Kindergarten

Introduction to History and Social Science

Kindergarten Curriculum for Loudoun County Public Schools

This curriculum document for Kindergarten Social Science is organized to help teachers plan and carry out their instruction

conceptually, so that children begin to see patterns and connections among and between ideas and points of information. There are four

units in the curriculum. Each unit’s learning outcomes or objectives are listed first, followed by a conceptual mind map connecting the

content. Following the mind map in each unit is a more linear and traditional textual outline with specific points of content that students

must learn in Kindergarten. Each section of the unit outline is framed by an important conceptual question that serves as a foundation

for the teaching and learning of that section. All essential questions appear in italics.

The second part of this document contains a sample lesson plan that we ask teachers to consider as a model—not necessarily in content or

specific strategy—but as an outline for the essential elements of any lesson and the sequential presentation and implementation of those

elements. This lesson template is the universal model for Social Science in Loudoun County, K-12. Additionally and more specifically, the

attached lesson plan is one whose strategies teachers should feel free to use or adapt to help our children learn specific Social Science

concepts and information.

We hope teachers find that the Kindergarten concepts contained and explained in this document serve as a productive mental framework

for students and for themselves. This instructional layout and approach offers cognitive structures that are essential to the solid

comprehension of our curriculum content.

Office of Social Science & Global Studies

William F. Brazier, Supervisor

Patricia Coggins, Specialist

Robin Cottrill, Instructional Materials Technician

Kindergarten Social Science Unit I: COMMUNITY SOLs K.6, K.7, K.8

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Tell others why their home, school, or neighborhood is an example of a community. (K.8)

2. List 6 different types of jobs people do in a community such as Loudoun County or Leesburg, and tell others how those

jobs help the community. (K.6)

3. Tell others how having a job helps people get what they want and need. (K.7b, K.6)

4. Tell others why and how people make choices about what they buy. (K.7a)

5. Tell others how people in a community follow rules, and how rules help everyone get along in a community. (K.8a, b, c,

d, e, g) 6. Tell others how following rules makes people good citizens. (K.8a-g)

COMMUNITY

I. PEOPLE WHO DO THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY: JOBS—How and why do communities depend on people having jobs?

A. WHY PEOPLE HAVE JOBS – TO EARN MONEY TO BUY THE THINGS PEOPLE NEED AND WANT

1. For income, spending money – Money is what people use to buy things. Examples are coins and paper bills.

a. Wants and Needs – Wants are things that people would like to have. Needs are basic requirements for people to live--such as food, clothing, shelter

b. Choices – When people cannot have or buy everything they want or need, they must choose something and give up something else.

B. TYPES OF JOBS

1. Fire Fighters – people who put out fires.

2. Cooks – people who prepare meals.

3. Doctors – people who take care of other people when they are sick.

4. Builders – people who build houses and other buildings.

5. Teachers – people who help students learn.

6. Farmers – people who grow crops and raise animals.

II. TYPES – WHAT MAKES A COMMUNITY? WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES?

A. HOME

B. SCHOOL

C. NEIGHBORHOOD

D. CITY OR COUNTY

III. RULES TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER – What are some examples of rules? Why do we have to have them?

A. WHAT HAPPENS IF WE HAVE NO RULES, OR IF THEY ARE BROKEN?

A. FOLLOWING RULES HELPS MAKE US GOOD CITIZENS. EXAMPLES OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP ARE:

• Taking turns

• Sharing

• Completing classroom chores

• Taking care of one’s things

• Respecting what belongs to others

• Being honest

• Practicing self-control

• Being kind to others

• Participating in making classroom decisions

• Working well with classmates in groups

Kindergarten Social Science Unit II: HISTORY SOLs K.1, K.9

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Give examples of things that happened in the past using words such as “yesterday”, or “last night” or “a long time

ago.” (K.1a)

2. List both familiar and famous people who lived in the past—such as “grandmother” and George Washington. They

should be able to list 6 famous people from the past. (K.1a, b)

3. Tell others why we celebrate 4 specific holidays in America—as remembrances of people and their actions in the past.

(K.1b; K.9)

4. Tell others how our flag is a symbol of our independence—and why and how we pledge allegiance to it. (K.9)

HOLIDAYS ARE MARKERS OF HISTORY

I. TO REMEMBER PEOPLE OR EVENTS IN THE PAST THAT HELPED MAKE OUR COUNTRY OR COMMUNITY WHAT IT IS.

Questions: Why do we remember and celebrate things that happened, or people who lived, long ago? What things that happened long ago can

help us today?

A. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME; THEY CAME BEFORE US AND DID THINGS TO HELP US--EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER MET THEM!

1. Pocahontas = Indian girl; daughter of Powhatan. Interacted with English settlers; helped English obtain food.

a. Powhatan=Indian leader when the English arrived in what we call Jamestown.

2. George Washington=1st President of the U.S.; called “father of our country.” Some stories about him contain both facts and make-believe.

3. Betsy Ross=She is believed to have sewn one of the first flags for the United States of America.

4. Abraham Lincoln=A U.S. President; often called “Honest Abe.”

5. Martin Luther King=An African-American leader who led a movement for fairness and equality.

B. "PAST" INCLUDES ANYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED ALREADY--FOR EXAMPLE, "YESTERDAY" "A WEEK AGO" OR "THIS MORNING AT BREAKFAST..."

II. EXAMPLES WE CELEBRATE

A. THANKSGIVING=DAY TO REMEMBER SHARING OF THE HARVEST WITH AMERICAN INDIANS; CELEBRATED IN NOVEMBER.

B. MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY=DAY IN JANUARY SET ASIDE TO REMEMBER THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADER WHO WORKED SO THAT ALL PEOPLE WOULD BE TREATED FAIRLY.

C. INDEPENDENCE DAY= JULY 4; TO REMEMBER WHEN THE UNITED STATES BECAME A NEW, INDEPENDENT COUNTRY.

1. Thomas Jefferson=3RD U.S. President; main author of the Declaration of Independence

2. Flag Day=Anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. flag, the stars and stripes.

a. What the flag Means=Stars represent states; stripes represent original 13 colonies.

*WHY DO WE RECITE TOGETHER THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG?

D. PRESIDENTS’ DAY=TO HONOR ALL THE PRESIDENTS OF OUR COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY GEORGE WASHINGTON AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN. WE CELEBRATE THESE LEADERS OF OUR COUNTRY IN FEBRUARY.

1. George Washington= “Father of our country.”

Kindergarten Social Science Unit III: The PAST and the PRESENT SOL K.2

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Tell others how events from history can continue to the present. For example, they were born five years ago, but

they’re still here now!

2. Tell others that people who lived in the past did things differently from how we do them now. For example, there were

no indoor pipes so people had to go to a well to get water—they couldn’t go to a sink or drinking fountain.

3. Compare stories of people in the past to stories of their own lives, finding things that are similar and things that are

different.

4. Compare stories of people in the past to stories of famous people today. For example, the story of George

Washington’s life and the story of Barack Obama’s life.

YESTERDAY AND TODAY: LET'S COMPARE!

I. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO LIVE IN THE PAST? WHAT WAS EVERYDAY LIFE LIKE?

A. STORIES OF LIFE IN THE PAST—THINGS OR EVENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED.

1. Holidays = Thanksgiving, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, Presidents’ Day

2. People = Powhatan, Pocahontas, Betsy Ross, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln

II. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO LIVE TODAY? WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DO WE DEAL WITH NOW, EVERY DAY?

B. STORIES OF LIFE TODAY

1. Stories of well-known people = The current President of the U.S.

2. YOUR story, or your family's story = Pictures and stories of your family today

3. How do we NOW celebrate holidays about the past? = Pictures and stories of Thanksgiving celebrations

Kindergarten Social Science Unit IV: LOCATION SOLs K.3, K.4, K.5, LCPSK.WC1

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Use terms of relative location appropriately in stories they tell, pictures they draw, or in describing their experiences— (K.3)

a. Near/Far

b. Above/Below

c. Left/Right

d. Behind/In Front

2. Use simple maps to identify objects in an environment by interpreting symbols or visual representations. (K.4a; K.5a, b, c)

3. Interpret common, simple map symbols representing land, water. (K.4a, c)

4. Give navigation directions to others based on their interpretations of simple maps (e.g. “Sit in the chair under the flag.”) (K.3)

5. After hearing a story about each country, show others where Kenya and Japan are located on a world map. (K.4b; LCPSK.WC1)

6. Look at a world map and explain to others why Japan might have a lot of fishermen, while Kenya might have a lot of hunters. (K.4a, b; LCPSK.WC1)

LOCATION

I. DESCRIPTORS: NEAR/FAR; ABOVE/BELOW; LEFT/RIGHT; BEHIND/IN FRONT

Question: How do we communicate to other people about where something is?

