Kindergarten:
Many Roles in Living, Learning, and Working Together
Students are introduced to ideas from the four major fields of social studies: civics (respecting one another, cooperating, and obeying rules); geography (understanding locations of places, people, and things); history (what happened in the past), and economics (the things we use and why people create, buy, sell, or trade goods and services). They explore guiding questions such as “Why are there rules?” and “What is my own story?” Each topic has at least one related supporting question. The questions are not meant to be restrictive or limiting but rather to serve as possible avenues for learning through discussion and play.
Kindergarten Social Studies Topics
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Individuals and the Community
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Civics: Classroom Citizenship
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Geography: Maps and Places
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History: Chronological Thinking
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Economics: Resources and Exchange
Literacy in Social Studies
In studying these topics, students apply K reading, writing, and speaking and listening skills, and learn vocabulary and concepts related to history and social science.
Looking Ahead: Connections to Social Studies in Kindergarten
Pre-Kindergartners’ history/social science learning was primarily in the context of their own and family experiences. In Grade 1, students will learn about communities, how they function, and our roles within them, as well as continuing to develop their social science skills in the four disciplines.
Grade Level Statewide Programs
None
Major Resources
Standards for
History and Social
Science Practice, Pre-K-12
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Develop focused questions or problem statements and conduct inquiries.
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Organize information and data from multiple primary and secondary sources.
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Analyze the purpose and point of view of each source; distinguish opinion from fact.
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Evaluate the credibility, accuracy, and relevance of each source.
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Argue or explain conclusions, using valid reasoning and evidence.
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Determine next steps and take informed action, as appropriate.
Topic 1. Individuals and the Community
Compelling Question: What is a community?
Suggested Content:
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Children’s sense of self is shaped by experiences that are unique to them and their families, and by common experiences shared by a community or nation. A sense of self is developed through physical and cultural characteristics and through the development of personal likes, dislikes, talents, and skills. Personal experiences shape our sense of self and help us understand our likes, dislikes, talents, and skills, as well as our connections to others.
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Define the concept of “community,” discuss different communities that people are a part of (family, school, club, team, town, state, nation), and identify the different types of roles people play in communities (for example, leader, advisor, supporter, volunteer, etc.) and why those roles are important in sustaining communities.
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Examine the ways children, families, and communities exhibit cultural similarities and differences. Each person is unique but also shares common characteristics with other family, school, and community members. Students will identify characteristics of themselves that are similar to their classmates and characteristics that are different. Students will learn about and respect individual differences, and feel comfortable expressing their own preferences.
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Describe some things people do in schools or communities to make them function and help others, drawing on personal experience, literature, and informational texts.
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Explore the meaning of symbols and their role in uniting communities behind shared ideas and beliefs. Ask and answer questions about national symbols (e.g. the American flag, the Liberty Bell, the bald eagle) and state symbols (e.g. the Old Man of the Mountain, ladybugs). Clarification Statement: Teachers should explore the history and stories surrounding the symbols to build contextual understanding of their significance. Knowledge of symbols should be shared between grades k and 1.
Suggested Inquiries:
1.1 Plymouth State University: Students create a “Book About Me,” their families, schools, and communities.
1.2 History’s Mysteries: What are traditions and holidays?
1.2 C3 Teachers: What makes holidays special?
1.3 C3 Teachers: Am I unique?
1.3 New Hampshire PBS: What is my family tree? *Note not all children have traditional families. Flexibility should be allowed so that chosen families or unique structures fit the assignment.
1.4 Coming Soon: How is each person unique?
1.5 Coming Soon: How do symbols unite our community?
Suggested Resources:
1.2 “Min Jee’s Lunch” by Elizabeth Kleinrock (book)
Topic 2. Civics: Classroom Citizenship
Compelling Question: What are fair rules and why do we need them?
Suggested Content:
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With prompting and support, give reasons for rules in the classroom and at home.
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With prompting and support, follow agreed-upon rules, limits, and expectations.
