SOCIAL STUDIES

REGIONAL PRIORITIZED CURRICULUM

GRADE K

Topic / Essential Knowledge/Skills / Concept/
Theme / Standards/Key Ideas/Benchmarks / Guiding Questions / Classroom Ideas / Assessment Ideas / Timeline
Myself and Others / My physical self includes gender, ethnicity, and language.
Each person has needs, wants, talents, and abilities.
Each person has likes and dislikes.
Each person is unique and important.
People are alike and different in many ways.
All people need others.
All people need to learn and do learn in different ways.
People change over time.
People use folk tales, legends, music, and oral histories to teach values, ideas, and traditions. / Identity
Diversity
Change
Empathy
Culture / 1-4-3 /
  • What is special about me?
  • What talents do I have?
  • How do these talents enrich our classroom?
  • How am I the same and different from others?
/
  • All About Me Books created by kids
  • Read Elmer by David McKee, (ISBN-0-688-0917-7 or 2-5).
  • Self-portrait books with wall paper covers; kids draw themselves monthly.
  • Teacher traces child’s body on roll paper. Adult comes in to help child w/hair, clothes, etc.
  • “Identifying Myself” when hearing a description.
  • Read Legend of The Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola (Introduce in November with Native American unit.)
  • Year long picture timeline-baby photo, child’s self drawings during year. Use adding machine tape.
  • Large cut-out person, add differences to it (mole on face, glasses, scar on back, etc.)
  • Birthday celebrations
  • “Photo leaves” on fall tree
  • Adults come in to discuss their traditions.
/
  • All About Me Books
  • Self-portrait Books
  • Monthly evaluations
  • Possible rubrics
  • ID Voice Game (see Pre-K)
/ Introduced in September and continued
throughout the year
My Family and Other Families / My family and other families are alike and different. / Identity / 1-4-3 /
  • What is something you like about someone in our class?
  • Who are our relatives?
  • What do you like to do with your family?
/
  • Take a picture of each child early in the year, make copies and use for projects during the year.
  • Children sit in a circle; one child says something nice about child on their left, etc.
  • List various names for relatives.
  • Draw pictures of families and help child label, identify different jobs performed by family members.
  • Describe activities people do as a family – show leading pictures.
  • Describe how your family celebrates special occasions (birthdays, holidays, etc.).
  • On show and tell day invite a family member to share.
/
  • Child draws picture of family members and tells who they are.
  • Participation in class discussions
/ Introduced in September and continued throughout the year
My School and School Community / What is school?
School is important. / 1-2-3B
2-2-3 /
  • What is school?
  • Who are the school helpers, what do they do, and how do they help us?
/
  • Read Gingerbread Man. Bake one big gingerbread cake, have him escape, look for him in school helpers’ rooms. Take photos of school workers.
  • Read The Day the Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
  • Eric Carle’s big book, Have You Seen My Cat? Adapt to Have You Seen My Nurse?, Custodians? Have a bag of school helpers’ “tools” to sort (pencil, sponge, Band-Aid, etc.)
  • Throughout the year make monthly comparisons of activities, weather, # of days in school, etc.
  • Interview school helpers and create a book about them.
  • Pen pals with another kindergartner in another school.
/
  • Matching game – child matches object to helper: e.g. band-aid to nurse, hammer to custodian
  • Observation and participation
/ Introduced in October and continued
My Neighborhood / My neighborhood can be located on a map.
Different people live in my neighborhood.
Land and water masses can be located on maps and on a globe.
The United States can be located on a map and on a globe.
Places can be located on maps and globes (home, school, neighborhood, and community). / Places and Regions
Places and Regions / 3-1-3
3-1-3
3-1-4A /
  • What is a map and how do we use one?
  • What is a globe and how is it like a map?
/
  • Classroom map
  • School map – place footprints to nurse, etc.
  • Town or Village map
  • Your own house map marked with fire safety exits.
  • Invite firemen for “EDITH” drills.
/
  • Observation of child
  • Child brings home map to school, explains it to class
/ Begin in October and continue
