Your First-Grader and Social Studies
In Your Child's Classroom
Learning about democracy
First-graders expand their understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Their classroom is a microcosm of society in which they learn democracy by voting on classroom rules and practicing good sportsmanship.
Learning about our nation's history
First-graders continue to study the significance of national holidays and learn to identify the symbols, documents and landmarks important in United States history. They learn the stories of people - both ordinary and extraordinary - who lived in other times through books, art projects, drama, music and class discussion. They learn to compare life in their own families with families in other cultures and begin to locate other communities on a globe.
Our teacher consultant, Donna Adkins, Arkansas Teacher of the Year in 2004, advises parents: "Focus on your family or community as a starting point. One way to help children understand how life changes over time would be for them to spend time with older adults, grandparents or neighbors, letting them tell them about their childhood. Then discuss similarities and differences between then and now. I guarantee they will never forget it."
Here's what you can expect your child to do in first grade social studies:
- To sing songs, such as "America the Beautiful," that express American ideals
- To identify his community, state, the United States, the continents and oceans on a map or globe
- To make and use a simple map, using cardinal directions
- To describe the food, clothing, transportation and other aspects of daily life in an earlier time
- To compare some of the beliefs, customs and ceremonies of different cultures
- To identify the specialized kinds of work people do to produce goods and services
- To recognize both the diversity of her own community, as well as the ways in which people of different backgrounds share common goals and values
What to Look for When You Visit
- Maps and a globes
- The teacher leading students in songs that express American values and songs from other cultures
- Folktales, pictures, costumes and artifacts from different cultures
- Biographies of key historical figures
- National and state symbols or documents, such as flags, the Declaration of Independence, pictures of historical figures
- Examples of students learning about democracy, such as results of classroom votes or rules the class has agreed upon
- Examples of student work that describes other periods in history or other cultures
