Kindergarten Social Studies Curriculum Map
Unit Topic
Strand
Essential
Standard
Essential Questions
Essential Information
Resource Ideas
The student will know:
• The definition of change.
• Examples of change of themselves and others.
• Physical growth contributes to changes in
appearance (e.g., birth, crawling, walking, loss of
first tooth, first day of school, etc.).
• People’s lives from the past are similar and different
from our lives today.
• The difference between past, present and future time
periods.
• Ways people learn about the past.
Books:
I can statements
Concept
Then and Now:
K.H.1
Understanding
change over time.
History
How do people change over time?
I can explain how people change over
time.
Change
How do seasons change over time?
I can explain how seasons change
over time.
How do life events bring change?
I can explain how different life events
bring changes.
For example: photos, artifacts, diaries, stories, videos,
etc.
A Tree for all Seasons (Bernard)
Seasons (Blexbolex)
Skip Through the Seasons (Blackstone)
Look How it Changes (Young)
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (Ehlert)
Reading A to Z – My New School (Level
D)
I am growing (Aliki)
Now I am growing! I am a new big
brother (Gaydos)
The student will know:
• Seasons change based on the tilt of the earth and
that particular regions exposure to the sun at
that time of the year.
• How to observe changes in the seasons, weather and
environment.
• How changes of seasons, weather and the
environment influence the way people live, work,
dress and play.
Web Links
The student will know:
• Examples of life events.
• Life events affect your lifestyle.
Season Sort – have students sort pictures
into the correct season.
Activities
Bulletin Board with baby pictures current
pictures of students.
Divide paper into four squares and have
students work with the four seasons.
Where on the
Map?:
Geography
How do you use maps to locate places in
the classroom, school, and home?
K.G.1
Use geographic
representations
and terms to
describe
surroundings.
Location
I can use maps to locate places in the
classroom, school, and home.
How do you use globes and maps to
locate land and water features?
I can use globes and maps to locate
land and water features.
How do you identify physical features on
a map?
I can identify physical features on a
map.
How do you identify locations in the
classroom using positional words?
I can identify locations in the
classroom using positional words.
The student will know:
• There are specific features of a map that help us
understand physical space (e.g., title, legend,
symbols, and compass rose).
• How to use a map (e.g., paper and digital form).
• A map is a representation of a real life place.
• How to properly use geographic terminology such as
place, map, directions, etc.
The student will be able to do:
• Apply their knowledge of maps and other geographic
tools to locate specific places.
For example, students could use a map of the
classroom to locate a desk in the classroom, a
map of the school to locate the library at school, a map
of your home to locate your bedroom
at home, etc.
• Draw a simple classroom, school, or home map.
• Demonstrate the knowledge of the visual description
and location of the classroom, school,
and home.
For example: student names particular features
represented on the map, such as teacher’s
desk, reading corner, etc.
The student will know:
• The difference between globes and maps (e.g., paper
and digital forms).
• The globe is a three-dimensional representation of
the earth.
• The map is picture or representation of the earth’s
surface.
The student will be able to do:
• Apply their knowledge of globes and maps to
demonstrate locating specific land and water
features.
The student will know:
• The definition of physical features.
The student will be able to do:
• Identify and describe different landforms by their
Books
Me on the Map (Sweeney)
Armadillo from Amarillo (Cherry)
Map Keys (Adburg)
Maps and Globes (Knowlton)
North, South, East, and West (Fowler)
Is this My Classroom? (Ellen M. Balla)
The Gingerbread Man loose in the School
(Murray)
Maps and Globes (Knowlton)
Where do I Live? (Chesanow)
Reading A – Z: I Looked Everywhere
(Level C)
Reading A – Z: My Neighborhood (Level
d)
There is a Map on my Lap (Rabe)
Web Links
www.Lauramurraybooks.com
www.postcrossing.com (send and get
postcards from all over the world).
Activities
Making a map of their classroom using
Lego’s
Where I live? Put your address into
Google Earth. Have students cut out or
find pictures that my represent your
home.
Get brochures from local and national
places.
physical features using pictures, photos, etc.
of mountains, hills, rivers, lakes, roads, etc.
The student will know:
• The definition of positional words.
For example: near/far, above/beneath, and left/right,
etc.
• Positional words are used to locate specific places.
The student will be able to do:
• Recognize specific locations in the classroom through
the use of positional words.
My Environment
and Me:
K.G.2
Understand the
interaction between
humans and the
environment.
HumanEnvironment
Interaction
Geography
How do people adapt to various weather
conditions?
I can explain how people adapt to
different weather.
How do people use environmental
resources to meet basic needs and
wants?*
I can identify ways people use
environmental resources.
*can link with K.E.1
For example: how to identify left from right, above
from beneath, etc.
The student will know:
• People live in different settings and interact/adapt with
their environment based on locations.
For example: People living in colder climates wear
more clothes, and people living in areas
where there are floods build their houses on higher
ground.
• Career opportunities are made available due to
weather conditions.
