First Grade

Social Studies Practices

Culture: Students will discuss cultures within their community and state and how individuals, families, and communities live and work together.

Economics: Students will learn about goods and services, wants and needs, major products and industries found in Tennessee, and factors that influence people to save money.

Geography: Students will build on previously learned geographic skills and conceptsto reinforce basic map reading, including identifying political and geographical features in Tennessee and the United States.

Government and Civics: Students will continue to develop their citizenship skills by expanding their studies from a personal level to a local, state, and national level, including an understanding of the function of government and patriotic symbols.

History: Students will compare life today to the past, utilize chronological sequence, identify significant individuals and groups, and understand the impact of national holidays.

Gather information from a variety of sources, including:

Critically examine a primary or secondary source in order to:

Organize data from a variety of sources in order to:

Communicate ideas supported by evidence to:

Develop historical awareness by:

Develop geographic awareness by:

Describe the components of culture (e.g., food, clothing, traditions, recreation) of a student’s community and state.

Define multiculturalism as many different cultures living within a community and state.

Compare and contrast family traditions and customs among different cultures within a student’s community and state.

Distinguish how people are consumers and producers of goods and services.

Give examples of products (i.e., goods) that people buy and use.

Give examples of services that people (i.e., producers) provide.

Recognize major products and industries found in Tennessee (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, mining, music, and tourism).

Assess factors (i.e., needs and wants) that could influence a person to use or save money.

Recognize basic map symbols, including cities, land, roads, and water.

Locate on a map Tennessee, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Washington, D.C.

Use cardinal directions (i.e., North, South, East, West) on a map.

Distinguish the difference between a lake, mountain, ocean, and river.

Identify and locate on a map the three grand divisions of Tennessee and their borders (i.e., Mississippi River, Tennessee River, Appalachian Mountains).

Identify the name, image, and role of Tennessee's Governor and the U.S. President.

Recognize and explain the role of the mayor as the leader of a town/city/county.

Distinguish the differences between rules and laws and give examples of each.

Explain that voting is a way of making choices and decisions.

Define citizenship, and recognize traits of good citizens (e.g., respecting the rights of others, voting, and following laws).

Explain the importance of patriotic traditions (e.g., Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem) and respectful behavior during both.

Identify Tennessee symbols, including the state flag, state tree (i.e. tulip poplar), state flower (i.e., iris), state bird (i.e., mockingbird), state animal (i.e., raccoon), and significance of the state nickname.

Arrange the events from a student’s life in chronological order.

Interpret information from simple timelines, including past, present, and future events.

Compare ways people lived in the past to how they live today, including forms of communication, modes of transportation, types of clothing, and forms of recreation.

Identify and describe the events and/or people celebrated during the following national holidays, and examine why we celebrate them:

Printed materials (e.g., literary texts, newspapers, political cartoons, autobiographies, speeches, letters, personal journals)

Graphic representations(e.g., maps, timelines, charts, artwork)

Artifacts

Media and technology sources

Oral History

Summarize significant ideas and relevant information

Distinguish between fact and opinion

Draw conclusions

Recognize author’s purpose and point of view

Compare and contrast two sources

Recognize differences between two accounts

Frame appropriate questions for further investigation

Demonstrate an understanding of ideas

Compare and contrast viewpoints

Predict outcomes

Illustrate cause and effect

Sequencing past, present, and future in chronological order

Understanding that things change over time

Identifying geographic symbols on maps and globes

Understanding relationships between people, places, and resources

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Presidents’ Day

Memorial Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day/July 4th

Labor Day

Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Veterans’ Day

Thanksgiving Day