First Grade Social Studies
Vocabulary and Topics: 2010-2011
Review these words and topics to be ready for Second Grade!
Vocabulary Words:
Community-a group of people who live and work together
Citizen-a member of a community
Government-the people chosen to lead a community
Rules-things we follow that tell us how to act appropriately; they help us get along and be fair
Laws-rules that citizens must follow; we have laws to help keep people safe in the community
Vote-a choice that gets counted
• Know that we vote to choose our leaders in America
Rights-something you are free to do
Responsibility-something you should do
Map Key-show what each symbol stands for on a map
Location: where something is
State-a part of a country
• We live in the state of Arizona.
Country-an area of land with its own rules and laws
• We live in The United States of America. It is made up of 50 states.
Border-where a state or country ends
• The United States of America shares a border with Canada to the north and Mexico to the
south.
Globe-a model of the Earth
• shows you what Earth looks like from space
o Continent-a large area of land (there are 7)
We live on the continent North America
o Ocean-a large body of water (there are 5)
The two oceans that surround the United States of America are the Atlantic
Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
Landform: a kind of land with a special shape, such as mountain, hill, desert, valley, plain
Types of Water: lake, river, ocean
Transportation: any way of moving people & things from place to place; can be by land, water, or air
Directions: point the way to places and help you find locations
• Cardinal Directions: the main directions of north, south, east, and west
• Compass Rose: shows cardinal directions on a map or globe
Natural Resource: anything that people can use from nature, such as trees, water, air
Recycle: make something old into something new
Weather: the way the air feels outside
Season: a time of year (summer, spring, winter, fall)
History-the story of what happened in the past
Culture-a group’s way of life
Custom-a group’s way of doing something
Immigrant-a person from another part of the world who has come to live in this country
Past-the time before now
Present-the time now
Future-the time to come
Change-to become different
Folktale-a story passed from person to person
Celebration-a time to be happy about something special
Goods: things that are made or grown
Services: work that someone does for someone else
Market: a place where people buy and sell goods and services
Factory: a building in which people use machines to make goods
Trade: the exchange of one thing for another
Needs: things people need to have to survive, including air and water
Wants: things people would like to have, such as video games
Save: keep some money to use for later
Main Topics:
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The Native Americans were the first people to live in what is now the United States of America.
The United States of America began as 13 colonies ruled by England. The Native Americans
helped these early colonists by showing them how to grow and cook new foods, how to hunt
and fish, and how to make things they needed.
Many people from different parts of the world have moved to the United States of America,
bringing their culture and customs with them. The cultures they bring help our country change
and grow.
Culture can be expressed in many ways, such as by telling folktales, dancing, wearing certain
clothing, eating certain food, playing sports, celebrating holidays, etc.
People celebrate special times. We share our culture’s customs when we celebrate with
others.
Some workers make and sell goods, and some workers provide services.
Some goods are made in a factory before they are sent to a market where people will buy
them.
People use money to pay for goods and services.
Government Leaders:
• City-mayor
o Bob Walkup
• State-governor
o Jan Brewer
• Country-President
o Barack Obama