Evangelical Christian Academy
Social Studies Instructional Guide
Overview
Course Description
· The K-6 Social Studies program at ECA guides students to acknowledge their need of an unchanging God in an ever-changing world.
· The Social Studies program encourages students to develop a knowledge of geography, history, government, citizenship, economics, sociology, and world cultures. The students expand upon each of these areas as they progress from kindergarten to sixth grade.
Educational Philosophy
· The K-6 Social Studies program enables students to appreciate God’s care, provision, and protection for the human race. These studies will help students define their own personal faith and appreciate God’s care and protection of His people through many generations and in many cultures.
Grade Overview
· Kindergarten - This beginning program will help each student to recognize his or her place within the family, the community, the country, and the world.
· First – An overview of American history, government, geography, and cultures around God’s world.
· Second – A study of how people and places change over time with an emphasis given to Native Americans, the judicial system, and world cultures.
· Third – An overview of our land, people, traditions, communities, and government from the Native Americans to present day.
· Fourth – A study of the United States and its regions, which includes the study of states, rivers, deserts, mountains, etc., and the study of Colorado, including history, statehood, symbols, industries, etc.
· Fifth – An overview of the exploration, colonization, founding, and development of the United States through the 20th century and into the 21st century, including the study of the establishment of the United States government.
· Sixth – A comprehensive overview of eastern hemisphere civilizations, beginning with the Middle Ages and the Judeo/Christian culture and the effect it has had in Europe, Africa and Asia.
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Evangelical Christian Academy
Social Studies Instructional Guide
Scope and Sequence
/ K / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 /History
Understand human influence in shaping communities, states, & nations
Contributions of ordinary people / X / X / X / X / X / X
Historic figures & their lives / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Understand the origins and significance of customs, holidays, celebrations, & landmarks in the community, state, nation & world / X / X / X / X / X / X
Understand the concepts of time & chronology
Order of events / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Past, present, future / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Political, economic & social change / X / X / X / X
Cause & effect / X / X / X / X
Understand how various sources provide information
Primary sources / X / X / X / X / X
Secondary sources / X / X / X / X
Understand how human needs, ideas, issues, & events influence past & present
Exploration, colonization & settlement / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Conflict & revolution / X / X / X / X / X
Immigration / X / X / X / X / X
Growth & expansion / X / X / X / X / X
Understand that the past influences the present
Connecting past & present / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Comparing past & present / X / X / X / X / X / x
Geography
Understand concept of location
Relative & exact / X / X / X / X / X / X
Factors influencing location / X / X / X / X / X / X
K / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
Geography continued
Understand concept of place
Landforms, bodies of water, vegetation, animal life / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Climate, weather & seasonal patterns / X / X / X / X / X / X
Understand human-environment interactions
Natural resources & land use / X / X / X / X / X
Human features (housing, roads) / X / X / X / X / X
Human adaptations to & modifications of their environments / X / X / X
Understand the concept of movement
Movement of ideas through cultural sharing / X / X / X / X / X
Colonization, immigration, settlement patterns (people) / X / X / X / X / X / X
Physical characteristics affect trade (products) / X / X / X / X
Physical characteristics affect human activities (culture) / X / X / X / X
Understand concept of region
Physical characteristics / X / X / X / X
Political characteristics / X / X
Population characteristics / X / X / X
Economic characteristics / X / X
Time zones / X / X / X
Understand & use geographic tools to collect, analyze, & interpret information
Maps & globes / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Comparison of world regions & countries / X / X / X / X
Read, interpret & construct charts, maps & diagrams / X / X / X / X / X / X
/ K / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 /
Economics /
Understand how scarcity of resources leads to economic choice
Basic human needs & wants / X / X / X / X / X
Goods & services / X / X / X / X / X
Production, distribution & consumption / X / X / X
Work & income / X / X / X / X
Saving & spending / X / X / X
Opportunity cost / X / X
Understand markets & price
Exchange of goods & services / X / X / X / X
Impact of mass production & specialization / X
Supply & demand / X / X
Competition / X / X
Economic interdependence / X / X
Imports, exports & trade / X / X / X / X
Understand economic patterns & systems
Effects of transportation & communication / X / X / X / X
Free enterprise / X / X
Entrepreneurship / X / X
Government
Understand the purposes of government
Promotion of the common good / X / X / X / X / X
Order & security / X / X
Distribution of services / X / X
Protection of individuals rights & freedoms / X / X / X / X
Understand the structure of government
Purpose of rules & laws / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Roles & responsibilities of authority figures & public officials / X / X / X / X / X / X
