Assessment: Lesson Practice, Unit Exams, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam
Language: English
Course Overview
The Kindergarten Social Studies course covers basic concepts of social groups, social interactions and concepts having to do with families, neighborhoods and communities, working and jobs. The course continues to build a strong social foundation by further discussing needs versus wants, spending money wisely, and even investigates weather and different kinds of geography, such as deserts, mountains, and plains, etc, as well as the use of maps. Students learn about the countries of the world, the United States, technology, days-weeks-months, holidays, celebrations, and traditions.
Scope and Sequence
Unit 1 – Who We AreThis unit discusses the subject of social studies itself, and then covers families and how different and unique families can be. This is followed by a discussion of homes, and how a home in the country compares with a home in the city. Also covered are the concepts of getting along with others by being respectful, responsible, and caring, followed by the concepts of left, right, and different sizes. The unit continues with concepts of positioning, such as under, over, up, down, in and out, and concludes with rules at school such as listen, raise your hand, wait in line, take turns; techniques for solving problems, such as sharing and taking turns; and people who help at school, such as teachers, the principal, the nurse, a coach, the librarian, custodians, and bus drivers.Unit 2 – CommunitiesThis unit explores what neighborhoods, communities, and towns are. It goes on to explain that maps represent places and where they are located and positioned, along with the concepts of near, far, above, and below. Next, the unit discusses signs, what they mean, and why they are important, and continues with rules and laws, why we make rules, and why we should abide by them. It goes on to discuss different kinds of communities and how proximity between communities changes based on whether they are rural or urban. Next is a look at various helpers in a community, and the concept of volunteering is explored. Community heroes are defined as people in our neighborhoods who help keep us healthy, happy, and safe. Examples of community heroes are given, such as police officers, firemen, doctors, teachers, librarians, farmers, paramedics and mail carriers. The unit concludes with a discussion of celebrations – what they are, how we celebrate, and why and what we celebrate.Unit 3 – WorkThis unit discusses what work is, what jobs are, and how jobs have changed over time. It explores the concept of citizenship, and what it means to be a good citizen, through respect, manners, consideration, responsibility, loyalty, honesty, patriotism, courtesy, pride, and self-control. The unit goes on to explore money and how we earn it, as well as how some jobs impact other jobs. It further investigates why we need money and how we use it to purchase things we need or want, how different things cost different amounts, how a price tag indicates the cost of an item, and how different stores sell different items.Unit 4 – Needs and WantsThis unit explores why people make choices, and what they make choices about, focusing on choices about spending money. It discusses the difference between needs and wants, and how buying something one needs is more important than buying something one wants. It investigates various things that people need to survive, including food, clothing, and shelter. The concept of recognizing the kind of impact one’s actions have is presented, along with the idea of imagining what would happen if everyone did those things. The unit ends with how things are transported from the places where they are produced to the places where they are sold.Unit 5 – Our EarthThis unit discusses different kinds of weather, and the concept of severe weather versus mild weather. It continues with what makes the four seasons happen, and explores the components our world is made up of – land, water, and air – and which parts of our world contain each of these substances. It investigates how essential plants are and what we use them for; how important forests are and why; what mountains are, what animals live in mountains, and how we use the trees that grow there and the water that flows down from them. The unit concludes by discussing what oceans are, what animals live in them, and why they are important to us.Unit 6 – Exploring the WorldIn this unit, how maps are used is presented, including how maps are smaller representations of real places, how a map key works, and how symbols are used to represent things on maps. A map of the United States is explored, as well as a U.S. dollar and the images and slogans that are on it. Next the unit investigates a map of the world, locating each of the continents; then a globe, comparing and contrasting the globe with a map and demonstrating through a small model what our world is like. Explorers are next brought up, with the story of Columbus’ voyage to discover America, and the fact that Columbus was not actually the first explorer to find America. Countries around the world are discussed, compared, and contrasted. Finally, natural resources and resource conservation are investigated.Unit 7 – The United States of AmericaThis unit discusses our country – the United States of America – and the concepts of freedom and trust in God on which it was founded by people who believed so fervently in these ideas that many of them gave their lives to make it so. The unit further discusses the flag of the United States and the symbolism of its markings. The unit explores our country’s national symbols, including our flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, the Bald Eagle, our capitol – Washington, D.C. – the White House, the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, the Washington Monument, and Mount Rushmore. The unit then looks at the original inhabitants of this country, whom we call Native Americans, their tribes, and how they lived, making their own tools and clothing, and how early Native Americans like Pocahontas helped early settlers from other lands. The unit concludes with a discussion of Thanksgiving, and how it has changed from the first Thanksgiving Feast.Unit 8 – TechnologyThis unit explores technology, defining it and discussing how it has made our world different in good ways and bad ways. It looks at how technology has changed transportation, how it has changed our mail system, how scientists and inventors make new things or change old things to make them better. It discusses Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Elizabeth Blackwell, Henry Ford, Madame Curie, and George Washington Carver, and the inventions they created and advancements they made that have changed our world. In this context of how technology has changed things, the unit goes on to cover the Moon Missions, particularly the July 20, 1969 event when Neil Armstrong took man’s first steps on the moon. It further discusses robots, what they are, why they are important, how they can help us, and that they can only do what people program them to do. The concepts of then and now, past, present, and future complete the unit.Unit 9 – My Home, My WorldThis unit discusses the words alike and different, and the skill of comparing things to find what is alike and what is different. Also covered are the concepts of days, weeks, months and years as units of time, and of things that we do daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. The concept of routines is presented and examples are discussed. Family celebrations and traditions are discussed, and the idea that different people live in different kinds of homes is presented. Activities that families do together are brought up and the concept of working together being an enjoyable activity is considered, as well as the idea that when many people help, the work is easier for everyone. The unit concludes with a discussion of family travel.