For example: coastal communities, beaches and
warm weather in the summer which
provides an opportunity for tourism.
The student will know:
• Examples of environmental resources.
• Examples of basic needs and wants.
Books
Oh Say Can You Say What's the
Weather Today?: All About Weather
(Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) by
Tish Rabe
National Geographic Readers: Storms!
by Miriam Goin
Reading A to Z: How was the Weather
Today? (Level F)
Reading A to Z: All Kinds of Farms
(Level E)
What Will the Weather Be? (Let's-Readand-Find... Science 2) by Lynda DeWitt
and Carolyn Croll
Farmer Grows a Rainbow Lesson Plans
(each school has a K – 5 kit)
Activities
A visit from the local meteorologist
Weblinks
Do I really need
that?
K.E.1
Understand basic
economic
concepts.
Economics
How do you tell the difference between a
need and a want?
I can tell you the difference between a
need and a want.
The student will know:
• The definition of physical features.
The student will be able to do:
• Identify and describe different landforms by their
physical features using pictures, photos, etc.
of mountains, hills, rivers, lakes, roads, etc.
Books
Do I need it or do I want it? (Larson)
Reading A to Z: What I want (Level C)
Reading A to Z: Workers (Level D)
Choice,
Needs/Wants
I can explain how families have needs
and wants.
How do jobs help people meet their
needs and wants?
I can explain how jobs help people
satisfy their needs and wants.
The student will know:
• People work to make money (e.g., income) to buy
things they need and want.
• Working enables people to meet needs and wants.
Reading A to Z: Community Helpers
(Level D)
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Numeroff)
For example: People work to receive money to
purchase items such as food, clothes, cars,
etc.
• Jobs provide money for people that allow them to
make choices about purchases that serve
their needs and wants.
• Examples of a variety of jobs.
• People may or may not have jobs.
• Jobs give people money to buy things.
Making Up Your Own Mind (Wilt)
The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmes
(Berenstain)
Bunny Money (Wells)
People Working (Florian)
Richard Scarry's Busiest People Ever and
Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day
The Goat in the Rug (Blood)
Activities
Take pictures from a magazine and have
students sort needs and wants (Venn
Diagram or Tree Map)
Have students find two pictures that
would be needs and two pictures that
would be wants (Double-Bubble Map)
Weblinks
Super Citizenship
in Action:
K.C&G.1
Understand the
roles of a citizen.
Civics and Government
How do I show positive relationships in
fair play and friendship?
I can play fair and be a good friend.
The student will know:
• Specific examples of qualities of a good citizen.
For example: playing fairly and making friends.
• Situations may be fairer because of positive
relationships such as taking turns on the
playground.
Books
The Rainbow Fish (Marcus Pfister)
Citizenship
Why do citizens obey rules in the
classroom, school, home, and
neighborhood?
The 7 Habits of Happy Kids (Sean Covey)
The student will know:
• A good citizen follows rules and respects the rights of
others.
I can explain the importance of rules.
How full is your Bucket (Rath)
Do onto Otters (Keller)
For example: Showing the following traits of courtesy,
honesty, and fairness when working
with others.
• Why rules are needed.
• Examples of a responsible citizen.
• How to identify rules in the classroom, home, and
neighborhood.
• They are citizens of a classroom, school, home and
neighborhood.
A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue by Julia
Cook
Rules (Discovery Links Social Studies
Series – Newbridge Publishing)
If Everybody Did (Stover)
Know and Follow Rules by Cheri J.
Meiners M.Ed.
Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal: A
Tale of … by Jeanie Franz Ransom
First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
Activities:
Create a set of class rules and/or mission
statement.
Tree Map
Weblinks
www.storylineonline.net You can hear
book read aloud.
You and Me:
Culture
K.C.1
Understand how
individuals are
similar and
different.
How am I alike and different from other
individuals?
Culture
What is a culture?
I can explain similarities in self and
others.
The student will know:
• People have basic similarities.
For example: linguistic, physical, interests, etc.
• Terminology of words such as different, similar, and
unique, etc.
I can explain elements of culture (how
people speak how people dress, foods
they eat, etc.)
The student will know:
• People from diverse cultures speak, dress, and eat
differently due to their particular region.
• Connections can be made from one’s culture to
another.
• The elements of culture.
How are cultures alike and different from
For example: language, dress, food, etc.
Whoever You Are (Fox)
Houses and Homes (Morris)
Children Around the World: The Ultimate
Class Field Trip (Woodfield)
India, Japan, Germany, China, France,
and Egypt (Pluckrose)
Countries Around the World series (Dahl)
We are Different, We are the Same
(Kates)
each other?
A Rainbow of Friends (Hallinan)
I can compare the elements of
different cultures.
Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth
Traditions from Around the World (Beeler)
This Is the Way We Go to School: A Book
About Children Around the World by
Edith Baer
Children Around the World by Montanari
People (Spier)
Activities:
Pair students up to go over activities they
enjoy – see what they have in common