Social Studies

Grade One

 

Course Description:                                                                        

 

Through a variety of hands-on activities, the first grade social studies curriculum will build a solid foundation of essential social studies skills and concepts.  The students will study the concepts of looking at their neighborhood, identifying needs, exploring maps and globes, and learning about our country and world.  It is intended that the students will develop multicultural awareness and sensitivity which they will apply to their everyday lives.

 

Prerequisites:  None

 

 

Topic/Unit 1: Looking at our Neighborhood                                              Approximate # of Weeks: 4

 

In this unit, students will discover that social studies is the study of ourselves and others.  The students will learn about being a member of a group, that each group has rules, and that a good citizen follows those rules.

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. How are you and your classmates alike and different?
  2. What would be some good rules for you to be a good classroom citizen?
  3. Who are some people who work at our school and why are they important?
  4. Why is it important to have school rules?
  5. Are all families alike?  How are they similar, how are they different?
  6. What are family rules?  Why are they important?
  7. How is a neighborhood defined?
  8. How are neighborhoods alike and different?

 

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

 

  1. Describe themselves, recognize similarities and differences among classmates. (CCS 6.2.A.3)
  2. Name school workers and describe what school workers do. (CCS 6.2.C.1, 6.5.B.1)
  3. Explain what makes up a neighborhood. (CCS 6.6.A.1)
  4. Name ways two neighborhood maps are different. (CCS 6.6.A.1)
  5. Recognize that rules help people get along. (CCS 6.2.A.1, A2)

 

Suggested Activities:

 

·         Draw self portraits.

·         Write facts about themselves.

·          Activity Sheet 4, Classroom Citizen Badges.

·         Make a class rules poster.

·         Take a trip around the school to find “school workers.”

·         Activity Sheet 5, make a family diagram.

·         Make a list of family rules.

·         Use desk maps 1A/1B to compare neighborhoods.

·         Make a bar graph showing how students get to school. (Activity Sheet 6)

·         Create a classroom neighborhood.

·         Utilize the Literacy Library and CD ROM.

 

 

Topic/Unit 2:  Identifying Neighborhood Needs                            Approximate # of Weeks: 4

 

In this unit, students will explore neighborhoods.  They will talk about the places people live and learn the difference between wants and needs.  Students will discuss different types of jobs in their neighborhood and how a neighborhood changes.

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What is a home?  How are homes alike and different?
  2. What is the difference between a need and a want?
  3. What are some places in your community that satisfy needs and wants?
  4. In what ways are goods and services important to communities?
  5. Why are rules and laws important to a neighborhood?
  6. Who are the authority figures in neighborhoods?
  7. How does a neighborhood change over time?
  8. Why do we need money?

 

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

 

1.      Recognize the variety of places in which people live by using an atlas. (CCS 6.6.A.3)

2.      Define, classify and name three basic needs:  homes, food, and clothes. (CCS 6.5.A1)

3.      Locate on a map places that meet needs (stores). (CCS 6.6.B.2)

4.      Define, classify and name wants. (CCS 6.6.A.3)

5.      Locate on a map places that meet wants.(CCS 6.6.A.3)

6.      Recognize that many wants and needs cost money. (CCS 6.5.A.3)

7.      Name reasons why people work. (CCS 6.5.B.1)

8.      Classify jobs as either making goods or selling goods. (CCS 6.6.D.1.)

9.      Recognize that some workers provide services and label these places on a map. (CCS 6.6.A.3)

10.  Compare rules and laws and understand the consequences of not obeying rules and laws. (CCS 6.2.A.1,A5, 6.2.D.1)

11.  Name rules, explain why rules are important and name safety signs and tell what they mean. (CCS 6.2.A.1,A5, 6.2.D.1)

12.  Identify changes in a neighborhood, using information from a story and sequence events on a timeline. (CCS 6.1.A.1, A.2 , A.4, A.5, 6.4.A.1-A3)

 

Suggested Activities:

 

  • Draw and compare homes.
  • Make a collage of different homes.
  • Read aloud Ann Morris’s “Houses and Homes.”
  • Invite parents in to classroom to discuss jobs.
  • Interview staff about jobs.
  • Make a word web to name goods and services.
  • Make a wish list of wants.
  • Create a job web.
  • Read Virginia Lee Burton’s “The Little House.”
  • Utilize the Literacy Library and CD ROM.

 

 

Topic/Unit 3:  Exploring Neighborhood Maps                                 Approximate # of Weeks: 3

 

In this unit, students will learn how to read a simple map.  They will discover that maps show a view from directly above.  Students will also use the colors and symbols on a map to identify places.  Students will describe an object’s location using words such as in front of, behind, above, below, left, or right. 