Basic Human Wants and Needs / People define basic human wants and needs.
Families have needs and wants.
All people need to feel confidence and gain self-esteem by fulfilling responsibilities. / Needs and Wants / 5-3-3C /
  • What do people need every day?
  • What makes people happy?
/
  • Discuss differences between wants and needs.
  • The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown (ISBN-0-446-84429-0), and Elmer by David McKee
  • Collect for food baskets or pennies for charity donation. (Use Tally marks to keep track.)
  • The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie byLaura Numeroff
  • Benny McBride by Pat Brisson
/
  • Observation and discussion
/ Begin in September and continue
People Help One Another Meet Needs and Wants / People rely on each other for goods and services in families, schools, and the neighborhood.
People make economic decisions and choices. / Interdependence / 3-1-5 /
  • What is a community helper?
  • How do we take care of our Earth?
/
  • Pen pal letter to needy
  • Community helpers as resource people (Visit cafeteria workers showing how they prepare our lunches).
  • Earth Day Celebrations- What is pollution? How can we prevent it? Draw in crayon a picture of neighborhood then did black watercolor wash over it after discussing air pollution. Put celery stalk in polluted water and observe changes in leaves.
/
  • Participation in Earth Day activities
/ October – November
April
Symbols of Citizenship / Citizenship includes an awareness of the symbols of our nation.
Citizenship includes an understanding of the holidays and celebrations of our nation.
Citizenship includes knowledge about and a respect for the flag of the United States of America. / Citizenship and Civic Life / 5-3-1
1-3-3 /
  • What are the symbols of our country?
  • Who are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. and what did they do for our country?
/
  • Learn one patriotic song each month.
  • Learn proper flag etiquette.
  • Create classroom flag – share with other classes.
  • Black History, literature
  • Assembly Program (ex: Morning program)
  • Invite veterans with uniforms to come to school then send thank you notes.
  • Picture Book of… (Washington, Lincoln, etc.)
/
  • Observation of child’s respectfulness towards flag
/ September – June
January – February and continue
Rights, Responsibilities, and Roles of Citizenship / All children and adults have responsibilities at home, in school, in the classroom, and in the community.
People have responsibilities as members of different groups at different times in their lives.
Students have basic rights. / Citizenship and Civic Life / 5-3-3
5-3-3A
5-3-3B
5-3-3C
5-3-6
5-3-2 /
  • What is a right?
  • What is a responsibility?
  • How can we be responsible?
  • What is a good citizen?
/
  • Class helpers or leaders
  • Share: Rude Giants by Audrey & Don Wood, ISBN-0152694129, Peter’s Chair by Ezra Keats, ISBN-0064430405, The Story About Ping by Margery Flack, Anansi Goes Fishing by Eric Kimmel, The Little Red Hen, and Clifford’s Manners by Norman Bridwell, ISBN -0590405640
  • Discuss family responsibilities
  • Role play situations
  • Student of the week
  • Create classroom rules: respect, responsibility, reliability
  • 3R’s song (Respect, Responsibility, Reliability.)
/
  • Observation
/ Begin in September and continue
Making and Changing Rules and Laws / Rules affect children and adults.
People make and change rules for many reasons. / Government
Citizenship / 5-1-1B
5-1-2
5-4-3
5-4-4
5-4-5
5-4-6 /
  • What is a rule?
  • What is a law?
  • Who could be the boss?
/
  • Discuss helmet law.
  • Bring helmets in – sort, graph, etc.
  • Visit police station, building principal
  • Play “What if” game: fire drills, bus problems, playground problems
  • Discuss sidewalk or bus safety.
/
  • Classroom participation
/ Begin in October or November and continue
People Make Rules, Which Involve Consideration of Others and Provide for the Health and Safety to All / Families develop rules to govern and protect family members.
People in school groups develop rules to govern and protect themselves.
Justice means essentially the same thing as fairness. / Government / 5-1-1A
5-2-2
5-3-3 /
  • What family rules do you have?
  • Why are these rules necessary?
/
  • Discussion
  • Visit a court and have a Judge to talk to children about rules.
/
  • Observation
/ Begin in September

Kindergarten: Summer, 1999 1