This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with the 1st Grade Social Studies content. Within the folder you will access Parent Guide PDFs in FIVE Languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Vietnamese to help on-going communication with caregivers. 

This resource accompanies our Rethink 1st Grade Social Studies Civics & Government unit. It includes ideas for use, ways to support exceptional children, ways to extend learning, digital resources and tools, tips for supporting English Language Learners and students with visual and hearing impairments. There are also ideas for offline learning.

Using both families and schools as a lens for study, 1st grade students learn about geography, history, economics, and civics with strong connections to the literacy block!

Day 1: In this lesson, students will…. Understand how information is transferred over physical or wireless paths and are broken down into smaller pieces called packets, then reassembled at their destination. They will learn this by creating a LEGO/Magnatile/block house, or building, as a team. The teacher, or facilitator, will take a photo of their creation. The students will disassemble their structure and transfer it to the next group, representing how information is broken down and passed on. The next group who receives the pieces will have to look at the photo and rebuild based on the photo. If the group completes this, they will successfully complete how information is transferred showing that in order for information to be the same when it’s transferred and to show up, it needs to be the same.

Day 2: Students will learn to protect their personal information by creating passwords/passphrases. This will be equated to students using your house key, or house code. This is private to the adults in your life. They do not share those with others, just like you would not share a password to your account with others. Teacher will create an easily guessable password to model, students will ask the teacher questions from a predetermined list of questions with picture tiles, like favorite animal, favorite color, etc. Using the answers to the questions the students will try to guess the password. Then, students will create a password, and play the guessing game with a small group.

Day 3:Students will review previous concepts about passwords and protecting personal information. They will be introduced to anti-virus software. Teacher will equate malware to getting sick and anti-virus software to antibiotics. When you’re sick your body is ‘infected’ like a computer with malware on it. The anti-biotic or anti-virus software protects you. Students illustrate a computer transmitting information (use paper and markers to solve a maze). They will be given anti-virus software (saran wrap) to place over their maze. Teacher walks around and sprays water on each “computer” with anti-virus software. Remove anti-virus software and spray again to illustrate malware.

Rationale - Many students today come to school not knowing how to handle their emotions and conflicts. Through this project, students will gain knowledge and the tools they need throughout the school year.

Overview - Students explored different emotions through stories, videos, and experiences. They learned about rules and their importance for safety. Students learned about calming techniques such as: breathing, going to a safe place, and expressing emotions appropriately. Students designed and implemented a safe place in the classroom by making posters, sensory bottles, stress balls, and breathing pinwheels.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 1st Grade Social Studies.