Social Studies, Family & Life Skills

Pre-Kindergarten

 

Course Description:                                                                                                                  


Social Studies, Family and Life Skills in the preschool classroom begins with cultivating children’s understanding of themselves and their place in the family and moves to an understanding of social systems in ever-widening circles: family, classroom community, neighborhood, and the world. Through learning experiences and play, a wide range of concrete, developmentally appropriate activities will provide opportunities to explore and celebrate similarities and differences among children, lifestyles and cultures. Discussions on racial, culture and gender biases will be conducted as opportunities arise in order to begin building a foundation for understanding and appreciating diversity.

Social Studies, Family and Life Skills is integrated throughout all aspects of the classroom day. The classroom environment is organized to provide opportunities for children to develop independent behaviors and to act out real-life situations. The environment reinforces those skills and concepts that encourage good citizenship and develop the child's capacity to participate in a culturally diverse, democratic society in an increasingly interdependent world.

Prerequisites:        None

 

EXPECTATION:       Children identify unique

characteristics of themselves

and others.                                                         Approximate # of Weeks: Ongoing

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What makes us unique and different?
  2. How are we the same?

      Preschool Teaching Practices

  • Engage in individual and small-group conversations about similarities and differences of children (e.g., eyes, hair, skin tone, talents, interests, food preferences, gender, etc.).
  • Provide diverse materials, literature and activities (mirror, graphing, height chart, multicultural paints, papers, crayons, etc.) to compare and contrast individual traits.
  • Incorporate books, materials and activities that support diversity, including ethnicity, culture, age, abilities, gender, race and non-stereotypic roles (e.g., multicultural and bilingual music and literature, dramatic play props, puzzles, displays, etc.).

Preschool Learning Outcomes

1.1       Describes characteristics of self.

1.2       Compares characteristics of self with others.

1.3       Creates visual displays of individual characteristics and those of others.

1.4       Expresses individuality and diversity through dress-ups, dolls, puppets, etc.

1.5       Discusses characteristics of children and adults in multicultural literature and photos.

1.6       Selects materials and activities based on choice and not limited by bias.

Suggested Activities:

 

  • Draw a “Me” picture.
  • Draw someone in the class and have a guessing game.
  • Have children bring in baby photo and a present photo of themselves and make a bulletin board.
  • Use Children of the World floor puzzle.
  • Play guessing game using verbal clues to describe classmates.

 

EXPECTATION:       Children communicate about their

family, family roles, and family

tradtions.                                                            Approximate # of Weeks: Ongoing

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What makes our families unique and different?
  2. How are our families the same?

Preschool Teaching Practices

  • Find materials, photos, artifacts and props from diverse families that reflect family roles and traditions.

§         Invite family members to come to classroom and share talents and traditions.

  • Support and recognize differences in family structures, routines, and traditions through discussions, literature and activities (e.g., diverse articles of clothing in housekeeping area, etc.).
  • Use language to identify family members, roles, traditions and artifacts (e.g., "Your Uncle Leo is your daddy's brother." "Rabiye's mother wears a burqua." "Some grandmothers go to work just like Tony’s. Others stay at home and work.").

Preschool Learning Outcomes

2.1       Talks with classmates and teachers about his/her family.

2.2       Identifies, compares and contrasts family members from a photograph (e.g., "This is my mommy and she has brown hair.").

2.3       Talks about family routines and activities (e.g., languages, foods, celebrations, music, meals, etc.).

2.4       Dramatizes roles and responsibilities of different family members.

2.5       Illustrates representations of families, roles and traditions through different media (e.g., paints, crayons, play dough, collage, cut-outs, etc.).

Suggested Activities:

 

·         Do family portraits.

·         Invite parents in to speak of their cultures and traditions.

·         Introduce simple words in a variety of languages.

·         Make simple books on favorite family foods.

·         Use music to depict different dances and songs from around the world.

 

EXPECTATION:       Children become contributing

                                    members of the classroom

                                    community.                                                         Approximate # of Weeks: Ongoing

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What are rules and responsibilities?
  2. How do rules and responsibilities play an important part in our lives?

Preschool Teaching Practices

§         Involve children in developing a few simple rules with an emphasis on positive rules (e.g., "walking feet" instead of "no running").

  • Establish classroom routines and involve children in upkeep of classroom (e.g., taking care of the pet, cleaning up, watering the plants, washing hands before using the water table to avoid spreading germs, etc.).

§         Use children's names frequently incorporating them into songs, rhymes and activities.

§         Plan activities and routines that encourage cooperation and collaboration (e.g., classroom murals, pair-painting, buddy-system).

Preschool Learning Outcomes

3.1       Understands rules and will follow most classroom rules.

3.2       Performs assigned jobs and responsibilities.

3.3       Takes responsibility for simple classroom tasks.

3.4       Identifies other children in the classroom and uses names in conversations.

3.5       Works together (e.g., pair, triads and small groups) to complete projects and activities.

Suggested Activities:

 

·         Choose partners when dancing.

·         Roll the ball from child to child to say good morning or afternoon.

·         Prepare seasonal murals.

·         At the end of the day, ask each child what their favorite activity was for the day.

·         Do a rhyming word for each child’s name and then reverse (give rhyming word first then see if child’s name can be guessed).

·         Children will change a tree together according to season.

·         Have a student puzzle monitor for assisting children who need help with puzzles or any other learning material.

