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Social Studies |
Our Social
Studies curriculum is composed of three units, one for each trimester: Where We Live, We Belong, and People At Work. The First Grade curriculum focuses on “The
Student and the World Around Them” through the content areas of civics,
economics, and geography. There are also standards for each content area.
Unit
2: We Belong
Competency Goal: The learner will build an understanding of
Family and Friends
I do this unit
first to build the concept of classroom community. This concept is integral to 2 major parts of
our school day: morning meeting (beginning of the day) and class meeting (end of
the day). We will be discussing the groups that we belong to such as the family
and the school community during the first trimester. These components are from
the Responsive Classroom workshop that I have attended and tie in with the
following unit objectives:
Objective 2.6 Recognize the need for rules and laws and participate
in rule making in and out of the classroom.
Objective 2.7 Recognize the difference between rules for different
activities.
Objective 2.8 Conclude that there are different rules for different
activities.
Objective 2.10 Recognize problems people face in getting along.
Objective 2.11 Determine ways to solve these problems.
Objective 2.12 Identify voting is a fair way to make group
decisions and to solve problems.
During the first week of school, a whole class discussion regarding the rules that we should have in our classroom elicited 2 sheets of chart paper during shared writing. We reviewed them together and I explained how I could group them into general areas of safety, respect, responsibility, and cooperation. Our Standards of Behavior chart was created using interactive writing where the teacher and students ‘share the pen’. To signal the students commitment to the standards, they signed and colored a hand which was glued to the chart.
Our Classroom Rules
Here are some of the activities that were done to reinforce the concept
of community. During the second week of school, we had a
class discussion of what our hopes and dreams were for First Grade. The children drew a picture showing
themselves doing this, while I went around the class to record what they said.
We created a graph together to show the
number of letters in our first names.
We created a class big book with a page
for each student with an interview format.
The 3 questions that we agreed on were: what is your name, how old are
you, and what do you like to play. Each
student had the opportunity to sit in the ‘teacher’s chair’
as their peers asked them the questions.
I recorded their answers in a shared writing format and then we read the
page together when completed. Pictures
of the student were added to the page and the book was used first as part of
‘read the room’ center and then placed in the library center.
Objective 2.5 Identify various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups
in one’s community.
Another important concept that I like to reinforce during this unit is
how we are as a class alike and different at the same time. I start this by reading a book that was
written and illustrated by a Kindergarten class. Then the children were given a paper doll to
color in to represent themselves.
We
Are All Alike... We Are All Different
Objective 2.2 Recognize that all families are alike in some ways.
For the family component, the children drew a picture of their family
which I labeled and created a book with.
This book will be sent home to all families to share.
These samples are actually from last
year’s class and my student teacher (Miss Mekhaael).
Objective 2.3 Recognize that a family is a group.
As part of this unit of study, I requested that families send in a baby picture of their child. I made a copy of it to place on our Family Tree and returned the original back (in the blue folder). This activity reinforced the concept that we are a ‘classroom family group’ as well. I also send home a survey to complete for information regarding their child to help me plan for the school year around my students' interests. Later, through shared writing, we created a list of family words to help us during writing workshop. For most of the first trimester, the children write about their family experiences, so this chart gets used frequently.
Later a graph was created to show the
number of children in their family.
Objective 2.1 Recognize that families come in many sizes and
compositions.
Objective 2.4 Recognize that in addition to families, there are
other kinds of groups to which people belong.
Objective 2.15 Identify the groups to which an individual can
belong.
After the book discussion on groups, we created a list
of the different groups that they belong to using sharing writing. The children chose one group that they
belong and drew a picture that I cut into a 6 piece puzzle.
The following objectives were touched upon only through our social
studies big book discussions.
Objective 2.9 Identify a local authority figure.
Objective 2.14 Recognize similarities and differences in the
lifestyle of people from another culture.
Families
in Children's Books, Featured Subject with books, activities and related links:
http://www.carolhurst.com/newsletters/23bnewsletters.html
family/community links:
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/fam-com.html
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/holidays.htm
Working
together
The
Peace Puzzle- conflict management
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=7&DocID=341
groups
Holidays around the world
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/thematicunits/holiday.htm
rules & responsibilities http://www.history.ctaponline.org/center/hsscm/index.cfm?Page_Key=996
http://www.mrsmcgowan.com/math/mathaboutme.htm
friends:
family stories:
http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/history/local.html
cultural Awareness
http://www.history.ctaponline.org/center/hsscm/index.cfm?Page_Key=1063
national holidays & symbols:
http://www.history.ctaponline.org/center/hsscm/index.cfm?Page_Key=1044
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/
Thanksgiving http://www.vickiblackwell.com/thanks.html
Christmas around world unit:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson041.shtml
http://www.connected-learning.org/Products/tnortzlu2.htm
Unit
1: Where We Live
Competency Goal: The learner will build an understanding of
where they live.
Objective 1.1
Explore a sense of place.
During our class meetings, we
created a list of important things to add to our classroom map. Following their
direction, I drew the map on our whiteboard, so that corrections could be made
as needed. Every student was given the opportunity to locate their desk on the
map which I labeled with their initials using a green marker.
Objective 1.2 Identify features in a neighborhood.
We will be learning about our neighborhood as well as the community we live
in during the second trimester. We will
start by taking a field trip to City Hall.
For more information and pictures from this trip, see the Our Town is Important internet project page. Then we will be taking a walk around the
school neighborhood to study its components.
