North East Social Studies Excellence

Kindergarten Curriculum Guide

 

By the end of Kindergarten the Student will:

1.      Understand the purpose of rules and the role of authority figures in the home and school.

2.      Understand basic human needs of food, clothing, shelter and the way that people meet these needs.

3.      Learn customs, symbols, and celebrations that represent American beliefs and principles that contribute to our national identity.

4.      Compare family customs and traditions and describe examples of technology in the home and school.
 

Unit of Study

Timeline

 

Continuous Threads - Social Studies Skills

Integrated throughout the school year

 

Beginnings - Citizenship and Economics

 

 

9 weeks

 

Patterns - Cultures, Customs, and Traditions

 

 

9 weeks

Foundations - Historical Concepts
9 weeks
 

Harmony - My Place

9 weeks
 

 

UNIT: Continuous Threads - Social Studies Skills

Time Frame: Year Long Integration

TEKS
K.1
The student understands that holidays are celebrations of special events

K.1A explain the reasons for national patriotic holidays such as Presidents’ Day and Independence Day

K.1B identify customs associated with national patriotic holidays such as parades and fireworks on Independence Day

K.4 The student understands the concept of location

K.4A use terms, including over, under, near, far, left, and right to describe relative location

K.4B locate place on the school campus and describe their relative locations

K.12 The student understands how people learn about themselves through family customs and traditions

K.12A identify family customs and traditions and explain their importance

K.13 The student understands ways technology is used in the home and school

K.13A identify examples of technology used in the home and school

K.13B describe how technology helps accomplish specific tasks

K.15 The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology

K.15A obtain information about a topic using a variety of oral sources such as conversations, interviews, and music

K.15B obtain information about a topic using a variety of visual sources such as pictures, symbols, television, maps, computer images, print material, and artifacts

K.15C sequence and categorize information

K.15D identify main ideas from oral, visual, and print sources

K.16 The student communicates in oral and visual forms

K.16A express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences

K.16B create and interpret visuals including pictures and maps

K.17 The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings.

K.17A use problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution

K.17B use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision
 

September—Labor Day, Citizenship Day, Patriot’s Day, Hispanic Heritage Month

October—Columbus Day, Geography Awareness Week, Hispanic Heritage Month

November—Freedom Week (week of 9/17), Election Day, Veteran’s Day,

Thanksgiving

January—Martin Luther King Day

February—President’s Day, Black History Month

March—Texas Independence Month (March 2, 1836), Women’s History Month

May—Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day

Language/Vocabulary

disadvantage

advantage

category

categorize

computer

conversation

location

experience

far

information

interview

left

problem-solving

main idea

map

near

oral sources

over

right

sequence

technology

Literature Connections

O’Neill, A. The Recess Queen.

Young, E. What About Me?
Leedy, L. Mapping Penny’s World.

Petty, K. The Amazing Pop-up Geography Book.
DeSpain, P.
Sweet
Land of Story:  Thirty Six American Tales to Tell.

 

UNIT: Beginnings - Citizenship and Economics

Time Frame: 9 Weeks

TEKS

K.10 The student understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations that represent American beliefs and principles and contribute to our national identity

K.10B  recite the Pledge of Allegiance

K.8 The student understands the purpose of rules

K.8A identify purposes for having rules

K.8B identify rules that provide order, security, and safety in the home and school

K.9 The student understands the role of authority figures.

K.9A identify and locate the authority figures in the home, school, and community

K.9B explain how authority figures make and enforce rules

K.16 The student communicates in oral and visual forms

K.16B create and interpret visuals including pictures and maps

K.4 The student understands the concept of location

K.4B locate place on the school campus and describe their relative locations

K.6 The student understands that basic human needs are met in many ways.

K.6A identify basic human needs

K.6B explain how basic human needs of food, clothing, and shelter can be met

K.7 The student understands the importance of jobs

K.7A identify jobs in the home, school, and community

K.7B explain why people have jobs

K.9 The student understands the role of authority figures

K.9A identify authority figures in the home, school, and community

K.10 The student understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations that represent American beliefs and principles and contribute to our national identity

K.10C explain the use of voting as a method for group decision making

Language/Vocabulary

enforce

authority

campus

clothing

community

earn

home

jobs

food

location

map

needs

Pledge of Allegiance

order

parent, parents

principal

rule

vote

safety school

security

shelter

teacher

 

UNIT: Patterns: Cultures, Customs and Traditions

Time Frame: 9 Weeks

TEKS

K.11 The student understands similarities and differences among people

K.11A identify personal attributes common to all people such as physical characteristics

K.11B identify differences among people

K.12 The student understands how people learn about themselves through family customs and traditions

K.12A identify family customs and traditions and explain their importance

K.12B compare family customs and traditions

K.12C describe customs of the local community

K.1 The student understands that holidays are celebrations of special events

K.1A explain the reasons for national patriotic holidays such as Presidents’ Day and Independence Day [explain that holidays are celebrations of special events like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa]

K.1B identify customs associated with national patriotic holidays such as parades and fireworks on Independence Day

K.3 The student understands the concept of chronology

K.3A place events in chronological order

K.3B use vocabulary related to time and chronology, including before, after, next, first, and last [yesterday, today, tomorrow, past, present, future]

Language/Vocabulary

custom
characteristic

order
differences

parade

patriotic

seasons
tradition

 

UNIT: Foundations - Historical Concepts

Time Frame: 9 Weeks

TEKS

K.2 The student understands how historical figures and ordinary people helped to shape the community, state, and nation.

K.2A identify the contributions of historical figures such as Stephen F. Austin and George Washington who helped to shape our state and nation [Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King]

K.1 The student understands that holidays are celebrations of special events.

K.1A explain the reasons for national patriotic holidays such as Presidents’ Day and Independence Day [Martin Luther King Jr. Day]

K.2 The student understands how historical figures and ordinary people helped to shape the

community, state, and nation.

K.2B identify ordinary people who have shaped the community

K.3 The student understands the concept of chronology.

K.3A place events in chronological order
K.3B use vocabulary related to time and chronology, including before, after, next, first, and last [yesterday, today, tomorrow, past, present, future]

Language/Vocabulary

history
community

future

patriotic

present

order

ordinary

today

state
tomorrow
yesterday

 

UNIT: Harmony - My Place

Time Frame: 9 Weeks

TEKS

K.10 The student understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations that represent American beliefs and principals and contribute to our national identity.

K.10A  identify the flags of the United States and Texas [and Texas Pledge]

K.10B recite the Pledge of Allegiance

K.5 The student understands the physical and human characteristics.

K.5A identify the physical characteristics of places such as landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, and weather

K.5B identify the human characteristics of places such as types of houses and ways of earning a living

K.14 The student understands ways in which technology has changed how people live.

K.14A describe how his or her life might be different without modern technology

K.14B list ways in which technology meets people’s needs

K.4 The student understands the concept of location

K.4B locate places on the school campus and describe their relative locations [locate Texas and the United States on maps and globes]

K.4A use terms, including over, under, near, far, left, and right to describe relative location [identify the cardinal directions – North, South, East, West – on a map and globe]

K.16 The student communicates in oral and visual forms

K.16B create and interpret visuals including pictures and maps

Language/Vocabulary

fireworks

independence

Independence Day

United States

patriotic

Pledge of Allegiance

symbols

Texas

volunteer