History/ Social Studies Curriculum Overview

Kindergarten

 

Living, Learning, and Working Together

 

At the preschool and kindergarten level learning in history and social science is built on children’s experiences in their families, school, community, state, and country.  The picture books chosen for reading aloud, the stories told, and the songs they hear or learn are basic components of the curriculum.  Children listen to stories about the people and events we celebrate in our national holidays and learn why we celebrate them.  They also become familiar with our national symbols to help them develop a civic identity.(MA History and Social Science Framework 2003)

Civics

Geography

History

Economics

Overarching Question:

 

How can people work together to create a safe, positive and productive community?

 

Enduring Understandings:

 

We all share the responsibility for creating a safe, positive, and productive community through:

 

Being respectful and kind to others.

 

Expressing our feelings and opinions in a considerate manner.

 

Honoring our similarities and differences.

 

  Establishing rules to keep people,        materials, and our environment safe.

 

  Following The Golden Rule; treat others         as you want others to treat you.

 

  Recognizing there are leaders in our    community, school and classroom,and that children can be leaders.

 

The leader of the United States is called the president.

 

There are important American symbols (the American flag, the National Anthem, The Pledge of Allegiance)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overarching Question:

 

Where am I?


Enduring Understandings:

 

We use special words to identify the location of things.

 

We can describe the features of a particular place.

 

Skills:

 

We can name the location of where we live:

       Street address

        Town

        State

        Country

 

We can name our school.

 

Maps and globes represent physical location and place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overarching Question:

 

How does time affect people and places?

 

How does time affect me?

 How have people’s lives and places changed over time?

 

Enduring Understandings:

 

Time can be described and measured.

 

People and places change over time – physically and in other ways.

 

The way most people live has changed over time. Some groups of people who have lived much the same way for many years.

 

There are many reasons why things change over time (ie migrations, inventions, etc)

 

History can be recent (last year) or long ago (thousands of years ago).

 

We honor important events or people in our history with national holidays.

 

 

Overarching Question:

 

How do people get what they want and need?

 

Enduring Understandings:

 

Within any community people have various jobs, roles, and responsibilities. People work for a variety of reasons.

 

Goods and services can be bought, sold, shared, traded or donated.

 

People rely on others for goods and services.

 

Goods can be made, reused, or recycled.

 

Money is used to buy things but it cannot buy everything people want or need.

 

Some people do not have enough money to buy the things they want or need.

 

When we take care of our materials/resources, they last longer.

 

 

 

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