First Grade Social Studies Teacher Edition  

An Introduction to First Grade   Standards Alignment  Studies Weekly is a standards-based social studies curriculum.   Cross-Disciplinary Integration:  Lesson plans, activities, and assessments are deliberately integrated with the English  Language Arts standards.    Integration with math, science, physical education, and fine arts has also been  incorporated throughout the curriculum, giving students opportunities to engage in  deep learning by transferring, applying, and expanding their learning.    Student Curriculum includes:   

● 32 weeks of original articles, photos, illustrations, and designs  ● English Language Arts-based activities  ● Formative and summative assessments aligned with enduring understandings,  

standards, and deconstructed skills   Teacher Resources include:   

● Year-at-a-glance curriculum scope and sequence  ● Standard correlation and alignment   ● Printable graphic organizers aligned with the content  ● Google Classroom integration  ● Primary source documents, videos, images, and artwork  ● Audio-reader at variable settings  ● Annotation features that allow students to highlight and code text for improved  

comprehension and retention  ● Leveled questions that support formative and summative assessment  ● Avatar game component for increased student engagement  

  

Deep Learning Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions   The first grade curriculum incorporates deep learning strategies that facilitate student  acquisition of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Deep Learning skills and dispositions  include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, character, and  citizenship.    Well-Being Support   Studies Weekly is a Tier 1 resource that facilitates student engagement and well-being.  Well-being questions are integrated throughout the curriculum to help teachers and  students make real-world connections and applications. Teachers and students can  use our resources as a foundation to teach, examine, and support well-being  discussion, instruction, and reflection.    Interactive Notebooks   As a research-based strategy, interactive notebooks provide a comprehensive and  engaging system for students to retrieve information and demonstrate knowledge.  Additionally, interactive notebooks help students to make connections between and  among topics and themes (Caine, 2005; Caine, Caine, McClintic, & Klimek, 2005;  Perkins, 1991, Stickel, 2005).   We recommend that teachers create a student binder, storage system, or notebook  for students to take notes, place articles, and engage with printable graphic  organizers provided in the Teacher Edition. To help facilitate the use of interactive  notebooks, graphic organizers are included that can be downloaded and printed.   Inquiry-Based Instruction  The Teacher Edition has been designed to facilitate inquiry-based discussions as  students apply their knowledge to investigate and engage in problem solving. Each  weekly unit has been designed based on essential questions that encourage students  to inquire about who they are in relationship to the world. Many of the activities invite  students to apply their knowledge to local problems and provide evidence from the  text to support their stance.     Inquiry-based instruction is a literacy-rich classroom. This allows teachers to focus on  teaching content and scaffolding literacy skills like comprehension, communication,  and writing through supportive language opportunities. Inquiry-based instruction lends  itself perfectly to incorporating critical thinking, communication, collaboration,  creativity, character, and citizenship — the foundational learning outcomes reflecting  what we want students to become.   

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Unit Summary: The purpose of this unit is to engage students in learning about  community, government, and their role as citizens of a community. Students will  explore the various communities that they belong to, including family, classroom,  school, and local communities. Students will learn more about the purpose of  government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Students will be  introduced to the idea of patriotism and how we demonstrate our patriotism  through national symbols, holidays, and events. Finally, students will learn the  definition of primary sources, including the types of sources, and how to distinguish  between fact and fiction.  

Table of Contents:   Week 1: Community  Week 2: Rules and Laws  Week 3: Principles of Democracy  Week 4: Purpose and Structure of Government  Week 5: Government Services  Week 6: Important Documents  Week 7: Citizens  Week 8: Patriotism  Week 9: National Symbols  Week 10: National Holidays  Week 11: Founders  Week 12: Sources  

   

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Summary of the Week: Students will understand that they are a member of many  communities with responsibilities. They will identify and explain responsibilities at  home, at school, and in the local community.  

Teacher Background Knowledge: The lessons included in this week will teach the  students that they are a member of many communities. Students will understand  that these communities can be large or small. The students will learn about their  individual responsibilities in each of the different communities and how to be  responsible members of a community.  

Enduring Understandings:   1. Geography determines how and where people live, move, and use what is  

around them.   2. Economics is how people use the resources around them to meet their  

needs and wants.  3. Culture is the resulting beliefs and behavior of people based on where they  

live, move, and use what is around them.   4. People and events are interconnected over time and place.   5. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people.  

Essential Questions:  1. What communities are you a part of?  2. What responsibilities do you have in each community you are part of?  

