ME - KINDERGARTEN Who am I? Teacher Note: While the strands appear separate in the middle of the document, this simply serves as a means of developing focus questions for discussion and inquiry. The sample performance tasks blend the strands back into cohesive culminating experiences. Unifying Themes: Me and My World Context: Individual, Home and School Political Science Economics History Geography Social Science/Culture Established Goals: To develop an awareness of self in relation to others within the school community What are my rules and responsibilities at school? -Develop an awareness of rules, safety guidelines, and expected behavior and conduct How can we work together to solve problems and make good choices? What are the consequences of my choices? -Exercise responsible choices in a variety of situations - Begin to develop an understanding of the importance of each individual s contribution to the group process - Begin to understand the role of voting in the political process - Begin to exercise respect for diversity of opinion What makes a good leader? Who are my leaders? (school/home) -Describe qualities of a positive leader including the ability to compromise and negotiate -Identify their leaders (principals, teachers, peers) and how they help them How can I be a friend? -Identify and describe qualities of a friend -Try to use these qualities in their friendships with others To become a resourceful, productive and responsible member of the classroom community What are my jobs at school? -Describe and participate in jobs at school How do I take care /share my classroom? -Identify and share the resources, show respect for resources in my room, cleanup, be responsible for personal belongings (hang up coat, backpack, check mail) How do I trade for what I need/want? -Identify and demonstrate exchanges through negotiation and compromise (i.e. books, markers, games, activities, blocks) To develop a sense of belonging and connectedness to family, heritage, school, community, nation, and world To develop an awareness of relationships between people and events in time and space What are the important events that affect me and my world? When did they happen? -Identify personal/school events, incidents, historical events connected to present day happenings How do I celebrate and remember important events and people? -Recognize and/or celebrate holidays To develop an understanding of the relationship between geographical factors such as location and physical features To develop an awareness of animal habitats in our neighborhood How do I identify places, supplies in my classroom, school building, playground? -Identify places and supplies in their classroom, school building and playground What animal habitats are in my neighborhood? -Identify animal habitats How can we represent our surroundings? -Observe and draw surroundings In what ways does the weather and the change of seasons affect me and my environment? -Describe how people dress for various activities and weather conditions -Observe and describe the weather -Describe the four seasons of the year -Observe changes in the natural vegetation of their neighborhood during the four seasons What can I use to learn about my world? -Use models such as globes, maps, books, photographs, magazines, and videos to learn about their world To identify relationships among people To begin to form an understanding and acceptance of similarities and differences of individuals To gain an awareness of animal communities in the neighborhood How are people alike and different? -Identify similarities and differences How do individuals learn from one another? -Describe how students learn from one another What are the unique customs and traditions in our families? -Compare and contrast family customs and traditions How do we recognize and understand the interdependence of family and animal communities? -Describe how their actions affect animals and their surroundings GLOBAL CONNECTIONS: Global connections as provided through the school and family focuses will be made when opportunities arise that are relevant and meaningful to students and their experiences. 1 POSSIBLE PERFORMANCE TASKS: Teacher observations and anecdotal records. Group and individual projects. Informal evaluations of daily interactions and experiences.
Kindergarten Social Studies Units Strand #1: Political Science -To develop an awareness of self in relation to others within the school community. 1. What are my rules and responsibilities at school? -Develop an awareness of rules, safety guidelines, and expected behavior and conduct -Identify and name the rules and responsibilities -Developing class rules -Job Chart -Keep track of personal belongings 2. How can we work together to solve problems and make good choices? What are the consequences of my choices? -Students will exercise responsible choices in a variety of situations -Students will begin to develop an understanding of the importance of each individual s contribution to the group process -Students will begin to understand the role of voting in the political process -Students will begin to exercise respect for diversity of opinion -Help each other -Listen to each other -Give examples of both positive and negative consequences -Use voting to make group decisions -Class meetings -Problem-solving during play -Allowing children to experience natural consequences
3. What makes a leader? Who are my leaders? -Students will begin to understand leadership qualities -Students will begin to differentiate between positive and negative leadership -Describe qualities of a positive leader including the ability to compromise and negotiate -Identify their leaders (principals, teachers, peers) and how they help them -Mapping the classroom and playground -Building with various materials -Dramatic play -Drawing 4. How can I be a friend? -Students will begin to develop an awareness and respect needed for fair play, sharing, cooperation and self-expression -Identify and describe qualities of a friend -Try to use these qualities in their friendships with others -Play interactions -Role play -Discussions -Stories -Songs