Levels of government (local, state & national) / X / X / X / X
K / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
Government continued
Government services / X / X / X
Branches of government / X / X / X / X
Government documents / X / X / X / X / X
Political parties / X / X
Understand the functions of government
Making, amending & removing laws / X / X / X / X
Enforcing laws / X / X / X / X
Financing of services / X
Citizenship
Understand good citizenship
Historic figures & ordinary people / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Citizenship traits (caring, respect, responsibility, fairness, honesty, courage) / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Working for the common good / X / X / X / X / X
Believing in truth & justice / X / X / X / X / X
Treating all people equally / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Solving problems / X / X / X / X / X
Making decisions / X / X / X / X / X
Understand state & national identities
Flags, symbols, anthems, pledges / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Customs & celebrations / X / X / X / X / X / X
Mottoes / X / X / X / X
Understand the freedoms, rights & responsibilities of citizens
Individual freedoms (choosing your associates, choosing where you live) / X / X / X / X
Economic freedoms (choosing your own work, owning property) / X / X / X
Political freedoms (joining a political party, running for office, purpose of and need for free elections) / X / X / X / X / X
K / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
Citizenship continued
Rights (free speech, voting rights, freedom of religion, equal protection & opportunity under the law) / X / X / X / X / X / X
Responsibilities/participating, voting / X / X / X / X / X / X
Responsibilities/keeping informed / X / X / X / X / X
Understand democratic principles
Due process & equal protection under the law / X
Majority rule with minority respect / X / X / X
Government by law / X / X / X
Culture
Understand social groups & institutions
Family & community / X / X / X / X / X / X
Education / X / X / X / X / X / X
Religion / X / X / X / X / X
Politics / X / X / X / X / X
Understand similarities & differences among people
Culture & culture region / X / X / X / X / X / X
Language / X / X / X / X
Customs, holidays & traditions / X / X / X / X / X
Similarities among diverse groups / X / X / X / X / X
Contributions of diverse groups / X / X / X / X
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Evangelical Christian Academy
Social Studies Instructional Guide
Kindergarten
Course Description
· The kindergarten Social Studies program recognizes how God has made each person unique with responsibilities in his/her own family, community, country and world. The students identify community helpers and their roles. The students become familiar with important historical people and events of our country, as well as compare and contrast our country with other cultures.
· Kindergarten teaches each unit out of order from the book. Therefore each unit includes the month in which it is taught. For example: Unit 1 = September.
General Objectives
· Students will learn about the different places in which people belong. They will also learn about maps.
· Students will learn about the different groups people can belong; family, school, country, etc.
· Students will learn what people do at work. We will also discuss the difference between needs and wants.
· Students will discover more about our world, including land and water features, types of weather, natural resources and how to care for them.
· Students will learn about our country, the United States, and our country’s past.
· Students will learn about celebrations and holidays.
Primary Text/Resources
· My World: Adventures in Time and Space, McGraw Hill, 2001
· Teacher resources
· Library resources
Time Allotment
· 20 minutes per day, 1 day per week
Specialized Activities for this grade
· Social studies material is covered as the holidays and special events occur.
· Units are rotated with science and are not necessarily covered in the sequence that follows.
Unit 1 Where We Live 15-20 min. per weekSeptember
Instructional
Objectives / Student
Activities / Instructional
Resources / Biblical
Integration / Assessment
· Explore a sense of place.
· Identify the features of a neighborhood.
· Recognize that people live in different kinds of dwellings.
· Compare and contrast the different places in which people live.
· Under-stand that a map can represent an aerial view of an area.
· Recognize the features of a state and a country.
· Identify the U.S. as our country. / Various activities to choose from:
· Create a picture of their home.
· Make a mailbox with their home address.
· Locate places we have visited or lived on a U.S. map. / · McGraw Hill Teacher’s Guide
· McGraw Hill Big Book Unit 1 Where We Live
· U.S. Map
· Unit 1 Activity Folder
· McGraw Hill
Project Book / Genesis 1:1 / · Formal assessments are not performed in kindergarten. Informal assessments are done continually throughout the unit by verifying that each instructional objective is known and understood.
Unit 2 We Belong
15-20 min. per week
January
Instructional
Objectives / Student
Activities / Instructional
Resources / Biblical
Integration / Assessment
· Compare and contrast families.
· Identify different groups in which we belong.
· Recognize the need for rules and laws and their differences
· Analyze various charts and the information they display.
· Identify voting as a fair way that groups make choices. / · Draw a Family Portrait
· Make a Classroom Rules poster
· Vote for an activity to do as a class / · McGraw Hill Teacher’s Guide
· McGraw Hill Big Book We Belong
· Unit 2 Activity Folder
· Project Book / Ephesians 6: 1-3 / · Formal assessments are not performed in kindergarten. Informal assessments are done continually throughout the unit by verifying that each instructional objective is known and understood.
Unit 3 People at Work
15 – 20 min. per week