Vocabulary:  community: people who live in the same place  responsibility: something you are expected to do  respect: showing that you care about others’ feelings and well-being  

Notes for Teacher: The sequencing of the articles this week was designed to both  

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scaffold and build upon each other.  

Think Deeply: How could I help a new member of my school community?  

Well-Being Questions:  ● What are some ways you help your community?  ● What are some responsibilities you have in your classroom that help the  

whole class?  ● How do you feel when you take care of your responsibilities?  ● What can happen when people neglect their responsibilities?  ● If someone has a hard time taking care of responsibilities, what can you do  

to help?  

Let’s Write: How can I be a responsible member of my family community? List three  ways.  

Weekly Assessment Questions:  1. People who live in the same place are called a __________.  

a. school  b. community  c. farm  d. zoo  

2. Which community is shown in the picture?   a. school community  b. family community  c. classroom community  d. local community   

3. True or False: I can make a community better by following the rules.  4. Open Response: At home, you may have the responsibility to__________.  

(Possible answers include: do chores, pick up toys, etc.)  5. Open Response: What responsibilities do you have at school and in the  

classroom? (Answers may vary.)  

     

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 Student Edition Week 1  

   

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Article 1: Community  Lexile: 400-500L    Word Count: 18  People who live in the same place are called a community . You are a member of  many communities.   Lexile: 400-500L   Word Count: 27  You are a part of your family community. You are a part of a classroom and school  community. You are also a member of your local community.   Lesson Plan:   

1. Introduce the class to the Studies Weekly issue.   a. Invite the class to discuss what they notice about the issue. Point out  

the articles, pictures, activities, etc.  b. Explain that students will be able to read a new issue each week.  

2. Watch the video “Welcome to Studies Weekly.”  a. Invite the students to discuss what they saw and heard in the video  

with a partner.   3. Read the “Community” article together. Have the students follow along,  

tracking with their finger.  a. Point out the word “community.” Write the word on the board.  b. Explain what a community is.  

4. Explain that we are all part of different communities.   a. The communities we are part of include our classroom, school,  

neighborhood, family, city, state, country, and world. We are part of  small to very large communities.   

b. On the board, draw concentric circles and label them with the kinds  of communities as you discuss them.   

c. We have responsibilities in each of our communities.   5. Watch the video “Community Members Have Things in Common.”  

a. Invite the class to determine the activities they participate in while  living in their community. Where you live determines how you live,  work, and play together.  

6. Read the article again. Encourage the class to follow along, listening for  communities they belong to. Have them underline the communities they  belong to. (family, classroom, school, local)  

7. Explain each community, and give examples of each community.   a. Family community: people you live with at home  b. Classroom community: our teachers and the friends in our class  c. School community: the principal and teachers; everyone we go to  

school with  d. Local community: the people who live in our city or town; places that  

we can go in our city or town  8. Hand out the graphic organizer I Am a Member of Many Communities .   

a. Brainstorm as a class what the students could draw for each  community.   

b. Have the students write their name and draw a picture of themselves  

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in the middle circle.   c. Have the students draw a picture of each community they are a part  

of in each of the outside circles.   9. Have the students glue their organizers in their interactive notebooks.  

 Article Assessment Question:  

1. A community is made up of people who live in the same __________.  a. place  b. farm  c. park  d. lake   

 Materials Needed:   Graphic organizer I Am a Member of Many Communities   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video ”Welcome to Studies Weekly”  Video “Community Members Have Things in Common”  

  Article 2: Responsibilities  Lexile: 300-400L  Word Count: 27  As a member of a community, you have responsibilities. You can make your  community better. You can respect others. You can follow the rules of the  community.   Lesson Plan:   

1. Review the graphic organizer from the previous lesson. Discuss with the  students the different communities that they are part of.   

2. Read the article together. Stop after the first sentence. Have a discussion  about responsibilities.  

3. Finish reading the article. Discuss what responsibilities the article taught. We  have responsibilities in all of the communities that we are a part of.  

a. We have the responsibility to be kind and respectful to others. Explain  and talk about respect. Respect means we care about others’  feelings and well-being.   

b. We have the responsibility to follow the rules. Talk about how each  community that we are a part of has different rules that we need to  follow.  

