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Curriculum and Programs
Year 1 Social Studies Curriculum
MAPS and GEOGRAPHY
Essential Questions:
- What types of maps are there and what are their uses?
- What strategies can I use to read and understand a map?
- How do you make a map?
- What are the major geographical landforms and bodies of water in the world?
- What are the physical features of North America ?
- What are the physical features of New York State ?
Unit Questions
- What elements make up a map?
- What is the difference between physical and political maps?
- What are some special purpose maps?
- How do we use maps to locate specific places?
- How do we use maps to determine distance and direction?
- What are the continents and oceans of the world?
- What is the relationship between location and climate?
- What are the characteristics of different landforms and bodies of water?
- What are the Great Lakes and where are they located?
- What mountain ranges are in New York State ?
- What are the countries of North America ?
Content
legend |
latitude and longitude |
peninsula |
scale |
coordinates |
isthmus |
symbols |
equator and prime meridian |
strait |
compass rose |
hemispheres |
island |
equator |
north and south poles |
bay |
longitude and latitude |
Tropic of Cancer |
mountains |
population maps |
Tropic of Capricorn |
lakes |
product maps |
seasons and temperatures |
boundaries |
ELECTIONS AND GOVERNMENT
Essential Questions
- Who can run for President?
- How is a President elected?
- What are the President’s responsibilities?
- What are the main differences between the two major political parties?
Unit Questions
- What is a primary and a convention?
- What is the electoral college?
- What is the popular vote?
- Who are the candidates for President and Vice President?
- Who can vote for President?
Content
primaries
conventions
delegates
voter registration
electoral college
popular vote
political parties
NATIVE AMERICANS
Essential Questions
- What is culture?
- Who were the earliest Americans?
- How was the Native Americans’ way of life influenced by their environment?
- How are the different Native American cultures of North America similar to and different from each other?
- What has modern society learned from Native Americans?
Unit Questions
- What are the major Native American groups of North America and where were they located?
- What were the religious beliefs and forms of government of some Native American tribes in North America ?
- How did family life, clothing, food, housing, and traditions vary among the Native American tribes?
- What role did myths and legends play in Native American cultures?
Content
Bering strait
land bridge
hunters and nomads
NA of the northeast woodlands
NA of the desert
NA of the plains
NA of the Pacific northwest
NA of the southeast
Culture: customs, celebrations, art, food, homes, beliefs, government, daily life, Family structure, myths and legends, inventions, weapons and tools
EXPLORERS AND EXPLORATION OF NEW WORLDS
Essential Questions
- Why do/did people explore?
- What are some of the characteristics of explorers?
- Did Columbus discover America ?
- How is the world different because of European exploration?
Unit Questions
- Who were some of the European explorers to the New World ?
- What countries sponsored them?
- What did they hope to find?
- What navigation instruments helped them?
- What was life like at sea?
- What obstacles did they encounter?
- What successes did they have?
- What conflicts and relationships resulted?
Content
qualities of an explorer
navigation, health, ships
effect of exploration on existing cultures
changes in society that that contributed to Age of Exploration
routes voyages taken by key Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, Italian, Vikings
Marco Polo
Columbus
Cabot/Vespucci/DaGama
Ponce de Leon
Magellan
Verrazano
Henry Hudson
SCHOOL WIDE EXPLORATION OF INVENTIONS AND INVENTORS
Essential Questions:
- What is an invention?
- Why do people create inventions?
- Do all inventions benefit people?
- How did inventors get their ideas?
- How did they make their ideas a reality?
- Can I be an inventor?
Unit Questions
- What are some major inventions of each century?
- What caused the invention?
- What as life like before?
- What were the positive and negative effects of the invention?
- What is a patent?
Content
Fashion, art, technology, communication, transportation
“necessity of the mother of invention”
