Social Studies - 1st Grade

Standard I    Standard II    Standard III    Standard IV

(Culture): Students will recognize and describe how schools and neighborhoods are both similar and different.

Objective 1:
Recognize and describe examples of differences within school and neighborhood.

Assessment Ideas

• Family Traditions (pdf)
  Have students give a presentation to the class describing a tradition in their family

Indicators:

1. Recognize differences within their school and neighborhood.
2. Share stories, folk tales, art, music, and dance inherent in neighborhood and community traditions.
3. Recognize and demonstrate respect for the differences within one's community (e.g. play, associations, activities, friendships).
4. Recognize and describe the importance of schools and neighborhoods.

Objective 2:
Recognize and identify the people and their roles in the school and neighborhood. Explain how these roles change over time.

Assessment Ideas

• Thank you (pdf)
  Have the students write a thank you letter to one of the professionals in the community that they have learned about. Have the students identify within the letter why the profession they are writing to is indeed important to the community.

Indicators:

1. Identify the roles of people in the school (e.g., principal, teacher, librarian, secretary, custodian, bus driver, crossing guard, and cafeteria staff).
2. Explain the roles of the people in the neighborhood (e.g., police officer, firefighter, mail carrier, grocer, mechanic, plumber, miner, farmer, doctor, and tribal leader).
3. List and discuss how neighborhoods change over time (e.g., new businesses, new neighbors, technology, and rural one-room schools).

 

(Citizenship): Students will recognize their roles and responsibilities in the school and in the neighborhood.

Objective 1:
Describe and demonstrate appropriate social skills necessary for working in a group.

Assessment Ideas

• Working Together (pdf)
  To see if students understand the importance of a working cooperatively in a group have them write how they individually can be a good group member and what their group can accomplish when everyone works together.  You can use the sentence starters that are provided. 

Indicators:

1. Describe behaviors that contribute to cooperation within groups at school and in a neighborhood.
2. Discuss the roles and responsibilities of being a member of a group.
3. Participate in a group activity modeling appropriate group behavior.
4. Identify and express feelings in appropriate ways.
5. Articulate how individual choices affect self, peers, and others.
6. Communicate positive feelings and ideas of self (e.g., positive self image, good friend, helper, honest).
7. Predict possible consequences for a variety of actions.

Objective 2:
Identify and list responsibilities in the school and in the neighborhood.

Assessment Ideas

• Rules and Laws Foldable (pdf)
  After talking about rules and laws that people are expected to follow at home, at school and in the community give students the Rules and Laws Foldable. They will fold it in half the long way and then unfold the paper and cut along the dotted lines to the fold. They should now have a three flap book. Have students draw or write 3 rules or laws that they have to follow for each area (home, school, community).  This assessment activity comes from the lesson plan Rules and Laws, but can also be used independent from that lesson plan.

Indicators:

1. Describe and practice responsible behavior inherent in being a good citizen in the school (e.g., safety, right to learn) and neighborhood.
2. Explain why schools have rules, and give examples of neighborhood rules (e.g., respecting private property, reporting vandalism, and obeying traffic signs and signals).
3. Demonstrate respect for others in the neighborhood (e.g., the "Golden Rule"—elements include fair play, respect for rights and opinions of others, and respect for rules).
4. Participate in responsible activities that contribute to the school and neighborhood (e.g., follow teacher directions, put belongings away, participate in discussions, take turns, listen to others, share ideas, clean up litter, report vandalism, give service).
5. Practice and demonstrate safety in the classroom (e.g., classroom safety procedures, fair play, playground rules).
6. Practice and demonstrate safety in the neighborhood (e.g., crossing streets, avoiding neighborhood dangers).

Objective 3:
Name school, neighborhood, Utah state, and national symbols, landmarks, and documents.

Assessment Ideas

• Matching Game (pdf)
  After teaching students about symbols, landmarks, and documents that they would find in their school, neighborhood, state and nation divide the students into groups of 4 and have them play a three-way matching game.  Walk around while students are playing to see who understands and who is struggling.  To prepare, copy enough sets of the matching game on three different colors of cardstock so that each group of 4 has one set.  Students will turn the cards upside down and mix them up.  When it is their turn they will pick one of each color to see if they go together.

Indicators:

1. Identify school symbols and landmarks (i.e., mascot, songs, events).
2. Identify neighborhood and community symbols and landmarks (i.e., firehouse, city hall, churches, other landmarks, city festivals).
3. Identify Utah state symbols, documents, and landmarks.
4. Identify national symbols, documents, and landmarks (e.g., Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Liberty Bell, Washington Monument).
5. Demonstrate respect for patriotic practices and customs (e.g., Pledge of Allegiance and flag etiquette).

 

(Geography): Students will use geographic tools to demonstrate how symbols and models are used to represent features of the school, the neighborhood, and the real world.

Objective 1:
Identify and use geographic terms and tools.

Assessment Ideas

• Compass Rose (pdf)
  Have students create a compass putting the cardinal directions in the correct place on the compass.  Students will then list things, on their compass that are found in the classroom for the different directions.

Indicators:

1. Use a compass to locate cardinal directions.
2. Identify the equator and north and south poles.
3. Identify Utah on a variety of maps and on a globe.
4. Identify the United States on a variety of maps and on a globe.

Objective 2:
Recognize and use a map or a globe.

Assessment Ideas

• Using a Map (pdf)
  Give students a map with questions they have to answer stating which direction things are from other objects on the map.

Indicators:

1. Create a map showing important sites or landmarks on a school or community (i.e., firehouse, city hall, churches).
2. Locate physical features (i.e. continents, oceans, rivers, lakes), and man-made features (equator, North and South poles, countries) on a map and on a globe.
3. Identify the compass rose and cardinal directions on a map and on a globe.

 

(Financial Literacy): Students will describe the economic choices people make to meet their basic economic needs.

Objective 1:
Explain how goods and services meet people's needs.

Assessment Ideas

• Goods and Services (pdf)
  After learning about goods and services use a T-chart to have students sort community helpers into whether they provide a good, a service, or both.

Indicators:

1. Identify examples of goods and services in the home and in the school.
2. Explain ways that people exchange goods and services.
3. Explain how people earn money by working at a job.
4. Explain the concept of exchanging money to purchase goods and services.

Objective 2:
Recognize that people need to make choices to meet their needs.

Assessment Ideas

• Wants vs. Needs (pdf)
  For a quick and easy whole class assessment hand out one pinch card to each student. Students will hold the card under their chin as the teacher lists different items that students could want or need (candy, shelter, water, soda pop…) students will pinch the word according to if it is a want or need.  Pass out the worksheet “My Needs (pdf)” have students draw or write their answers to each question to see if they understand what their needs are and how they change depending on how old they are or where they live.

Indicators:

1. Describe the economic choices that people make regarding goods and services.
2. Describe why wanting more than a person can have requires a person to make choices.
3. Identify choices families make when buying goods and services.
4. Explain why people save money to buy goods and services in the future.

 

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