4. Watch the video “Being Responsible - 1st.” Have the students listen for ways  they can be responsible.   

a. Discuss the video and the ways it taught that we can be responsible.  (keep your promises, admit and fix mistakes, listen to teachers and  parents, be kind and respectful to others, do homework, clean up after  ourselves)  

5. Responsibility Charades: Have the students act out ways they can be  responsible in their different communities. Put the students into groups of two  

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or three. Give each group a scenario, and have them think about the  scenario and practice how they will act it out. Have the rest of the students  try and guess what responsibility they are showing. After they guess, discuss  which community the responsibility is found in.  

a. Examples of responsibilities:  i. Family community: setting the table, brushing their teeth, picking  

up toys, taking out the garbage, making their bed  ii. Classroom community: hanging up their backpack, making a  

lunch choice, raising their hand to talk, how to sit on the rug,  tidying up their desk  

iii. School community: walking quietly down the hall, walking with  your lunch tray  

iv. Local community: picking up garbage, using the crosswalk,  wearing a helmet on their bike  

6. After charades, remind the students what it means to be responsible.  Encourage them to be responsible in their communities.   

7. Preparation for the rest of the articles:  a. Create a poster titled “Responsibilities.” Divide the poster into four  

squares. Label the squares “family,” “classroom,” “school,” and  “local.” You will be using this with the rest of the articles this week.  

 Article Assessment Question:  

1. As a member of my community, I can make my community better by  __________.  

a. following the rules  b. making up my own rules  c. doing what I want  d. not listening  

 Materials Needed:  Poster or chart paper to prepare for the rest of the articles   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video ”Being Responsible - 1st”  

  Article 3: Family Community  Lexile: 300-400L  Word Count: 23  You are a member of a family community. At home, you may have responsibilities.  You pick up your toys. You do family chores.    Lesson Plan:   

1. Review how students are part of a family community, a classroom  community, a school community, and a neighborhood/local community.   

2. Review that students have responsibilities in their communities.   3. Read the article together as a class. Invite students to follow along and track  

with their finger.   

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4. Discuss family community.  a. Brainstorm who is in the students’ family community. Have students  

share who is in their family community. Write the members of family  communities on the board.  

b. Discuss how students have responsibilities in their family communities.   5. Read the article again. Have the students listen for responsibilities they may  

have at home. Have the students share with a partner if they have those  responsibilities at home.   

a. Refer to the images in the Student Edition. Have a discussion about the  images of responsibilities at home.   

6. Use the previously prepared Responsibilities poster.   a. With the students, brainstorm some things that they could do as a  

member of their family community. Have the students think about  responsibilities that they have at home.   

i. What responsibilities do you have at home? (Answers may vary.)  ii. How could we help others at home? (Answers may vary.)  iii. Who are some people at home that we can be kind to?  

(Answers may vary.)  b. On the poster, under the family section, write down the responsibilities  

that the students share. (help others, listen to their parents, work hard,  help family members, be kind to others, take care of pets, etc.)  

7. Invite students to illustrate one responsibility they have at home on a small  square of paper. Students can share their picture with a partner. Have them  glue the picture in their interactive notebooks.  

8. Have a discussion about why it is important to be responsible at home.  a. How does being responsible at home help your family? (Answers may  

vary.)  b. Have the students write about how being responsible at home helps  

their family.   Article Assessment Question:  

1. What is one responsibility you may have at home?  a. pick up your toys  b. watch TV  c. ride your bike  d. play outside  

 Materials Needed:  Responsibilities poster  Small squares of paper (one per student) (You will be using these for the remainder  of the articles)  Writing paper for the writing prompt  

  Article 4: School Community  Lexile: 200-300L  Word Count: 24  In the school and the classroom, you have responsibilities. You can follow the  

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classroom rules. You can work hard to learn. You can help others.   Lesson Plan:   

1. Ask the students to share one way they have shown responsibility at home.  Review responsibilities and communities they are a part of.  

2. Read the article together. As you read, have the students underline the  responsibilities they have at school and in the classroom.   

a. Discuss each responsibility after you have read it. Talk about how the  students have these responsibilities in their classroom and at school.  

3. Play the Responsibilities What If game: Pair the students up. Ask the students  the “what if” questions. Each partner takes a turn telling the other an answer  to the question. Call on different pairs of students to answer. Other students  should give a thumbs-up if they came up with the same ideas. Help students  to understand the importance of being responsible and how being  responsible helps others.   

a. Options for the What If game:  i. What if we never picked up garbage in our classroom?  ii. What if we made sure all of our belongings were put where they  

need to be in our classroom?  iii. What if we ran down the halls?  iv. What if we pushed our chairs in every time we left our desks?  v. What if we didn’t follow rules in our classroom?   vi. What if we yelled in the lunchroom?  vii. What if we helped our friends when they were sad?  viii. What if we took turns on the slide at recess?  ix. What if we pushed people out of the way to line up for lunch?  x. What if we used a quiet voice in the hallway?  