We will learn poems and songs about our theme. There will be homework
assignments that will require family help. Many of the social studies centers
will be done during our literacy block. This will be an integrated unit
involving math, art, writing, and literature as well. As activities are completed, they will be
added to this webpage.
Objective 1.3 Recognize the difference between a model and a map of
the same place.
The third assignment was to complete the aerial map that was started at school. During our literacy center time, the children will create houses, trees, and signs to construct a model of a community.
Here
is one group’s creation of a model community using my rug map.
Objective 1.4 Recognize that people live in different kinds of
dwellings.
Objective 1.5 Analyze the two parts of an address: street name and
building number.
The first homework assignment was for your child to draw a picture of their house or apartment building. They will need your help completing the address and description part. The fourth assignment was take inventory of the different parts of your house. The fifth assignment was to create a map of their neighborhood.
The
second assignment was to create a map of their bedroom and label it with your
help.
Objective 1.6 Recognize that people live in different kinds of
communities; some are small towns, others are big cities.
We will write a poem about our community using the format of The
Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown through shared writing describing
places in it for our internet project.
Objective 1.8 Compare and contrast the different places in which
people live.
The students will learn that they live in the city of
Objective 1.9 Identify the
My students will use maps to learn about the cardinal directions (north,
south, east, & west), and how to locate places that we have received
postcards from by coloring their
Objective 1.10 Understand that the
Objective 1.11 Recognize that Earth has many countries.
Objective 1.12 Understand that Earth is round and that a globe is a
model of the Earth.
Objective 1.13 Recognize that there are many kinds of life on
Earth.
Cities
and Towns in Children's Books. Featured Subject with
books, activities and links.
http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/citiesandtowns.html
http://www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/sparkers/community_map/map.html
http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/mapadv.htm
RI
maps: http://www.mapathon.com/ri.html
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/history/symbols.html
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/history/facts.html
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/history/famous.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/statesbw/rhodeisland.shtml
RI map & quiz
MANY PLACES, MANY FACES:
http://www.stf.sk.ca/teaching_res/library/teach_mat_centre/tmc/P1006/P1006.htm
location of states game to make
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec670/Cardboard/Card/S/statesinmind.html
Map
Skills Page Our
Communities Unit
map adventures:
http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/mapadv.htm
Geography
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/thematicunits/geography.htm
Me on the Map lessons:
http://www.oswego.org/staff/dbednars/map/lessons.cfm
States
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/thematicunits/state.htm
http://www.abcteach.com/States/StateTOC.htm
http://fga.freac.fsu.edu/academy/k1us.htm
http://www.history.ctaponline.org/center/hsscm/index.cfm?Page_Key=1036
Maps http://www.connected-learning.org/Products/mduncklu2.htm
Make a town http://www.yourchildlearns.com/town_act.htm
Make Way for ducklings unit:
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/grade1/Make_Way.html
build a community http://www.hud.gov/kids/900t.html
Kids Next Door:
kids can learn more about communities and being good citizens (young children)
http://www.hud.gov/kids/kids.html
Unit 3: People At Work
Competency Goal: The learner will
build an understanding of people at work.
Our third unit will be about "People At Work”. We will be learning about the different jobs that
people have in the school community as well as jobs in general in the third
trimester. I will be integrating Social Studies with Math and Writing. We will
start this unit by listening to a book called When I Grow Up at the
listening center. They will write about what they want to be and why. The
children will share what they wrote to the class. We will create a chart and
class graph with this pre-unit data. Next, I will read many books about
different occupations and the children will write reports about them. These
books will be added to our classroom library to be "read" during
center time. I will invite people including parents to come in to discuss their
job. Lastly, the children will respond again to the writing prompt of what they
want to be when they grow up. Again, a chart and graph will be created. We will
compare the data from both charts and graphs.
Objective 3.1 Identify a variety of jobs that people perform.
Objective 3.2 Describe work performed by family and community
members and how they help one another.
Here are some reports written by my last year’s
class.
Objective 3.3 Distinguish between needs and wants.
Objective 3.4 Demonstrate that people have many wants but limited
resources to satisfy them.
Objective 3.5 Recognize that people must make economic choices
among alternatives.
Objective 3.6 Recognize that groups can make economic choices among
alternatives.
Objective 3.7 Identify forms of transportation and learn how
transportation helps people.
Objective 3.8 Recognize how goods are transported both within
neighborhoods and communities and outside a country.
Objective 3.9 Recognize that money comes in different amounts.
Objective 3.10 Identify value of coins and bills.
Objective 3.11 Recognize how money is made.
Objective 3.12 Recognize that every country has its own money.
Economics
http://www.history.ctaponline.org/center/hsscm/index.cfm?Page_Key=1072
worker poems: http://www.earlyliterature.ecsd.net/occupations.htm
community http://expage.com/4commhelpers
community helpers http://www.hud.gov/kids/job1.html
Symbols of US http://www.davenportsclass.com/symbols%20of%20us.html
state flags to color:
http://flagspot.net/flags/cbk-us.html
LEARN ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON:
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/K99George.pdf
ABRAHAM LINCOLN FOR PRIMARY CLASSROOMS:
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/lincoln/index.html
links for all holidays:
http://community-2.webtv.net/guyrus/CarolynsResources/index.html
book search link:
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/pictbks/search/
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/socialstudies/index.htm
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/plans.html
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/resources/hst2.html
book search for content area
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/scimathlit/searchlist.asp
