California Academic Content Standards History/Social Science K-3
notes Kindergarten LEARNING AND WORKING NOW AND First Grade A CHILD S PLACE IN TIME AND SPACE History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 2 LONG AGO Students in kindergarten are introduced to basic spatial, temporal and causal relationships, emphasizing the geographic and historical connections between the world today and the world long ago. The stories of ordinary and extraordinary people help describe the range and continuity of human experience and introduce the concepts of courage, self-control, justice, heroism, leadership, deliberation and individual responsibility. Historical empathy for how people lived and worked long ago reinforces the concept of civic behavior: how we interact respectfully with each other, following rules, and respecting the rights of others. K.1 Students demonstrate an understanding that being a good citizen involves acting in certain ways, in terms of: 1. examples of rules, such as sharing and taking turns, and the consequences of breaking them Students in grade one continue a more detailed treatment of the broad concepts of rights and responsibilities in the contemporary world. The classroom serves as a microcosm of society in which decisions are made with respect for individual responsibility, for other people and for the rules by which we all must live: fair play, good sportsmanship, respect for the rights and opinions of others. Students examine the geographic and economic aspects of life in their own neighborhoods and compare them to those of people long ago. Students explore the varied backgrounds of American citizens and learn about the symbols, icons, and songs that reflect our common heritage. 1.1 Students describe the rights and individual responsibilities of citizenship, in terms of: 1. the making of rules by direct democracy (everyone votes on the rules) and by representative democracy (a smaller elected group make the rules); examples of both in their classroom, school and community
Second Grade Third Grade notes PEOPLE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE CONTINUITY AND CHANGE Students in grade two explore the lives of actual people who make a difference in their everyday lives and learn the stories of extraordinary people from history whose achievements have touched them, directly or indirectly. The study of contemporary people who supply goods and services aids in understanding the complex interdependence in our free market system. 2.1 Students differentiate between those things that happened long ago and yesterday by: 1. tracing the history of a family through the use of primary and secondary sources including artifacts, photographs, interviews, and documents 2. comparing and contrasting their daily lives with those of parents and grandparents 3. placing important events in their lives in the order in which they occurred (e.g., on a timeline or story board) Students in grade three learn more about our connections to the past and the ways in which particularly local, but also regional and national, government and traditions have developed and left their marks on current society, providing common memories. Emphasis is on the physical and cultural landscape of California, including the study of American Indians, the subsequent arrival of immigrants and the impact they have had in forming the character of our contemporary society. 3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places and environments in a spatial context by: 1. identifying geographical features found in their local region (e.g., deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans, lakes) History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 3
notes Kindergarten 2. examples of honesty, courage, determination, individual responsibility, and patriotism in American and world history, in stories and in folklore 3. the beliefs and related behavior of characters in stories from times past, and the consequences of their actions K.2 Students recognize national and state symbols and icons such as the national and state flags, the bald eagle, and the Statue of Liberty. K.3 Students match simple descriptions of work that people do and the names of those jobs with examples from the school, local community and historical accounts. K.4 Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and describe the human and physical characteristics of places by: First Grade 2. the elements of fair play and good sportsmanship, respect for the rights and opinions of others, and respect for rules by which we live, including the meaning of the Golden Rule 1.2 Students compare and contrast the absolute and relative locations of people and places and describe the physical and human characteristics of places by: 1. using maps and globes to locate their local community, the State of California, the United States, the seven continents, and the four oceans 2. comparing the information from a threedimensional model to a picture of the same location 3. constructing a simple map, using cardinal directions and map symbols 4. describing how location, weather, and physical environments affect the way people live, including their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation 1. determining the relative location of objects using near/far, left/right, behind/in front History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 4
Second Grade Third Grade notes 2.2 Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, places, and environments by: 1. locating on a simple letter-number grid system the specific locations and geographic features in their neighborhood or community (e.g., map the classroom, the school) 2. labeling a simple map from memory of the North American continent, including the countries, oceans, Great Lakes, major rivers, mountain ranges; identifying the essential map elements of title, legend, directional indicator, scale, and date 3. locating on a map where their ancestors lived, describing when their family moved to the local community, and describing how and why they made their trip 4. comparing and contrasting basic land use in urban, suburban and rural environments in California 2. tracing the ways in which people have used the resources of the local region and modified the physical environment (e.g., a dam constructed upstream changed a river or coastline) 3.2 Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past, in terms of: 1. the national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various folklore traditions 2. how physical geography including climate influenced the way the local Indian nation(s) adapted to their natural environment (e.g., how they obtained their food, clothing, tools) 3. the economy and systems of government, particularly those with tribal constitutions and their relationship to federal and state governments 4. the interaction of new settlers with the already established Indians of the region History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 5