4. Have a discussion about these responsibilities in the classroom and at school.  On the Responsibility poster, under the classroom and school sections, write  the responsibilities that the students share.  

a. What responsibilities do we have in our classroom? (Answers may  vary.)  

b. What responsibilities do we have in our school? (Answers may vary.)  5. Have the students illustrate one responsibility they have in the classroom or at  

school on a square card. Have the students share their drawing with a  partner. Have the students glue their picture in their interactive notebooks.   

6. End with a discussion about why being responsible in our classroom and at  school is important. Put the students into small groups to discuss the answers  to these questions. Ask the questions one at a time. Walk around and  prompt discussion in the groups.  

a. Why is it important to be responsible in our classroom? At school?  (Answers may vary.)  

b. How does it help others in our classroom when we are responsible?  (Answers may vary.)  

c. How does being responsible help you? (Answers may vary.)   Article Assessment Question:  

1. Following the classroom and school rules shows that you are __________.  

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a. silly  b. sleepy  c. responsible  d. hungry  

 Materials Needed:  Responsibilities poster  Small square cards  “What If” questions  

  Article 5: Local Community  Lexile 300-400L  Word Count: 17  In the local community, you have responsibilities. You can pick up trash. You can  follow community laws.    Lesson Plan:   

1. Read the article. Circle the things we should do as members of our local  community.  

2. Review how local community means the neighborhood, town, or city where  you live.  

3. Discuss how we have responsibilities in our local community, just like we have  responsibilities in our family and school communities.   

4. Have a class discussion about places in our local community.   a. What places do we have in our community? (Answers may vary but  

could include parks, libraries, recreation centers, swimming pools,  biking and hiking trails, skate parks, fishing ponds, etc.)  

5. Put the students into small groups. Have them discuss this question and come  up with one idea to share:  

a. What would happen if we didn’t take care of these places in our  community? (Answers may vary.)  

6. Explain the importance of being responsible and taking care of our local  community.  

a. How can we take care of our local community? (pick up trash,  recycle, clean up after ourselves when we go places)  

7. Refer to the article, and reread the last sentence together as a class. Discuss  how we can be responsible by following community laws.  

8. Discuss some of the simple community laws that the students can follow.  (Possible answers include: using a leash when you walk your dog, using car  seats or seat belts while driving, using the crosswalk, wearing bike helmets,  picking up garbage, etc.)  

9. Have a discussion about how students can follow the community laws.  a. What are some ways that you are responsible and follow community  

laws? (Answers may vary.)  10.Use the Responsibilities poster. Ask the students to brainstorm responsibilities  

we have in our local community. Have them share with a partner and the  class. Write the responsibilities that students share under the local community  

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section.  a. What responsibilities do we have in our local community? (Answers  

may vary.)  b. Why is it important to be responsible in our local community? (Answers  

may vary.)  11.Have the students illustrate one responsibility that they have in the local  

community on a square card. Have the students share their drawing with a  partner. Have the students glue their picture in their interactive notebooks.   

12.Have a discussion on the importance of being responsible in all of our  communities. Have the students look in their interactive notebooks at the  four pictures they drew that show responsibilities in their communities. Have  the students make a goal, then write a sentence or draw a picture about  how they will be responsible this year.   

 Article Assessment Question:   

1. What is one responsibility you have in your local community?  a. ride your bike  b. pick up trash  c. swim in the pool  d. play with friends  

 Materials Needed:   Responsibilities poster  Square cards  Paper for their responsibility goal  

  Page 4 Activity: My Responsibilities  Look at the pictures. Cut and glue the pictures that show responsibilities at home.  

    

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Name ___________________________________________________________   Date _____________  

The World Around Me Studies Weekly – Yesterday and Today     

 Community  

 Week 1 Assessment  

 

1. People who live in the same place are called a _______________ .    

A. school  

B. community  

C. farm  

D. zoo   

 

2. Which community is shown in the picture?   

A. school community  

B. family community  

C. classroom community  

D. local community   

 

3. I can make a community better by following the rules.  

 

True False  

 

 

 

 

 

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4. At home, you may have the responsibility to _____________________ .   

 

 

5. What responsibilities do you have at school and in the classroom?  

  

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Name: Date:

I Am a Member of Many Communities You are a member of many communities! In the middle circle, draw a picture of yourself and write your name. In the outside circles, draw pictures of the different communities you are a part of.

School

Family Classroom

Local

Name