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Show willingness to take on responsibilities (e.g., being a helper or a leader).
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With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about literature and informational social studies texts read aloud, and act out or give examples of characters who show fairness, friendship, kindness, responsibility, and respect for one another. Clarification Statement: Students should be exposed to a variety of picture books that demonstrate how people respect one another, cooperate, and work well together.
Suggested Inquiries:
2.1 C3 Teachers: Do we have to have rules?
2.2 Coming Soon: How can I be helpful?
2.3 C3 Teachers: Why Do I Have to Be Responsible?
2.4 Kid Citizen: How is the American flag used as a symbol of our nation?
Suggested Resources:
1.4 New Hampshire PBS: “Flags and Their Symbols” (video/activity)
Topic 3. Geography: Connections Among Places
Compelling Question: How do maps, globes, and photographs show different things about a place?
Suggested Content:
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Describe the location of people, objects, and places, using correctly words and phrases such as up, down, near, far, left, right, straight, back, behind, in front of, next to, between.
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For example, a student describes the location of his classroom as being “near the office, straight down the hall next to the library.”
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With prompting and support, explain what a map or another kind of representation of a place can show.
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Clarification Statement: Students should be exposed to the concept of a map through a variety of maps of the classroom, school, and neighborhood. They should also see representations such as photographs, drawings, or models of places so they can begin to make connections between maps and other images.
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With support, explain the similarities and differences between maps and globes.
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Clarification Statement: Students should be exposed to a variety of map projections in order to begin to demonstrate that cartographers design maps differently for different purposes and audiences. Students should understand that maps and globes are kinds of visual texts designed to give specialized information about places.
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Identify the elements of a physical address, including the street name and number, the city or town, the state (New Hampshire) and the country (United States).
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Clarification Statement: Students should begin to build understanding of connections among geographical communities, including home, local city or town, state, country, nation, and connections to communities and nations around the world.
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With support, on a state map, find the city or town where the student’s school is located; on a street map of the city or town, find the location of the student’s school.
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Use maps, photographs, their own drawings or other representations to show and explain to others the location of important places and relationships among places in the immediate neighborhood of the student’s home or school.
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For example, a student uses a map and a series of photographs of the school and its surrounding area as visual aids when she explains to a friend where the school bus stops, where it is safe to cross the street with the crossing guard, where to enter the school, and where to find the swings or a place to play ball on the playground.
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Construct maps, drawings, and models that show physical features of familiar places.
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Students will describe and give examples of seasonal weather changes and how they affect people.
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Students will identify topographical features in their neighborhood or community and how these features have impacted where and how people live.
Suggested Inquiries:
3.1 Coming Soon: What words can I use to help me explain people, places, and things?
3.2 Coming Soon: How do I describe where things are?
3.3 C3 Teachers: Which is better, a map or a globe?
3.4 Coming Soon: In what ways do maps, photographs, and drawings help me to explain the places I go?
3.5 Coming Soon: Can I make a map to show places?
Suggested Resources:
3.5 “The Boy Who Loved Maps” by Kari Allen (book)
Topic 4. History: Chronological Thinking
Compelling Question: How can we learn about what happened in times past?
Suggested Content:
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Put events from their personal lives, observations of the natural world, and from stories and informational texts read or read aloud in temporal order, using words and phrases relating to chronology and time, including:
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Sequential actions: first, next, last;
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Chronology and time: now, then, long ago, before, after, morning, afternoon, night, today, tomorrow, yesterday, last or next week, last or next month, last or next year.
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Clarification Statement: Examples could include personal, school, historical, and community events, or observations of natural phenomena in the past, present, and future.
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Compare life in the past to life today, discussing both things that were the same and things that are different.
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Show how historical sources (such as a photograph) can be used to study the past, and generate questions that demonstrate how historical sources can generate questions about a historical event.
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Use folktales, legends, oral histories, and music to explain values, ideas, traditions, and important events from the past (e.g the man on the mountain).
