Social Studies - Kindergarten
Standard 3 Objective 1
Social Studies - Kindergarten
Standard 3 Objective 2
Students will discover where they live on a map and learn about where others live by participating in a postcard exchange with kindergarten classes around the United States.
Literature:
Teachers need to be familiar with and comfortable using simple maps. They also need to be familiar with the icons on a map and what they represent. The legend (key) and the cardinal directions (including the compass rose).
1. Demonstrate a positive learning attitude.
2. Develop vocabulary.
3. Make connections from content areas to application in real life.
4. Uses appropriate language to describe events, objects, people, ideas, and emotions.
Introduce this lesson by showing the students a map of the United States, as well as a globe of the world (to show where Alaska and Hawaii are in relation to where you live). Show the students where you live on the map, talk about how many other states are part of the United States. Show students that there are also other countries in the world.
As a part of the 100th Day of School Celebration, tell the students they are going to be sending 100 postcards to 100 kindergarten classes from schools around the United States (2 to each state). Hopefully, they will return a postcard or package of information telling your class about the state, or city that they live in.
When postcards or packages begin coming back, as the students to make a guess of where that state is in the United States. After a few guesses, show the students where that state is and talk about the information they send back to you. To display the materials received from other schools display a large map of the United States and connect the pictures and/or materials to the state they came from with a piece of yarn. Display the materials received with the map on a bulletin board or in the hall.
For ELL students, provide them with several models and picture icons to help them learn the vocabulary of using maps and globes.
Recognizing Symbols and Models to Represent Features of the Environment
Background: The students have been looking at maps and the globe and recognize that they are symbols of actual places. They explored basic directions and characteristics. As we discussed different cultures of the students, in our classroom, we locate the location of different family origins on the map or the globe.
Preparation:
Content Objective: The students will be able to locate different features on a map.
Language Objective: The students will verbally or non-verbally identify characteristics of a map.
Materials:
Practice: Students colored in their individual maps.
Review: Questions the teacher could ask: