The focus of the first grade social studies curriculum is community. Through
various methods and projects the children study their class, school,
and neighborhood, and discuss what is needed for each of these to function as
a community.
The students look at their class, studying what is needed for a classroom to successfully cooperate and
how the students learn from one another. Next, the students look at our school
and how it functions as a community. Moving outside the school, the students
look at our school's neighborhood and study a nearby market or bakery. The year
ends with the study of the natural environment, with a focus on ocean life.
Goals and Objectives
Develops knowledge and cultural understanding
Begins to develop an understanding of community as it applies to classroom,
school, and neighborhood
Begins to develop an understanding of what makes a community
Understands democratic process and civic values
Studies the workings of a classroom, school, and neighborhood community
Continues to learn about responsibilities to the group, school, and neighborhood
Understands process of how "rules" are made to help a community
function
Develops learning and participation skills
Performs classroom jobs
Practices skills of speaking and listening
Refines skills necessary to work in large and small groups
Develops map skills through study of the classroom, the School, the School's
neighborhood, and other neighborhoods in the community
Research skills
Gathers data about the School, his/her neighborhood, and his/her community
Reading skills
Learns to read for specific information, to use book and people resources
to gather information
Writing skills
Illustrates and writes material, using knowledge of letters and sounds and
early writing skills
Thinking skills
Learns to compare and contrast neighborhoods and communities
Begins to explore underlying causes of events
Discussion and listening skills
Listens respectfully and participates appropriately in class discussions
Develops a fuller understanding of the rules and values of class discussion:
fairness, a sense of teamwork, and respect
Social skills
Develops consideration and respect for all members of the community
Learns to work effectively with others in small groups on team projects
Organization skills
Organizes personal belongings and materials
Develops skills to manage individual work time
Assessment and Evaluation
Assessment and Evaluation
The first grade teachers assess students throughout the year, individually
and in groups, using a variety of assessment tools and portfolios of student
work. Participation in group discussion and projects is an important part of
the evaluation process in social studies.
Methods and Materials
Children participate in a variety of individual, small group, and whole group
projects, including:
Writing individual and class-made books
Cooperative group projects
Field trips to various neighborhood venues and the tide pools
Class discussions
Listening to stories and presentations by teachers, peers, and visitors
(sharing)
Writing simple stories and poems
Resources
Resources for students include extensive classroom libraries with a variety
of picture books, visitors to the classroom, audio and videotapes, newspaper
articles, and the experiences, personal stories, and knowledge of the students
and teachers at San Francisco Day School.
Resources for teachers include: California History-Social Science Curriculum Framework, 1998 National Standards for History, 1994. Document published by: National
Center for the History in the Schools
School membership in the National Council for the Social Studies
