This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with the 1st Grade Social Studies content.

This resource accompanies our Rethink 1st Grade Social Studies Geography 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.

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

First grade students will work in small group settings to discover how to become an architectural engineer. They will research and demonstrate their knowledge of bridge designs through STEM and drawings. Finally developing a strong infrastructure that will collaboratively fit onto a created setting. Allowing them to present a model of their findings.

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!

The First Grade text is meant to be explored visually by students like a traditional “big book”. Some teachers may also want their students to have a copy of the book as a digital text on an iPad, Chromebook, or other digital device. Either way, the way students interact with this book is different from other MI Open Book materials. Each short reading is meant to have some teacher interaction go along with it. We tell you what those are in each section. This chapter also requires construction of a small box. You may use the lid of a ream of paper for creation of this box, or have a sturdier one built for you. This same box will be used across all K-2 books. You may want to have one sturdy one built and shared between teachers.

This Blended Learning Unit is designed to intentionally integrate technology into each lesson while maintaining the integrity of a Social Studies unit created by Oakland Schools, Unit 3: How Do We Learn About Places. The 30-45 minute lessons are structured so the classroom teacher can balance whole group instruction (Face to Face) with technology (Online) to enhance or provide new learning.  Academic Vocabulary is a school initiative in the district this unit was created for, so this is also integrated throughout the unit.  This blended unit was designed for students to use individual iPads, but other devices could be used as well.

The NC Kids' Exploration Journals are a fun educational tool to help youth explore their communities and natural surroundings! Each journal contains: 18 multidisciplinary activities with guided prompts, 6 lined journal pages for recording observations and reflections, and 4 blank pages for individual creativity.

The digital versions of the journal are designed to be printed out for students either as individual activities or in its entirety so that they can explore their school yard, local park, or own backyard. Though designed for 1st - 5th-graders, older audiences may enjoy them too! They are also available in both English and Spanish languages.

While supplies last, hard copies of the journals are currently available for free to teachers by contacting karen.ipock@ncdcr.gov.

In third grade you learned about the geography of the state of Michigan. You may have studied the geography of Michigan by learning about what makes Michigan special. This year, in studying the geography of the United States, you will explore a similar question. It is centered around what makes the country in which we live special.

In this lesson, students explore where to find key locations within our school community (classrooms/playgrounds/ bathroom etc.)  and who are located in these school community location (teachers/office staff/community helpers) that the students will interact with daily/weekly.  

Group lesson - Who is located at home and what rooms are in your house? We will then create a simple chart to showcase our answers. Students then will decide on what rooms and people might also be located at the school.

Read aloud - PETE THE CAT: ROCKING IN MY SCHOOL SHOES

Scavenger Hunt - Students will go in groups of 1-3 (depending on behaviors) to complete a school walk to find key locations within the building.

Building a School Map - Students will take their knowledge from the scavenger hunt and transfer it to make a classroom map of his/her school.