Common First Grade Social Studies Topics
No matter where you teach, chances are that if you're focusing on first-grade social studies, you'll likely notice a common theme. In first grade, we zoom out a bit from the kindergarten topics of "All About Me" and begin to learn more about our communities, our cities, our states, our country, and even the world. This is a lot of fun for first grade students and usually catches interest pretty easily. Children are always eager to explore these topics!
When it comes to common topics to explore in first-grade social studies lessons, there are 6 main themes that I use throughout the year. They include: Good Citizenship, Map Skills, Continents & Oceans, Financial Literacy, Past Present & Future, and American Symbols. Some of these units contain multiple components, for example, the Past Present, and Future unit is broken down into many different mini-studies. But, overall, we use these themes all year long as we study social studies in my room. Curious how this plays out? You're in luck! Let's take a closer look at each of these first grade social studies themes and how they can be used for learning.
1. Good Citizenship
At the beginning of the year, Good Citizenship is at the top of my priority list when it comes to first grade social studies. Not only is this an essential topic to be covered in our lessons, but it's also really helpful when setting classroom expectations and guidelines for a successful year. It helps set the foundation for a healthy classroom community and guide children towards making positive choices on a daily basis. We revisit this topic all year long, but it's such a great way to kick off the year!
We use a variety of fun read-alouds, learning activities, mini-readers, and crafts to explore this topic in the classroom. In this blog post, you can take a closer look at some of my favorite activities related to Good Citizenship. One of my favorites happens to be an adorable mobile craft that we use to finish out the unit.
In the activity, students will each get a set of paper tags that say "at school", "at home" and "in my community". The idea is that they will cut the tags out and flip them over to write down one way they can be a good citizen in each of those environments. This is a wonderful way to recap the unit as this is one of the main things we focus on in our lessons! After they have finished, they will color, cut, and assemble a craft topper with these pieces and yarn to create an adorable mobile. We hang these in the classroom as a reminder of how to be good citizens each day!
2. Map Skills
Next up, a student favorite... map skills! This is an essential first-grade social studies topic and one that I always look forward to teaching. In this day and age, many children have never seen a map before, let alone read one! Teaching students what maps are used for, where they can be found, and how to read them is such a valuable skill. Plus, the kids think it's pretty fun too!
In my room, we explore this topic in a couple of different ways. First, we start out with a basic introduction to map skills. This is where we cover vocabulary and really dive into how and why maps are needed. After that, I love to revisit map skills in a couple of different ways. Pirate Map Skills are a really fun spin on this topic. Students will love the pirate theme so much, they'll hardly even realize they're learning.
Teaching map skills with a fun school theme is another great way to review this topic at another point in the year. Making a map of a school, or classroom is very relatable to young students. I find that using this variation of the unit really makes those lightbulbs go off in a meaningful way! I like to use all of these variations throughout the year to help review this topic and get my kids excited to practice.
3. Continents and Oceans
Once students have a firm understanding of maps, it's only natural to venture out into the world! Exploring continents and oceans is so much fun in the primary classroom because it helps students get a better understanding of the world we live in. There's a lot of cover for this topic, so we definitely take our time walking through the vocabulary words, and names of the continents and oceans.
One of my favorite activities that we use for this unit is a lapbook. It's so helpful for this topic since there's a lot of information to keep track of. The lapbook is a handy place to collect information as we learn and offers a fun way to review as we go. Not to mention, my students love making lapbooks too! They allow for a bit of individuality and are fun to show off to their families once complete.
In our Oceans and Continents Lapbooks, we store a ton of valuable information! Students have a place to record definitions, names, and facts for each ocean and continent, a color-coded world map and so much more! These are such a fun way to keep track of what we've learned and maintain a visual record as we go.
4. Financial Literacy
Another first grade social studies topic that is a lot of fun to teach is Financial Literacy or an introduction to basic economic principles. From why we need money to needs and wants this unit is jam-packed with practical real-world information. First graders are usually very excited to learn about anything related to earning money. Over the years, I have found that this topic is best split up into a few different mini-units for the most success.
Some of the things we explore include: Goods and Services, Needs and Wants, Earning and Using Money, and more. There's a lot to cover under the umbrella of Financial Literacy and each mini-unit offers a unique and important skill for students!
If you'd like to check out the types of activities and teaching methods I use to explore this topic, be sure to download my free Goods and Services lesson pack. Inside you'll get a variety of activities including mini posters, a reader, and a printable page. This sample of our social studies activities is a great way to get inspired on how to teach these topics.
5. Past, Present & Future
Another common first grade social studies topic that is covered is Past, Present, and Future. This is another core topic and there is a lot to cover here. The main overarching theme here is to help students understand what each of these words means and start to develop an understanding of time. Before expanding to specific topics, we take some time to really dive into the definition of past, present, and future and do some visualization to help aid in understanding. After that, we explore specific topics in depth to learn more about this topic.
For example, in one of the mini units on Past, Present, and Future, we cover communication in depth. In this mini-unit students learn about communication tools of the past and how they compare to the present. One thing we cover in depth here is how instant our communication is in comparison to the past. Now we can send a text, email, or message within seconds! My students always get a kick out of communication methods of the past and find this topic to be really fun to explore.
All of the topics we explore in the Past, Present, and Future Units are so much fun. They really help the kids learn more about our changing world.
6. American Symbols
Last on my list of first grade social studies topics is American Symbols. This is another exciting topic that is very relatable and enjoyable for students. This one is sort of a two-for-one unit because first we explore what symbols are and how they are used and then we dive into American Symbols that represent our country. Students have seen a flag, eagle, and the Statue of Liberty before, but few truly know what they represent!
My favorite things about the unit we use on this topic are the mini readers and full-color pictures. I find these to be extremely helpful when it comes to facilitating understanding of this topic. I like to read through the mini-readers in a whole group format. First, we read through slowly. I like to pause and hold up the full-color pictures that correlate to each page. Then, we will read through again to deepen understanding once my students have some context for each symbol. For more specifics on exactly how I teach this topic, be sure to read this blog post next. It's filled with helpful tips and ideas to make teaching American Symbols a breeze!
Make Teaching First Grade Social Studies Simple
So, there you have it. These 6 topics make up the majority of our first grade social studies lessons throughout the year. I know that planning for social studies can be daunting! In my school, we weren't provided with a full, comprehensive social studies curriculum, so it was up to us to figure out how to make these concepts stick. That is exactly what I created my own social studies units to use throughout the year.
In fact, I made multiple units for each topic and theme that went along perfectly with our social studies textbooks. The activities in each of these units are designed for maximum learning. I was careful to include materials for introducing each topic, exploring the topic further, and reviewing it too. Inside you'll find things like mini-readers, vocabulary activities, practice worksheets, lapbooks, and crafts. The variety of activities makes it fun and simple to explore these topics in depth!
If you want to simplify your first grade social studies lesson planning, I know you'll love the complete bundle! Inside you get 12 different resources that cover all of the basics for first grade social studies. You won't have to stress about how to make these topics stick in your room! Instead, you'll be armed with easy-to-prep activities that are engaging and fun! Be sure to check it out as you begin planning your social studies lessons.
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