FIRST GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES

Course of Study:

Families Now and Long Ago, Near and Far

The first grade year builds on the concepts developed in kindergarten by focusing on the individual as a member of the family.  Students begin to understand how families lived long ago and how they live in other cultures.  They develop concepts about how the world is organized spatially through beginning map skills.  They build the foundations for understanding principles of government and their role as citizens.

Note:  Most of the social studies program at the first grade level can be taught through classroom routines and procedures or literacy, math and other subject areas. Indicators printed in italics need to be specifically taught, either as stand-alone items or as part of a unit.  The majority of indicators that fall in the latter category are found in the Geography, Economics and Government standards.

History Standard

Students use materials drawn from the diversity of human experience to analyze and interpret significant events, patterns and themes in the history of Ohio, the United States and the world.

History Benchmarks Grades K-2

By the end of the K-2 program, students will be able to:

  1. Use a calendar to determine the day, week, month and year.
  2. Place events in correct order on a time line.
  3. Compare daily life in the past and present, demonstrating an understanding that while basic human needs remain the same, they are met in different ways in different times and places.
  4. Recognize that the actions of individuals make a difference, and relate the stories of people from diverse backgrounds who have contributed to the heritage of the United States.

First Grade History Indicators

By the end of first grade, students will be able to:

Chronology

1.      Recite the months of the year. [Calendar activities, math]

2.      Place events in one’s own life in chronological order. [Literacy]

3.      Distinguish among past, present and future. [Literacy]

Daily Life

4.      Raise questions about how families lived in the past and use photographs, letters, artifacts and books to clarify what is known and what is unknown. [Literacy]

5.      Compare past and present, near and far, with emphasis on daily life, including: [Literacy]

a.       the roles of men, women and children

b.      the identification of basic human needs

c.       various ways people meet human needs.

Heritage

6.      Relate stories of the heroism and the achievements of the people associated with state and federal holidays.

People in Societies Standard

Students use knowledge of perspectives, practices and products of cultural, ethnic and social groups to analyze the impact of their commonality and diversity within local, national, regional and global settings.

People in Societies Benchmarks Grades K-2

By the end of the K-2 program, students will be able to:

  1. Identify practices and products of diverse cultures.
  2. Identify ways that different cultures within the United States and the world have shaped our heritage.

People in Societies First Grade Indicators

By the end of first grade, students will be able to:

Cultures

1.       Describe similarities and differences in the ways different cultures meet common human needs, including: [Literacy, art, music]

a.       food

b.      clothing

c.       shelter

d.      language

e.       artistic expressions.

Diffusion

2.       Identify cultural practices of a culture on each continent through the study of folktales, music and art created by people living in that culture. [Literacy, music, art]

3.       Describe family and local community customs and traditions. [Literacy]

4.       Describe life in other countries with emphasis on daily life, including roles of men, women and children. [Literacy]

Geography Standard

Students use knowledge of geographic locations, patterns and processes to show the interrelationship between the physical environment and human activity, and to explain the interactions that occur in an increasingly interdependent world.

Geography Benchmarks Grades K-2

By the end of the K-1 program, students will be able to:

  1. Identify the location of the state of Ohio, the United States, the continents and oceans on maps, globes and other geographic representations.
  2. Identify the physical and human features of places.

First Grade Geography Indicators

By the end of first grade, students will be able to:

Location

1.      Identify and correctly use terms related to location, direction and distance, including: [Math, literacy]

a.       left/right

b.      near/far

2.      Construct simple maps and models using symbols to represent familiar places (e.g., classroom, school or neighborhood). 

3.      Make models and maps representing real places in the classroom.

4.      Locate the local community, Ohio, and the United States on maps or globes.

Places and Regions

5.      Identify and describe the physical features (lake, river, hill, mountain, forest) and human features (town, city, farm, park playground, house, traffic signs/signals) of places in the community.

6.      Compare areas within the local community to identify similarities.

Human Environmental Interaction

7.      Describe human adaptations to variations in the physical environment, including: [Literacy]

a.       food

b.      clothing

c.       shelter

d.      transportation

e.       recreation.