notes Kindergarten 2. distinguishing between land and water and locating general areas referenced in historicallybased legends and stories on maps and globes 3. identifying traffic symbols and map symbols (legend references to land, water, roads, and cities) 4. constructing maps and models of neighborhoods, incorporating such structures as police and fire stations, airports, banks, hospitals, supermarkets, harbors, schools, homes, places of worship, and transportation lines 5. demonstrating familiarity with the school s layout, environs and the jobs people do there K.5 Students put events in temporal order by using a calendar, placing days, weeks, and months in proper order. First Grade 1.3 Students know and understand the symbols, icons, and traditions of the United States that provide continuity and a sense of community across time, in terms of: 1. the Pledge of Allegiance, and the songs that express American ideals (e.g., My Country Tis of Thee) 2. national holidays and the heroism and achievements of the people associated with them 3. American symbols, landmarks and essential documents such as the flag, the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence; explain the people and events associated with them History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 6
Second Grade 2.3 Students explain the institutions and practices of governments in the United States and other countries, in terms of: 1. the difference between making laws, carrying out laws, determining if laws have been violated and punishing wrongdoers 2. the ways in which groups and nations interact with one another and try to resolve problems (e.g., trade, cultural contacts, treaties, diplomacy, military force) 2.4 Students understand basic economic concepts and their individual roles in the economy, and demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills, in terms of: 1. food production and consumption long ago and today including the role of farmers, processors, distributors, weather, and land and water resources 2. the role and interdependence of buyers (consumers) and sellers (producers) of goods and services Third Grade 3.3 Students draw from historical and community resources to organize the sequence of events in local history and describe how each period of settlement left its mark on the land, in terms of: 1. the explorers who visited here, the newcomers who settled here, and the people who continue to come to the region, the cultural, religious traditions and contributions of different groups 2. the economies established by settlers and their influence on the present-day economy, with emphasis on the importance of private property and entrepreneurship 3. why their community was established, how individuals and families contributed to its founding and development, and how the community has changed over time, drawing upon primary sources (e.g., maps, photographs, oral histories, letters, newspapers) notes History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 7
notes Kindergarten K.6 Students understand that history relates to events, people, and places of other times, in terms of: 1. the purposes of, and the people and events honored in commemorative holidays, including the human struggles that were behind the events (e.g., Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Washington s and Lincoln s Birthdays, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day) 2. the triumphs in American legends and historical accounts through the stories of such people as Pocahontas, George Washington, Booker T. Washington, Daniel Boone, and Benjamin Franklin 3. the different ways people lived in earlier days and how their lives would be different today (e.g., the process of getting water from a well, growing food, making clothing, having fun, the type of organization, rules and laws) First Grade 1.4 Students compare and contrast everyday life in different times and places around the world and recognize that some aspects of people, places, and things change over time and others stay the same, in terms of: 1. the structure of schools and communities in the past 2. transportation methods of earlier days 3. similarities and differences in the work (inside and outside the home), dress, manners, stories, games, and festivals of earlier generations, drawing from biographies, oral history, and folklore History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 8
Second Grade Third Grade notes 3. how limits on resources require people to choose what to produce and what to consume 2.5 Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past make a difference in others lives (e.g., biographies of George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Louis Pasteur, Albert Einstein, Sally Ride, Sitting Bull, Golda Meir, Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Robinson) 3.4 Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives, and the basic structure of the United States government, in terms of: 1. why we have rules, laws, and the U.S. Constitution; the role of citizenship in promoting rules and laws; the consequences for violating rules and laws 2. the importance of public virtue and the role of citizens, including how to participate in a classroom, community and in civic life 3. the stories behind important local and national landmarks, symbols and the essential documents that create a sense of community among citizens and exemplify cherished ideals (e.g., the U.S. flag, the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Capitol) 4. the three branches of government (with an emphasis on local government) 5. how California, the other states, and sovereign tribes combine to make the nation and participate in the federal system History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 9
notes Kindergarten First Grade 1.5 Students describe the human characteristics of familiar places and the varied backgrounds of American citizens and residents, in terms of: 1. the ways in which they are all part of the same community, sharing principles, goals, and traditions despite their varied ancestry; the forms of diversity in their school and community and the benefits and challenges of a diverse population 2. the difficulties, successes and ways in which American Indian and immigrant populations have helped define Californian and American culture 3. comparisons of the beliefs, customs, ceremonies, traditions and social practices of the varied cultures drawing from folklore History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 10
Second Grade Third Grade notes 6. the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure freedoms (e.g., biographies of Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Anne Hutchinson, and Harriet Tubman) 3.5 Students demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills and an understanding of the economy of the local region, in terms of: 1. how local producers have used natural resources, human resources and capital resources to produce goods and services in the past and the present 2. how some things are made locally, some elsewhere in the U.S., and some abroad 3. how individual economic choices involve tradeoffs and the evaluation of benefits and costs 4. how pupils work in school develops their personal human capital. History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 11
notes Kindergarten First Grade 1. 6 Students understand basic economic concepts and the role of individual choice in a free-market economy, in terms of: 1. the concept of exchange and the use of money to purchase goods and services 2. the specialized work that people do to manufacture, transport, and market goods and services and the contribution of those who work in the home History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 12
Second Grade Third Grade notes History/Social Science Standards K-3 Page 13