First Grade Social Studies

In this class, students will be learning what is typically taught in a first-grade social studies class. Students will have many opportunities to discuss topics with their peers. I believe learning should be fun, so we will be playing games and doing different activities.

Week 1 and 4 your student will need a blank sheet of paper, a pencil, and markers or crayons to color.

Week 1: Neighborhoods and Communities
This week we will discuss the differences between neighborhoods and communities and what you might find in each. We will also discuss how neighborhoods change over time and what might lead to that change. Your student will be able to draw and design their own ideal neighborhood and community, and we will discuss how their neighborhood might need to change to become perfect.

Week 2: National and Federal Holidays
In this class, we will be discussing national and federal holidays. We will learn the difference between what is a federal holiday and what isn't, why they are celebrated, and the history of several holidays. At the end of class, we will play a game where we will distinguish the difference between national, federal, and silly holidays. Federal holidays that may be discussed are Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Veterans Day. We will also discuss some national or public holidays like Valentine's Day, Halloween, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Christmas Eve. The silly holidays will be along the lines of National Pancake Day, Opposite Day, Pi Day, and Onion Ring Day.

Week 3: Urban and Rural Communities
This week we will discuss the difference between rural and urban communities and the characteristics of both. We will explore what kinds of jobs a person may have in that community and how the environment they are in influences what they might do. We will also look at why somebody might change their environment (e.g. planting trees, building houses, digging a canal) and how that might change the community. Finally, we will have a fun quiz that will determine whether your student should live in an urban or rural environment.

Week 4: Economics and Financial Literacy
Students will be learning about the difference between goods and services and how they relate to supply and demand. We will also discuss how providing a good or service can make them money. At the end of class, students will be able to draw and design their own good or service to share with the other students.

Week 5: Being a Good Citizen
In this class, students will learn how to be responsible citizens. They will learn more about different types of authority in different settings and how to appropriately resolve conflict in their community.