Social Studies Grade OneConcepts
Students will know that:
Students will:
Attitudes/Values Objectives
Students will:
Citizen Action ObjectivesStudents may:
Making booklets about "Me" These may be individual books, one about each student. Pages for the booklets may be prepared ahead of time with captions on each page. The teacher may wish to ask a parent volunteer or some older students to assist with collecting and recording the information. Topics for each page might include the following:
Date entries. Discuss and share the book with others. Keep the books at school. Repeat at the end of the school year and note the changes.
An alternative or additional approach might be to create class booklets using large sheets of paper for each or some of the above topics. For example, the class might create a booklet called "When We Grow Up", with each student contributing one page.
For the latter topic be sure to spend a little time considering
occupations that may not immediately come to mind like a girl wanting to be Chief
of a Tribal Council, a boy being a nurse, or any of the children wanting to be
fashion designers or trappers.
In connection with the above topic, discuss the importance of an education and
staying in school so that all the students will become contributing citizens.
Make connections between succeeding at school and helping our country. Discuss
the kinds of training and schooling would be required for the various occupations.
Have the students draw pictures of themselves in training (e.g., law school, or
learning the skills required for commercial fishing). Discuss the various things
the students will learn at school. With the class complete sentences like:
Hand and fingerprints Learn about the uniqueness
of fingerprints. Compare fingerprints and look for patterns. Use fingerprints
to create designs on wrapping paper.
Invite an RCMP or local police officer to come and share the technique of fingerprinting. Include students in planning this learning experience by involving them in drafting an invitation, planning the visit, deciding what questions they will ask the officer, and how they will show their appreciation. Make a card and sign it with fingerprints.
Create a mural of handprints and/or footprints for display. Create a verse or song to write on the mural.
Make plaster casts of each student's hand at the beginning of the year. Save and compare at the end of the year.
The teacher may choose to integrate the child ID program where parents keep an identification sheet on their child, including fingerprints, in case of an emergency.
People and feelings
Guide the students to understand that all people have feelings. Discuss feelings in the school and home context. Ask students if they think all humans have the same feelings. Make a web of feelings.
Have students create different versions of familiar stories or rhymes and then act them out using appropriate voice tone, facial expressions, and body language. Think up happy, surprising, sad, and shocking scenarios. Discuss feelings in each case and discuss body language, facial expressions, and voice tone that is appropriate.
Similarities and differences With the class make an experience chart showing students' favourite things (e.g., foods, games, activities).
Make the point that although humans have many commonalities, they also have many differences. Using pictures of a variety of people, noting ways that people are different. Celebrate the differences.
Have the students make booklets. For each page use the stem, "Some people
are ______."
The last page could be, "But they are all people."
Pictures from magazines such as National Geographic may be used to make collages celebrating human uniqueness. Three dimensional collages may be made by mounting pictures in shoe boxes.
Have a talent day so the students can share their talents. Discuss the need
to accept other's talents and to be appreciative of their efforts. As a follow-up
make a big book. Each page could have the stem:
_______ can ________.
Children may draw pictures of themselves doing the activity they shared on talent day.
Explore how class members are alike and different. The teacher will model the activity in the following way:
(listed in other bibliographies and catalogues*)
* Please note: For the most appropriate resources, the teacher should consult the Bibliography for Elementary Social Studies. The resources listed below, and in each module, are listed in other bibliographies and may also be very useful.
* Abbreviations are used as follows:
