Category: Grade 1 Social Studies

Economic Systems

Unit description: In this unit, students will investigate that people have many economic wants and needs, but limited resources with which to obtain them. Students will define scarcity and the effect it has on families and their choices based on their wants and needs. Students will also investigate how tools, technology, and other resources can be used to meet needs and wants. In addition, students will learn the difference between goods and services and consumers and producers and will learn about earning money for wants and needs.

Standards

• Standard 4- Economics
• Standard 5- Civics, Citizenship and Gov’t

Essential Questions and Big Ideas

Big Idea: Economic needs and wants are fulfilled through goods and services obtained by producers and earnings.

How does scarcity affect the cost of a product?

• • When there are less supplies the cost of products goes up.

How does scarcity affect how my wants and needs are met?

• • When there are less supplies, fewer people can get those supplies to those who can afford them typically get them before those who cannot.

How do goods, services, consumers and producers play a role in my wants and needs?

• • People work to earn money to purchase goods and services.
  • People produce (producers) goods and services and people consume (consumers) or use goods and services.

How do people obtain goods and services?

• • People can trade goods and services by offering something of similar values.
  • People can purchase goods and services.

Prerequisite Standards

“My Family and Other Families, Now and Long Ago” is organized around the same five units of study that organize kindergarten Social Studies—Individual Development and Cultural Identity; Civic Ideals and Practices; Geography, Humans, and the Environment; Time, Continuity, and Change; and Economic Systems. These units represent five of the unifying themes of social studies, and may be presented in any order.

Download the complete Grade 1 Social Studies Unit 5 framework to customize for your own planning.

Time, Continuity, and Change

Unit description: In this unit students will examine personal and family history as a source of information. Students will investigate how families change over time and how these changes can be recorded or documented. Students will have the opportunity to examine other families and compare them to their own, as well as learn about sequence and chronology when describing family events. In addition, students will be exposed to historical sources and oral histories.

Download the complete Grade 1 Social Studies – Time, Continuity, and Change framework to customize for your own planning.

Standard

Standard 5- Civics, Citizenship and Gov’t

Essential Questions and Big Ideas

Big Idea: Personal and family history can help us learn a lot about who we are today.

Why do we learn about family history?

• • Knowing where our families come from can help us understand routines and practices in our homes.
  • Tracking our family through history can help us know more about choices our ancestors made that impacted how and where we live today.
  • People use timelines to track events over a period of year.

How do we find out more about the past?

• • Various historical sources exist to inform people about life in the past, including artifacts, letters, maps, photographs, and newspapers.

Prerequisite Skills

“My Family and Other Families, Now and Long Ago” is organized around the same five units of study that organize kindergarten Social Studies—Individual Development and Cultural Identity; Civic Ideals and Practices; Geography, Humans, and the Environment; Time, Continuity, and Change; and Economic Systems. These units represent five of the unifying themes of social studies, and may be presented in any order.

Geography, Humans and the Environment

Unit description: Students will utilize maps to practice using various map tools, legends, and cardinal directions. They will be given the opportunity to practice these skills to describe location of items in the classroom as well as find places in the community or give directions to another student. In addition to this, students will learn about people and communities depending on and modifying their physical environment in order to meet basic needs and how humans interacting with their environment can have a positive or negative impact.

Download the complete Grade 1 Social Studies – Geography, Humans and the Environment framework to customize for your own planning.

Standards

• Standard 1- U.S. & N.Y. History
• Standard 3- Geography
• Standard 5- Civics, Citizenship and Gov’t

Essential Questions and Big Ideas

• BI: There are many tools that we can use to identify the world around us and how it has changed.

How do we use maps?

• • Maps show us where things are in location to one another.
  • Maps have keys to identify symbols and show us the cardinal directions of North, South, East and West.

How are natural resources and basic needs important to my community?

• • People need natural resources to meet their basic needs.
  • Communities work together to use natural resources to meet the needs of their members.

How does the environment impact human choices?

• • People chose to live in places that provide for their basic needs.
  • People modify their environments to help make their lives better.

Unit description: In this unit, the students will examine the role and characteristics of a citizen including appropriate actions and model behavior in specific contexts (i.e. classroom, community, etc.). They will develop a basic understanding of our connection to people and cultures across the world and how to protect and respect them both as well as develop an understanding of rules and laws, why they exist, and what consequences are. The students will examine the different levels of government at a local, state and national level and they will become familiar with economic terminology in the context of making economic decisions.

Download the complete Grade 1 Social Studies – Civic Ideals and Practices framework to customize for your own planning.

Essential Questions and Big Ideas

• BI: Governments create rules and laws in order to protect and respect citizens and communities
• What is a citizen and how do they behave?
  • Citizens are members of societies who have rights that are protected by laws and rules.
• How do citizens protect and respect the world they live in?
  • Citizens full laws and rules and take care of their communities and neighbors.
• How do citizens follow rules and laws?
  • Citizens follow rules by being kind and respectful of their spaces and people they are near.
  • Citizens follow a variety of laws that keep everyone safe, for example obeying traffic signs and lights.
• What is the citizen’s role in government?
  • Citizens in America can vote when they are 18 to pick who they want in government.
  • Citizens can share how they feel to be a part of decision making.

Prerequisite Skills

“My Family and Other Families, Now and Long Ago” is organized around the same five units of study that organize kindergarten Social Studies—Individual Development and Cultural Identity; Civic Ideals and Practices; Geography, Humans, and the Environment; Time, Continuity, and Change; and Economic Systems. These units represent five of the unifying themes of social studies, and may be presented in any order.

Download the complete Grade 1 Social Studies – Civic Ideals and Practices framework to customize for your own planning.

Individual Development and Cultural Identity

Unit description: In this unit the students will learn to identify character traits of a family and share traits, habits and values. They will define traditions and examine their importance in passing information from one generation to another. The students will examine the varying ethnic and cultural groups in the community and state. They will identify, examine and understand how ancestors affect cultures and identity of the following generations. The students will examine symbols and how they represent a culture and are all unique.

Download the complete Grade 1 Social Studies Unit 1 framework to customize for your own planning.

Standards

• Standard 1: U.S. & N.Y. History
• Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship and Gov’t

Essential Questions and Big Ideas

• Big idea of the unit
  • There are specific traditions, beliefs, individuals and historical events that help shape family and American cultural identity.
• What are the character traits of a family?
  • Families share many traits, habits and values.
• What are traditions and why are they important?
  • Traditions are long-established customs or beliefs that have been passed on from one generation to another.
  • Traditions are important to pass information and values from one generation to another.
• What are varying cultural groups in my community/state?
  • There are many different cultural grounds in my community and my state.
• How do people in history affect my culture/identity?
  • Ancestors affect cultures and identity of following generations.
  • People who have lived in a community establish a culture and identity that is passed to those who live there after.
• Are there symbols that represent my culture and identity?
  • There are many symbols that can represent a culture and they are all unique.

Download the complete Grade 1 Social Studies – Individual Development and Cultural Identity framework to customize for your own planning.