Kindergarten History and Social Studies: Teacher Guide
Download the printable teacher guide | Student text | Practice and assessment
Read aloud and model each skill. Allow oral, pointed, drawn or written responses. Protect family privacy and accept accurate alternatives. Advance by demonstrated readiness.
Lesson 1: Needs and Wants
1. Is safe drinking water a need or a want? A need.
2. Is a specific toy a need or a want? A want.
3. Is food a need or a want? A need.
4. Is shelter a need or a want? A need.
5. Someone needs a coat and wants a red one. What is the need? A suitable coat.
6. In that example, what is the want? The particular red color.
Extension guidance: Accept appropriate examples with a reason; needs depend on context.
Lesson 2: Goods and Services
1. A loaf of bread: good or service? Good.
2. A book: good or service? Good.
3. Repairing a bicycle: good or service? Service.
4. A person teaching a lesson: good or service? Service.
5. A chair: good or service? Good.
6. Name one service that helps people in a community. Answers vary; examples include teaching or repairing.
Extension guidance: Accept accurate examples, recognizing that some jobs involve both.
Lesson 3: Places and Simple Maps
1. What can a map help us do? Find places or follow a route.
2. What does a map key explain? The map’s symbols.
3. In the practice key, what does T mean? Tree.
4. In the practice key, what does B mean? Bench.
5. Where is the bench? Beside the tree.
6. Must the map show every object in the park? No.
Extension guidance: Check that each symbol matches the child’s key and position description.
Lesson 4: Follow Position Words
1. Put the block inside the box. Where is it? Inside the box.
2. Put it outside the box. Where is it? Outside the box.
3. If a picture is higher than a table, is it above or below the table? Above.
4. If a shoe is lower than a chair, is it above or below the chair? Below.
5. Place a block beside a book. What object is the block beside? The book.
6. Why should someone say what object they are describing a position from? It gives a reference point.
Extension guidance: Answers vary; instructions should be clear and use a reference object.
Lesson 5: Past, Present, and Evidence
1. Does last year belong to the past or present? The past.
2. Does right now belong to the past or present? The present.
3. Name one example of evidence from the time of an event. A photograph made at the time, a letter or an object, depending on the question.
4. Can a photograph show everything that happened? No.
5. Tell one thing you actually see in an approved picture, or say you did not view one. Answers vary; do not invent observations.
6. Name one question you could ask about a photograph. Answers vary, such as who made it or when.
Extension guidance: Accept an evidence-based difference and a reasonable limitation; do not require private images.
Independent Chapter Check: Answers
1. Is safe drinking water a need or a want? Need.
2. Is a particular toy a need or a want? Want.
3. Is a book a good or a service? Good.
4. Is repairing a bicycle a good or a service? Service.
5. What does a map key explain? Symbols on the map.
6. If a book is higher than a chair, is it above or below the chair? Above.
7. Is last year in the past or the present? The past.
8. Can one photograph tell everything that happened? No.