Kindergarten Social Studies Units Strand #2: Economics -To become a resourceful, productive and responsible member of the classroom community 1. What are my jobs at school? -Students will develop a sense of what it means to be a responsible member of a classroom community -Students will develop an understanding of division of labor -Describe and participate in jobs at school -Job Chart -Clean up -Discussion on shared responsibility 2. How do I take care of and share my classroom? -Exercise resourcefulness and responsibility for materials and equipment -Develop an understanding of the use, sharing, and conservation of materials -Identify and share the resources, show respect for resources in my room, clean up, be responsible for personal belongings -organizing and using art materials in a purposeful way -recycling -Block building -Let s Pretend Room
3. How do I trade to get what I want and need? -Develop an awareness of the value of exchange in a variety of media -Identify and demonstrate exchanges through negotiation and compromise -Discussion of social justice -Snack -Play -Food pantry contribution -Garden Shop -Post Office
Kindergarten Social Studies Units Strand #3: History -To develop a sense of belonging and connectedness to family, heritage, school, community, nation, and world -To develop an awareness of relationships between people and events in time and space 1. What are the important events that affect me and my world? When did they happen? -Students will develop a sense of our past through conversations and projects about family and school. -Students will develop a sense of time -Identify personal/school events, incidents, historical events connected to present day happenings -Daily calendar (days and months of the year) -Memory wall and book -Portfolio collections: photos, pieces of child s work throughout the year -Birthday celebrations -Show and Tell/Sharing 2. How do I celebrate and remember important events and people? -Students will develop awareness of holidays and special events -Recognize and/or celebrate holidays -Discussions of family traditions -Reading books about holidays -Recognize holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. s birthday, Thanksgiving, Veteran s Day, and President s Day -Discuss special events such as the Presidential election -Dramatic Play -Block Building
Kindergarten Social Studies Units Strand #4: Geography -To develop an understanding of the relationship between geographical factors such as location and physical features -To develop an awareness of animal habitats in our neighborhood 1. How do I identify places, supplies in my classroom, school building, playground? -Students will build an awareness of the location of the classroom learning centers -Students will build an awareness of the location of the playground equipment and boundaries -Students will build an awareness of the various locations within the school building such as the nurse s office, principal s office, gymnasium, auditorium, etc. -Students will build an awareness of home in relation to school -Identify places and supplies in their classroom, school building and playground -Gingerbread Hunt -Tour of classroom, school building and playground 2. What animal habitats are in my neighborhood? -Students will build an awareness of the animal habitats in our neighborhood -Identify animal habitats -Monarch Butterfly -Winter Birds -Penguins -Squirrels -Insects
3. How can we represent our surroundings? -Students will be aware that there are ways to visually represent a place in their world -Observe and draw surroundings -Mapping the classroom and playground -Building with various materials -Dramatic play -Drawing 4. In what ways does the weather and the change of seasons affect me and my environment? -Students will develop an awareness that there are four seasons in the year -Students will develop an awareness that certain clothes and activities are suited to the different seasons and weather conditions -Describe how people dress for various activities and weather conditions -Observe and describe the weather -Describe the four seasons of the year -Observe changes in the natural vegetation of their neighborhood during the four seasons -Discuss and/or draw pictures of changes of their environment during the four seasons -Getting dressed for weather conditions -Discussing the weather at calendar time -Sharing nature at Show and Tell
5. What can I use to learn about my world? -Students will be aware that there are tools which represent and describe places in their world -Use models such as globes, maps, books, photographs, magazines, and videos to learn about their world -Look at maps and globes in relation to units of studies and vacations -Read non-fiction books, magazines and show videos related to units of studies and vacations -Display tools for children s usage
Kindergarten Social Studies Units Strand #5: Social Science/Culture -To identify relationships among people -To begin to form an understanding and acceptance of similarities and differences of individuals -To gain an awareness of animal communities in the neighborhood 1. How are people alike and different? -Students will begin to develop an awareness of similarities and differences -Identify similarities and differences -Self portraits -Reading books -Sharing stories, traditions, photos, illustrations -Discussions 2. How do individuals learn from one another? -Students will begin to develop respect needed for fair play, self-expression and varying capabilities -Describe how they learn from one another -Students teach others how to make a project or play a game -Peer interactions (discussions, helping one another, playing together)
3. What are the unique customs and traditions in our families? -Students will begin to develop an awareness of celebrations, holidays and cultural/religious differences -Compare and contrast family customs and traditions -Sharing customs and traditions in our family -Art -Play -Birthdays -Cooking -Music -Stories 4. How do we recognize and understand the interdependence of family and animal communities? -Students will begin to recognize and understand the interdependence of family and animal communities -Describe how their actions affect animals and their surroundings -Native Americans -Class pets -Monarchs -Winter Birds