A. MAP OR GLOBE AS MODEL – A MAP IS A DRAWING THAT SHOWS WHAT A PLACE LOOKS LIKE FROM ABOVE; A GLOBE IS A ROUND MODEL OF OUR PLANET EARTH; A “MODEL” IS SOMETHING THAT STANDS FOR, OR IS A SYMBOL OF, SOMETHING ELSE. MAPS TRY TO SHOW PHYSICAL FEATURES OF OUR WORLD, COUNTRY, OR NEIGHBORHOOD AS THEY ARE, ONLY SMALLER. THEY ALSO SHOW HOW PHYSICAL FEATURES ARE LOCATED OR POSITIONED.

1. Symbols on Symbols! - Colors of land, water, mountains – Land and water features on maps and globes are shown by different colors

2. A Story takes place in a location!- Use a map to show it! Maps or globes can show the location of places referenced in stories and real-life situations.

a. Kenya – an ancient east African land with many resources and a long history. It has a history of story-telling and a cultural tradition that differs from American culture. Cultures are different often because of the land people live on. How did or does the land of Kenya affect the way people live there?

b. Japan – an east Asian island nation with a maritime tradition and cultural practices that are different from American ones. Cultures are different often because of the land people live on. How did or does the land of Kenya affect the way people live there?

3. Picture of a classroom or bedroom, or a diagram of the classroom – Maps can show simple drawings of classrooms, playgrounds, neighborhoods, rivers, and oceans.

a. Give directions around the room--e.g. right/left, near/far, etc.

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW

A MAP MAKING LESSON FOR KINDERGARTEN

Objectives:

• Students will be able to identify maps and explain verbally how and why they are used

• Students will be able to use “map” vocabulary in a verbal sentence (near/far,

above/below, left/right, behind/in front

• Student’s will demonstrate understanding of “bird’s eye view by constructing a simple

map

• Students will gather and classify information and use/make a simple chart/map.

STANDARDS ALIGNMENT: K.3, K.4, K.5,

Supplies and Materials needed:

• Attachment A – outline of classroom

• Attachment B – geometric figure sheet

• Attachment C – terms to know (Kindergarten)

• Shoebox with items for viewing

• Crayons/colored pencils

• Various maps

Preview

Preview

• Hide any item in the classroom and have students search for the item (make it too

difficult for them to find)

• When the students are finished searching and no one has found the item ask the

students the following question:

What do you need that help you find the hidden item? (students will have various answers

and they may or may not say “a map”)

• Give the students a simple map you have made of the classroom that they can follow to

find the item

• Have the students answer the following question, “Why do we use maps?”

Lesson Design:

• Put a shoebox with various items (that are interesting if viewed from above) in the

middle of the classroom

• Have a few students at a time pretend they are birds and “fly” over and around the

shoebox

• Explain to the student’s that they had a “birds-eye view of the contents in the box.

Discuss with the students what that means

• Have the students draw a picture of the contents in the shoebox from a “birds-eye” view

Processing/Assessment:

• Explain to students that maps are drawn from a “birds-eye” view. Ask them what that

means and discuss

• Hand out bedroom outline and geometric shapes

• Explain to the students that they are going to make a map of their bedroom from a birds-

eye view. The different shapes can represent the furniture in their room.

• Have the students glue the shapes on the outline of the classroom

• When they complete their maps ask them to share them with the class by answering the

following questions which integrate their new vocabulary: - Is your bed near the door?

- Are the windows above or below the furniture in the room?

- What is behind the door of your closet?

- Is your chair in front of or behind your desk?