Economics Standard

Students use economic reasoning skills and knowledge of major economic concepts, issues and systems in order to make informed choices as producers, consumers, savers, investors, workers and citizens in an independent world.

Economics Benchmarks Grades K-2

By the end of the K-2 program, students will be able to:

  1. Explain how the scarcity of resources requires people to make choices to satisfy their wants.
  2. Distinguish between goods and services and explain how people can be both buyers and sellers of goods and services.
  3. Explain ways that people may obtain goods and services.

First Grade Economics Indicators

By the end of first grade, students will be able to:

Scarcity and Resource Allocation

1.      Explain that wants are unlimited and resources are scarce, thereby forcing individuals to make choices.

Production, Distribution and Consumption

2.      Describe the ways people produce, consume and exchange goods and services in their community.

Markets

  1. Explain the ways that people may obtain goods and services that they do not produce including the use of money and barter.

Government Standard

Students use knowledge of the purposes, structures and processes of political systems at the local, state, national and international levels in order to understand that people create systems of government as structures of power and authority to provide order, maintain stability and promote the general welfare.

Government Benchmarks Grades K-2

By the end of the K-2 program, students will be able to:

  1. Identify elected leaders and authority figures in the home, school and community and explain the reasons for having persons in authority.
  2. Recognize and explain the importance of symbols and landmarks of the United States.
  3. Explain the purposes of rules in different settings and the results of adherence to, or violation of, the rules.
First Grade Government Indicators

By the end of first grade, students will be able to:

Role of Government
  1. Recognize the role of authority figures in providing for safety and security of individuals.
  2. Explain how voting can be used to make group decisions.
  3. Recognize symbols of the United States that represent its democracy and values, including: [Literacy, music]
    1. the bald eagle
    2. the White House
    3. the Statue of Liberty
    4. the national anthem.
Rules and Laws
  1. Recognize the need for rules in different settings and the need for fairness in such rules. [Classroom routines and procedures]
  2. Discuss the consequences of violating rules. [Classroom routines and procedures]

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities Standard

Students use knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in order to examine and evaluate civic ideals and to participate in community life and the American democratic system.

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities Benchmarks Grades K-2

By the end of the K-2 program, students will be able to:

  1. Describe the results of cooperation in group settings and demonstrate the necessary skills.
  2. Demonstrate personal accountability, including making choices and taking responsibility for personal actions.
First Grade Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities Indicators

By the end of first grade, students will be able to:

Participation
  1. Demonstrate the importance of fair play, good sportsmanship, respect for the rights and opinions of others and the idea of treating others the way you want to be treated. [Classroom routines and procedures]
Rights and Responsibilities
  1. Demonstrate self-direction in school tasks. [Classroom routines and procedures]
  2. Demonstrate accountability for actions. [Classroom routines and procedures]
  3. Demonstrate pride in personal accomplishments. [Classroom routines and procedures]
  4. Demonstrate citizenship traits, including: [Classroom routines and procedures]
    1. trustworthiness
    2. fairness
    3. self-control
    4. respect for those in authority.

Social Studies Skills and Methods

Students collect, organize, evaluate and synthesize information from multiple sources in order to draw logical conclusions.  Students communicate this information using appropriate social studies terminology in oral, written or multimedia form and apply what they have learned to societal issues in simulated of real-world settings.

Social Studies Skills and Methods Benchmarks Grades K-2

By the end of the K-2 program, students will be able to:

  1. Obtain information from oral, visual, print and electronic sources.
  2. Predict outcomes based on factual information.
  3. Communicate information orally, visually or in writing.
  4. Identify a problem and work in groups to solve it.
First Grade Social Studies Skills and Methods Indicators
Obtaining Information
  1. Obtain information about a topic, using a variety of oral and visual sources. [Literacy]
Thinking and Organizing
  1. Sequence information [Literacy]
  2. Determine categories for sorting information. [Math, literacy]
  3. Identify main ideas from oral, visual and print sources. [Literacy]
Communicating Information
  1. Communicate information orally or visually. [Literacy]
Problem Solving
  1. Display courtesy and respect for others in group settings, including: [Literacy}
    1. staying on the topic
    2. focusing attention on the speaker.

 

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