chooses (b). After two weeks, they check: the books stay sorted most days. The group reached its goal and served the common good.
Representation task: Make a two-column chart titled "Ways I can act and influence." Label the columns School and Local community. List at least three opportunities in each column and mark each one D (doing) or I (influencing).
Independent performance: With a small group, choose a real, safe problem in your classroom or school (for example, a noisy lunch line or crowded coat hooks). Use the six problem-solving steps and write each one down. If group members disagree, write a compromise and explain what each side gave up and what each side kept.
Success criteria: (1) the problem is stated clearly; (2) you list at least two facts; (3) you compare at least three solutions; (4) if group members wanted different things, your chosen solution includes a compromise that names what each side gives up (if everyone agreed from the start, say so and explain how you checked that everyone was heard); (5) you explain how the solution serves the common good; (6) you describe how you will check if it worked. Share the plan with your teacher before acting on it.
An adult may read the prompts aloud. Answer independently with words, objects, drawings or a demonstration before opening the answer guide. Award 1 point for a correct result or claim and 1 point for a matching explanation or demonstration; where a question asks only for a result (a corrected sentence, a spelling, a count), a fully correct result earns both points, and the answer guide shows what a complete response contains. Record prompting separately. The total (two points per question) is local practice feedback, not an Ohio proficiency level.
Name two opportunities a third grader has to act in or influence their school.
Examples: serving on student council, voting in a class election, sharing an idea at a class meeting, writing a letter to the principal or volunteering. Each lets the student change the school or help shape a decision.
Name two opportunities to act in or influence the local community.
Examples: volunteering at a park cleanup or food pantry with an adult, speaking during public comment at a council meeting, writing to the mayor or joining a service group. These let a person do something for the community or help shape its decisions.
What is the difference between acting in a community and influencing it?
Acting means doing something that directly changes the community, like planting flowers. Influencing means helping shape a decision someone else makes, like asking the council for a new bench.
What is a compromise?
An agreement in which each side gives up part of what it wants so the group can move forward. Each side keeps something important, so it is different from one side simply winning.
What does the common good mean?
What is good for the whole community, not just one person or one small group. A solution for the common good considers everyone affected.
In the playground example, why is dividing the blacktop a compromise?
Both groups give up some room: four-square gets two courts instead of the whole blacktop, and jump rope gets one area. But both groups get to play every day, which was most important to each.
Why should a group gather facts before choosing a solution?
Facts show what is really possible, such as how much space or time there is. Without facts, a group might choose a solution that cannot work or is unfair to someone.
Why is "the loudest person decides" not a good problem-solving method?
It ignores facts and the needs of quieter members. Problem-solving compares solutions by their results for everyone, which is how a group works toward the common good.