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. How are eye-level view, bird’s-eye view, and map view alike and different?
  2. How are maps and globes used?
  3. What are the basic attributes of maps and globes?
  4. What information do you obtain from different types of maps?

 

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

 

  1. Identify the difference between bird’s eye view, eye-level view and map view; recognize that a map view is a view from directly overhead.  (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-3, B1-2)
  2. Recognize that maps use color to show land and water.  (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1, A2, A3, B1, B2)
  3. Use a map key to identify features on a map.  (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, D1, D2)
  4. Use near and far, above, below, left, and right in the classroom and on a map to compare distances. (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-3, B1-2)
  5. Recognize that a neighborhood is often made up of blocks. (CCC 6.6.A3)

 

Suggested Activities:

 

  • Draw an object from two different perspectives.
  • Take students outside on a walk around the block.
  • Play the “location game.” See TE 125.
  • Create a map of the classroom using map key.
  • Utilize the Literacy Library and CD ROM.

 

 

Topic/Unit 4:  Exploring Globes                                                   Approximate # of Weeks: 8

 

In this unit students will be looking closely at the earth.  Students will begin by looking at all kinds of models.  They’ll then discover that a globe is a model of the earth.  They’ll use a globe to locate places and distinguish land from water.  Our class will also use a globe to demonstrate the cause of night and day.  Students will then sequence typical daytime and nighttime events on a timeline.  Finally, students will learn directions – north, south, east, and west.

 

Essential Questions: 

 

  • What is a model? 
  • How are a map and a globe alike and different?
  • How do the features of maps and globes help us to locate places?
  • What causes daytime and nighttime? 
  • How do we keep track of time?

 

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

 

1.     Demonstrate that models look like the objects they represent. (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-3, B1-2)

2.     Recognize how the earth looks from space and define the globe as a model of the earth. (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-3, B1-2)

3.     Identify areas of land and water on a globe. (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-3, B1-2)

4.     Recognize how a globe can be turned into a map. (CCS 6.6.A.3, B1)

5.     Explain how the rotation of the earth causes day and night. (CCS 6.6.C.1)

6.     Sequence activities students do during a typical day.

7.     Locate the North Pole and South Pole on a globe. (CCS 6.6.A.3)

8.     Identify north, south, east and west on world and neighborhood maps and the classroom. (CCS 6.6.A.3)

 

Suggested Activities:

 

  • Match models with the objects they represent.
  • Color water areas and land areas. (activity sheet 14)
  • Make a Venn diagram comparing a world map and a globe.
  • Demonstrate day and night using a globe, a flashlight and a small piece of clay.
  • Sequence a school day on a timeline.
  • Call out directions north, south, east, and west and have students face the direction called.
  • Utilize the Literacy Library and CD ROM.

 

 

Topic/ Unit 5:  Looking at our Country                                               Approximate # of Weeks:  4

 

In this unit students will learn about our country.  They will explore a map of the United States and locate our own state, as well as lakes, rivers, and mountains.  Students will learn about the flag and other symbols of our country.  They’ll learn about our country’s government, history, and holidays.  Finally, they’ll explore our country’s weather and seasons.

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. How are you able to recognize our country on a map?
  2. What are some significant symbols and landmarks in our country?
  3. How would you use a map key, symbols, and directions to read a map of the United States on a world map?
  4. What are some symbols of our country?
  5. Who are our country’s leaders? What are their responsibilities?
  6. What are some holidays of our country?
  7. Name some important figures in our country’s history and how did they make a difference?
  8. Why is the weather different in different places during the same season?

 

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

 

1.       Locate the United States on a map. (CCS 6.6.3)

2.       Recognize that the United States is made up of 50 states. (CCS 6.6.A3)

3.       Mark important places on a map and complete a map key.  Identify boundaries and our country’s capital, bodies of water, and mountains on a map. (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-A3, B1, B2)

4.       Describe the elements of the flag and identify the flag as a symbol of the United States. (CCS 6.2.B.1)

5.       Recognize that the president is the leader of our country and determine who can become president. (CCS 6.2.A.3)

6.       Identify and explain the significance of a few major holidays in the United States. (CCS 6.4.B.1, B.2,B.3, B.4)

7.       Recognize how a child made a difference in U.S. history. (CCs 6.2.D1, D2)

 

Suggested Activities:

 

  • Read Flat Stanley and have students send out letters for family/friends in the U.S. and mark the location  of where Flat Stanley has been
  • Teach students songs about the Unite States
  • Have students label NJ, Washington, D.C., major lakes, and mountains  on their own map (Act Sheet 22)
  • Have students draw a U.S. flag showing the correct number of stripes and stars.
  • Learn the history of Betsy Ross.
  • Have students give a report on someone important in our history.
  • Make a Season Wheel. (Activity Sheet 28)
  • Name and illustrate the four seasons.
  • Utilize the Literacy Library and CD ROM.