Suggested Inquiries:
4.1 Coming Soon: Why do we celebrate important dates from history?
4.2 Coming Soon: How do people celebrate events differently?
4.3 Coming Soon: What do I do to celebrate events in my own life?
Suggested Resources:
4.1 Biblioguides: “The Best Books to Read with Your Kids on Labor Day” (article including books)
4.1 Biblioguides: “Memorial Day” (link(s) to suggested books)
4.1 Biblioguides: “Beat the Drum: Independence Day Has Come” (link to book of poems)
4.2 PBS: “14 Books for Celebrating Juneteenth” (article including books)
4.3 The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
4.3 The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Topic 5: Economics: Work and Commerce
Compelling Question: How can people get the goods and services they need?
Suggested Content:
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Define what natural resources are and how people can use natural resources to make their lives better.
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Identify natural resources in New Hampshire (fish, fur, forests, granite) and discuss their uses, both past and present.
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Define what resources people need to survive and discuss how people get these resources (making, gathering/harvesting, buying, selling, trading).
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Explain how people make choices about the things they need and want. Clarification Statement: A need is something that a person must have for health and survival, while a want is something that a person would like to have.
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Discuss the difference between goods and services, and give examples from personal experience, literature, or informational texts of goods and services that people purchase with money they earn. Clarification Statement: Goods are objects that can satisfy people’s needs and wants; services are activities that can satisfy people’s needs and wants.
Suggested Inquiries:
5.1 Coming Soon: Which services are paid and unpaid?
5.2 New Hampshire PBS: What is the difference between wants and needs?
5.3 New Hampshire PBS: How do we use goods and services?
5.4 C3 Teachers: Can we get everything we need and want?
5.5 Coming Soon: What is the difference between a good and a service?
Suggested Resources:
Coming soon!
Skills Matter: teach the four dimensions of inquiry
Dimension 1: Developing Questions
Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools
Dimension 3: Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence
Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action
Learn more at C3teachers.org
Grades Pre-K-K Literacy Standards for Social Studies
Pre-K-K Reading Standards for Literacy in the Content Areas:
History/ Social Science
Key Ideas and Details
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With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
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With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
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With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, places, or pieces of information in a social studies text.
Craft and Structure
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With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about the meaning of unknown words in a text about history/social studies.
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Identify the title and cover page of a book on a social studies topic.
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Name the author and illustrator of a social studies text and tell what authors and illustrators do to create books about social studies topics.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
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With prompting and support, describe information in illustrations of social studies books.
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With prompting and support, explain how an author uses reasons and details to support ideas.
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With prompting and support, describe similarities and differences between two texts on the same history/social studies topic.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Pre-K-K Writing Standards for Literacy in the Content Areas
Text Types and Purposes
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Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces that tell the reader the social studies topic and state an opinion or preference about the topic (e.g., “My favorite place to go to is…”).
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Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to name a topic and supply some information about it.
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Narrative Writing (Not applicable as a separate requirement. Narratives may be integrated into explanations or opinion pieces.)
Production and Distribution of Writing
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(Begins in grade 1.)
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With guidance and support, respond to questions and suggestions from peers.
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With guidance and support, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing about social studies topics.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
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Participate in shared short investigations and research projects.
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With guidance and support, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
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(Begins in grades 3-5)
Range of Writing
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Write, draw, or dictate writing routinely for a range of purposes, and audiences.
Pre-K-K Speaking and Listening Standards for Literacy in the Content Areas
Comprehension and Collaboration
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Participate in collaborative discussions with peers and adults in small and larger groups on history/social science topics.
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Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others, speaking one at a time, and taking turns).
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Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
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Confirm understanding by asking and answering questions about a text read aloud or a media presentation.
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Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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Describe familiar people, places and things related to history/social studies; with prompting and support, add more detailed information.
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Add drawings and visual displays to provide additional detail.
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Speak audibly to express thoughts and feelings clearly.