Social Studies / Integrated Writing

Kindergarten

Social Studies / Integrated Writing

Second Grading Period – Weeks 1- 9 CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Enduring Understandings/Big Idea / Rationale
Changes
There is an inextricable linking of family, culture, and community in the teaching and learning of social studies. The child's social understanding about the world begins with self and family. During this season, the children begin to experience family celebrations. As they learn about the different holidays, they begin to explore their own customs and traditions as well as those of others; observing differences and similarities among each other. Authentic connections with Writing have been integrated into the Social Studies Curriculum Guide. / As the season changes, young children begin to explore the changes that occur in the weather and its affect on nature. During this time of year they begin to learn about family traditions and holidays, observing the similarities and differences among each other. Through literature, young children begin to see the connections among these changes, as well as the connections between their own customs and those of others. As they listen, read and write about their experiences their learning becomes meaningful and relevant.
Essential Questions / Guiding Questions
·  What are ways my family share special days/events?
·  What kinds of foods do I share with my family?
·  What kinds of foods do other families eat?
·  Where do fruits and vegetables come from?
·  How do fruits and vegetables get to the grocery store?
·  How has space discovery influenced our technology? / ·  How are we alike?
·  How are we different?
·  How am I unique?
·  How am I special?
·  What are some ways others share special days/events?
·  How do we celebrate?
·  How do friends and families solve problems?
·  What is an explorer?
·  How do astronauts live in outer space?
Social Studies TEKS / Guidelines Specificity - Intended Outcome
K.2 History. The student understands how historical figures and ordinary people helped to shape the community, state, and nation. The student is expected to:
A. identify the contributions of historical figures such as Stephen F. Austin and George Washington who helped to shape our state and nation; and
B. identify ordinary people who have shaped the community
K.6 Economics. The student understands that basic human needs are met in many ways. The student is expected to:
B. explain how basic human needs of food, clothing, and shelter can be met.
K.7 Economics. The student understands the importance of jobs. The student is expected to:
A. identify jobs in the home, school, and community
K.8 Govenrment: The student understands the purpose of rules. The student is expected to:
A. Identify purposes for having rules
B. identify rules that provide order, security, and safety in the home and school.
K.11 Culture. The student understands similarities and differences among people. The student is expected to:
B. identify differences among people. / ” I CAN” statements highlighted in yellow should be displayed for students.
I can:
·  K.2.A name the people who shaped our country.
·  K.2.B name jobs people have such as farmers, grocery store workers, etc.
·  K.6. B. name things people need such as food, clothes, shelter.
·  K.7 name different types of jobs all around me
·  K.8.A. demonstrate awareness of rules for simple games.
·  K.8.B. demonstrate the ability to work/play safely in learning centers.
·  K.11.B respect differences among friends.
·  K.12.A. name customs and traditions my family shares/celebrates.
·  K.14.A explain how life without technology would be like
·  K.14.B list ways technology meets our needs
·  K.15.A learn new information by talking to others
·  K.15.B learn new information by looking
·  K.16.A communicate my ideas orally
·  K.17.A. learn ways to get along with others in school.
·  K.17.B. learn how to work with others.
K.12 Culture. The student understands how people learn about themselves through family customs and traditions. The student is expected to:
A. identify family customs and traditions and explain their importance;
B. compare family customs and traditions; and
K.14 Science, technology, and society. The student understands ways in which technology has changed how people live. The student is expected to:
A. describe how his or her life might be different without modern technology; and
B. list ways in which technology meets people's needs.
K.15 Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
A. obtain information about a topic using a variety of oral sources such as conversations, interviews, and music;
B. obtain information about a topic using a variety of visual sources such as pictures, symbols, television, maps, computer images, print material, and artifacts;
K.16 Social Studies Skills. The student communicates in oral and visual forms. The student is expected to:
A. express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences.
K.17 Social Studies Skills The student uses problem solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:
A. Use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.B. Use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision.
English Language Arts and Reading-
K.13 Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:
E. Share writing with others.
K.14 Writing/Expository Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:
A. dictate or write sentences to tell a story and put the sentences in chronological sequence / English Language Arts and Reading:
I can
·  K.13.E. use what I know about letter sounds and sight words to write my own thoughts down.
·  K.14.A tell you my thoughts and watch as you write them down.
Evidence of Learning
·  Students will demonstrate appropriate social skills in the classroom by following classroom rules with 80% accuracy.
·  Students will demonstrate awareness of rules by working in centers with 80% accuracy.
·  Students will name customs and traditions shared within their families with 80% accuracy.
·  During Shared Writing lessons students will orally participate in the writing process with 80% accuracy.
·  During Interactive Writing lessons, 80% of the students will actively participate in labeling and illustrating writing products.