·         Review rules of classroom a couple times a week in a game form.

 

EXPECTATION:       Children demonstrate knowledge

of neighborhood and community.      Approximate # of Weeks: Ongoing

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What is a neighborhood and how does it function?

Preschool Teaching Practices

  • Provide materials, literature, and activities that explore different types of homes (e.g., apartments, buildings, motels, house, multi-family dwellings).
  • Involve children in first-hand experiences in their community (e.g., visits, tours, walking and field trips in the school, neighborhood and community).

§         Invite visitors with community service roles into the class.

  • Develop learning center with literature, activities and materials for play based on children's experiences with their community (e.g., visit the supermarket and create classroom store; visit the school office and create a classroom office, adding tools, props, etc.).

Preschool Learning Outcomes

4.1       Differentiates among types of homes.

4.2       Creates representations of different homes (e.g., draw, build block structure, use boxes, make 3-D structures).

4.3       Identifies and discusses the duties of a variety of common community occupations (e.g., nurse, postmaster, secretary, clerk).

4.4       Dramatizes community roles and activities.

4.5       Identifies tools used for different occupations (e.g., cash register, adding machine, stethoscope, etc.).

Suggested Activities:

  • Take photos of the community and display in classroom.
  • Invite community workers to the classroom to speak to the children.
  • Draw a picture of your house.
  • Display map of town and mark strategic locations.
  • Use community jobs, puzzles and photos.
  • Make homes with popsicle sticks.
  • Walk to the post office.
  • Draw a picture of what you want to be when you grow up.

 

EXPECTATION:       Children participate in activities that

reflect the cultures within their

classroom and their community.       Approximate # of Weeks: Ongoing

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. How are children around the world alike and different?
  2. What are the traditions and celebrations of various cultures?

Preschool Teaching Practices

  • Explore cultures represented in the classroom and community and integrate information, literature, and activities into play activities and the daily curriculum.
  • Invite family and other community members to tell stories and provide activities about their cultures and traditions to the children.

Preschool Learning Outcomes

5.1       Identifies characteristics of other cultures in discussions and play (e.g., "Either a man or a woman can be the president.").

5.2       Participates in cultural activities.

Suggested Activities:

 

  • Art projects depicting a variety of cultural celebrations.
  • Different cultural celebration songs and games.
  • Floor puzzles.
  • Say Hello in different languages for daily greeting.
  • Discuss voting days.
  • Provide visits from people with diverse backgrounds.
  • Special Show and Tell day where children bring in an object that is special to their family.

 

 

Suggested Resource Books:

 

·         Nystrom Teacher’s Guide-Exploring Where and Why

·         Houses of Snow, Skin and Bones-Far North Native Dwellings by Bonnie Shernie

·         A House is a House For Me by M. Hoberman

·         Houses and Homes by Ann Norris

·         Different Homes Around the World by Pamela Rushby

·         Aunt Flossie’s Hats by E.F. Howard

·         Guess How Much I Love You

·         It’s Hard To Be Five by Jamie Lee Curtis

·         Families Are Different by Nina Pelligrini

·         The Feel Good Book by Todd Harr

·         We Are All Alike-We Are All Different (families) by Cheltenham Kindergarten

·         When I Grow Up I Want to Be Me by Sandra Mogsamen

·         A Mother For Choco (adoption) by Keiko Kasza

·         Hurray For Pre-K by Ellen Senisi

·         Shoes From Grandpa (family) by Mem Fox

·         The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry

·         Mama, Do You Love Me? (Eskimo)  by Barbara Joosse

·         Mama Doesn’t Know My Name by Suzanne Williams

·         When I Was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis

·         What Is Your Language? By D. Levanthal

·         If You Were Born a Kitten by M. Bauer

·         The Kissing Hand by A. Penn

·         Just Like You by Jan Fearnley

·         I Love You-A Rebus Poem by Jean Marzollo

·         I Like Myself by K. Beaumont

·         I Like Me by Nancy Carlson

·         Molly Lou Mellon (new school, new friends)

·         Manana Iguana (basic Spanish words) by Ann W. Paul

                  

HOLIDAYS

·         Grandma’s Latkes by M. Drucker

·         Light the Candles

·         I Have a Little Dreidel by M. Baum

·         Hanukkah by R. Schotler

·         One Night, One Hanukkah Night

·         K is For Kwanzaa by Ford

·         My First Kwanzaa Book by D. Chocolate

·         Snowmen At Christmas By Buehner

·         Merry Christmas Big, Hungry Bear by Wood

·         The Night Before Christmas

·         Twelve Days of Christmas

 

 

Student Resources

 

  • Atlas, Globes, Floor Maps, Clings, and activity pages
  • Aforementioned literature and texts students are exposed to throughout the year
  • EWW CD-Rom

 

 

Teacher Resources

 

  • Ewwnet.com (Nystrom; to extend interdisciplinary projects and activities)
  • Exploring Where & Why-New Friends & New Places (Teacher Text)
  • EWW CD-Rom
  • Literacy Library

 

 

Software/Online/Media Resources

 

 

 

Field Trips:

 

·         In-House Field Trips

 

 

Major Forms of Assessment:

 

  • Teacher observation and evaluation of responses and completed activities/projects
  • Role-playing and centers to engage students and differentiate instruction

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Ann Zimny

July 25, 2008

Faculty Member’s Name

Date Submitted

Joseph Caravela

July 25, 2008