ALL KINDERGARTEN

Introduction to History and Social Science

The standards for kindergarten students include an introduction to interesting Americans in history whose lives demonstrated the virtues of patriotism, courage, and kindness. During the course of their first year in school, students should learn basic concepts related to history, patriotism, national symbols, good citizenship, geographic location, economics, and the importance of following rules and respecting the rights and property of other people.

History
K.1 The student will recognize that history describes events and people of other times and places by
a) identifying examples of past events in legends, stories, and historical accounts of Pocahontas, George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Abraham Lincoln;
b) identifying the people and events honored by the holidays of Thanksgiving Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, and Independence Day (Fourth of July).
K.2 The student will describe everyday life in the present and in the past and begin to recognize that things change over time.

Geography
K.3 The student will describe the relative location of people, places, and things by using positional words, with emphasis on near/far, above/below, left/right, and behind/in front.
K.4 The student will use simple maps and globes to
a) develop an awareness that a map is a drawing of a place to show where things are located and that a globe is a round model of the Earth;
b) describe places referenced in stories and real-life situations;
c) locate land and water features.
K.5 The student will develop an awareness that maps and globes
a) show a view from above;
b) show things in smaller size;
c) show the position of objects.

Economics
K.6 The student will match simple descriptions of work that people do with the names of those jobs.
K.7 The student will
a) identify the difference between basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) and wants (things people would like to have);
b) recognize that people use money to purchase goods.

Civics
K.8 The student will demonstrate that being a good citizen involves
a) taking turns and sharing;
b) taking responsibility for certain classroom chores;
c) taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to others;
d) following rules and understanding the consequence of breaking rules;
e) practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others.
K.9 The student will recognize the American flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and that the President is the leader of the United States.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES

Kindergarten Poster Sets

Melissa N. Matusevich, Ed.D., a curriculum and instruction specialist, created these poster sets and has given permission for them to be posted on this Web site. For more information and resources, see her Web site at http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/posterset.html. At her Web site, she includes tips about how to use these social studies posters effectively. Each of the pdf files contains postcard size images illustrating the standard.

K-Past Present.pdf
Past and Present

K-CivicsandGeography.pdf
American Flag
Good Citizens
Pledge of Allegiance
Community

K-Famous Americans.pdf
Abraham Lincoln
Pocahontas
George Washington
Betsy Ross

K-Economics.pdf
Money
Goods
Needs and Wants
People Work at Many Jobs

K-Holidayposters.pdf
Thanksgiving
Presidents’ Day
Independence Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Kindergarten History and Social Science Review Cards

This is a Word document that has simple answers and definitions that would be useful to review the kindergarten standards.