Social Studies / Integrated Writing

Second Grading Period – Weeks 1- 9 CURRICULUM GUIDE

Essential Prerequisite Skills
·  VII.A.1. Child identifies similarities and differences in characteristics of people.
·  VII.A.2. Child identifies similarities and differences in characteristics of families.
·  VII.B.1. Child demonstrates that all people need food, clothing and shelter
·  VII.B.3. Child discusses the roles and responsibilities of community workers.
·  V.II.D.4. Child identifies similarities among people like himself and classmates as well as among himself and people from other cultures.
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
The teacher will … / So students can… / Resources
Weeks 1-4 : Fall Harvest
Week 1: Introduce Fall
Provide opportunities for the children to develop Social Studies skills by integrating the curriculum through the thematic unit, Fall Harvest and incorporating center activities to engage the children in meaningful experiences that provide opportunities for children to develop social skills, cooperation and learn about themselves and others
Making Connections: Fall Harvest- Prior to the beginning of this unit…
Set up an Pumpkin Patch or Farmers Market (include the following props: a haystack or bale of hay, a scarecrow, plastic fruits and vegetables, baskets, a scale or balance, paper bags, cash register, play money, etc.) in the Dramatic Play Center. Create a background of haystacks, corn stalks, and a harvest moon by using butcher paper. You might bring in a variety of sizes of real pumpkins for the children to measure, weigh and compare. Setting up these props provides many opportunities for students to develop vocabulary as well as role-play real-life situations. Through this type of role-playing, students develop problem-solving and communication skills that help them through meaningful activities.

Day 1:
Introduce the Pumpkin Patch or Farmers Market that has been previously set up in the Dramatic Play Center. Explain and model how to use and put away each prop. Tell the students that you expect all materials to be used appropriately. Explain that students who demonstrate that they can not use the center appropriately will be asked to leave the center.

Day 1-5
Allow students to work in the Dramatic Play Center during center time. Remember to implement the Center Management System and remind students that everyone will have an opportunity to work in the center over the course of the unit.
Day 1
Activating Prior Knowledge: Engage the children in a Shared Writing lesson. Discuss things we see that tell us fall is here. What do we see outside? What are some things people do during the fall? What kinds of food do we begin to see at the grocery store during the fall? Create a RAN chart. Write children’s responses on the chart under “what we think we know” and “we wonder…” as a Shared Writing lesson.
RAN Chart
What We Think We Know / Confirmed / Incorrect / Something new we learned / We Wonder…
Read a book such as Pumpkin Soup/Sopa de calabaza. Discuss the roles of each character in the story? Ask, “What does it mean to have teamwork?” What happens when someone doesn’t want to do their part? Engage the children in a discussion about how they work as a team to accomplish things at school. Have the class decide on one way they work as a team and invite the children to write it interactively on a large sheet of construction paper. Then select a few students to illustrate the sentence and post it in the classroom.
Day 2-4:
Review the story and asked the students to brainstorm another way they work as a team. Repeat the interactive writing process. At the end of the week, gather each day of interactive writing. Laminate and bind the pages to create a class book. Be creative about the front cover. Add the book to the Library Center for the children to read.
Week 2: Fall Harvest
Day 1-5
Allow students to work in the Dramatic Play Center during center time. Remember to implement the Center Management System and remind students that everyone will have an opportunity to work in the center over the course of the unit.
Day 1:
√Review signs of fall. Read How Do You Know It’s Fall?/Como sabes que es otono? Ask students to name signs of fall described in the book. Use children’s responses to fill in the “confirmed”, “incorrect”, “something new we learned” on the RAN chart that was created the previous week.

RAN Chart
What We Think We Know / Confirmed / Incorrect / Something new we learned / We Wonder…
Discuss the additions made to the chart.
Day 2:
Ask the students to brainstorm foods we eat in the fall. Bring in a variety of squash, nuts, apples, etc. Pass them around and have students look and touch the variety of squash (butternut, acorn, tatuma, etc.) Be sure to tell them what each type is called. Discuss what a farmers market is and what it means to “harvest a crop.”
Day 3:
Read a story about harvesting such as Harvest Time/La cosecha. Discuss the story. Create a web and have the students assist you in completing the web.

Day 3-5
Tell students that at the Art Center they will be drawing a fruit or vegetable that is harvested in the fall and labeling it / writing about the fruit/vegetable they created.

Week 3 Fall Harvest
Day 1-5
Allow students to work in the Dramatic Play Center during center time. Remember to implement the Center Management System and remind students that everyone will have an opportunity to work in the center over the course of the unit.
Day 1:
Read a book about sharing such as A Fair Bear Share/Compartimos. Ask students, “Why is it important to share?”, “How do we feel when someone doesn’t want to share with us?” Write the student’s responses on a chart as a Shared Writing lesson. Have two students roll-play a situation that would require them to share. Ask the class to respond to the scenario.
Day 2:
√Review the book about sharing. Ask students to name ways/things we share. Have the class choose one way they share and write it interactively on a large sheet of construction paper. Scaffold students writing skills by reminding them to sound out words, use the word wall and follow the concepts of print. Select a couple of students to illustrate the sentence. Post the product in the classroom.
Day 3-5:
Review the book about sharing. Ask students to name other ways/things we share. Have the class choose another way they share and write it interactively on a large sheet of construction paper. Scaffold students writing skills by reminding them to sound out words, use the word wall and follow the concepts of print. Select a couple of students to illustrate the sentence. Post the product in the classroom.
Week 4 Fall Harvest
Day 1-5:
Allow students to work in the Dramatic Play Center during center time. Remember to implement the Center Management System and remind students that everyone will have an opportunity to work in the center over the course of the unit.