 

 

Topic/ Unit 6:  Looking at Our World                                                   Approximate # of Weeks:  4

 

In this unit, students will complete a story about our school’s World Address.  Students will tour the continents.  They’ll locate the continent on both a globe and a map.  Students will also look at photos of the continent, to see what life is like there. 

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. How are continents and oceans defined and where are they located on a map?
  2. What is a “World Address”? 
  3. How does life here and in other places around the world compare?

 

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

 

  1. Define oceans as the earth’s largest water areas and identify each ocean by name on a map and a globe. (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-3, jB1-2)
  2. Recognize that the continents have different sizes, shapes, and names. (CCS 6.1; 6.6 A1-3, B1-2)
  3. Learn that their planet, continent, country, state, town, and street make up their world address. (CCS6.6.A3)
  4. Locate their own state and neighboring states using directions. (CCS 6.6.A3)
  5. Find approximate location of their own city in the United States. (CCS 6.6.A.3)
  6. Different cultures have different celebrations:  Compare and contrast celebrations from around the world using stories and celebrations.  (CCS 6.1; 6.2 A6, E1-3, 6.3, 6.4B3, 6.6 A1-3, B1-2)

 

Suggested Activities:

 

  • Research a country and give a report.
  • “Flat Stanley” activity.
  • Locate and color continents and oceans on a world map. (Activity Sheet 24)
  • Have students write to each other using their World Address.
  • Create a “World Address Booklet.”
  • Utilize the Literacy Library and CD ROM.

 

 

Student Resources:

 

·         Desk maps, wall maps, activity globes, floor map and building models

·         Buddy atlases

·         Markers for maps

·         CD-ROM

·         Literacy Resources aforementioned

 

 

Teacher Resources:

 

  • Exploring Where and Why; Teacher’s Guide Grade One: Neighborhood’s Near and Far
  • EWW CD-Rom
  • Literacy  Library

 

 

Software/Online/Media Resources:

 

 

 

Suggested Field Trip Ideas:

 

  • Community walk.
  • Trip to post office to see community workers.

 

 

Major Forms of Assessment:

 

  • Selected response quizzes and tests
  • Graphic organizers
  • Product assessment
  • Performance assessments
  • Unit assessments and evaluations

 

Career Education & Life Skills:

 

Standard 9.2.A.1 Apply communications and data analysis to the problem-solving and decision making processes in a variety of life situations.

Standard 9.2.A.2 Describe and apply constructive responses to criticism.

Standard 9.2.A.3 Apply the use of symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and other visual information to a selected project in academic and/or occupational settings.

Standard 9.2.A.4 Recognize bias, vested interest, stereotyping and the manipulation and misuse of information while formulating solutions to problems that interfere with forming clear opinions and making open-minded decisions.

Standard 9.2.B.1 Revise and update the personal growth plan to address multiple life roles.

Standard 9.2.B.2 Apply project planning and management skills in academic and/or occupational settings.

Standard 9.2.B.3 Compare and contrast methods for maximizing personal productivity.

Standard 9.2.C.1 Model interpersonal and effective conflict resolution skills with peers and teachers, who will also model the behavior of effective and intelligent argument through debate.

Standard 9.2.C.2 Communicate effectively in a variety of settings with a diverse group of people.

Standard 9.2.D.1 Analyze how character influences work performance.

Standard 9.2.D.2 Identify and research privileges and duties of citizens in a democratic society.

Standard 9.2.D.3 Discuss consequences and sanctions when on-the-job rules and laws are not followed.

Standard 9.2.D.4 Compare and contrast a professional code of ethics or code of conduct from various work fields and discuss similarities and differences.

Standard 9.2.D.5 Apply a professional code of ethics to a workplace problem or issue.

               

Technological Literacy:

 

Standard 8.1.B.1 Describe the potential and implications of contemporary and emerging computer applications for personal, social, lifelong learning, and workplace needs.

Standard 8.1.B.2 Exhibit legal and ethical behaviors when using information and technology, and discuss consequences of misuse.

Standard 8.1.B.7 Evaluate information sources for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness.

Standard 8.1.B.11 Identify a problem in a content area and formulate a strategy to solve the problem using brainstorming, flowcharting, and appropriate resources. 

Standard 8.2.A.3 Provide various examples of how technological developments have shaped American history.

 

 

Helene Maia

July 31, 2008

Faculty Member’s Name

Date Submitted

Joseph Caravela

July 31, 2008

Supervisor’s Name

Date Approved