Kindergarten History and Social Studies Chapter 2: People, Places, and Evidence
Five lessons on needs, goods and services, maps, directions and evidence. An adult reads directions; children may respond aloud, point, draw or write. This chapter is part of a developing course.
Download the printable student text | Practice and assessment | Teacher guide
For family reflection, read Proverbs 18:13 in context and discuss listening carefully before answering. Use evidence when describing the past.
Lesson 1: Needs and Wants
Learn: A need is something people require to live and be healthy, such as water, food, shelter and appropriate clothing. A want is something a person would like but can live without. Families and circumstances differ, so discuss examples with care.
Model: A child needs safe drinking water. A particular toy may be wanted, but it is not needed for the body to live. People can have a need for clothing and want a particular color.
Practice: Adult: Read each example. Ask the child to explain the choice. If an example depends on the situation, discuss what more you would need to know rather than forcing one answer.
Advanced extension: Draw one need and one want. Explain that a different person may choose a different example.
Lesson 2: Goods and Services
Learn: A good is a physical item people make, grow or use. A service is work someone does to help another person. People in a community may provide both goods and services. Not everyone in the same job does exactly the same tasks.
Model: A loaf of bread is a good. Repairing a bicycle for someone is a service. A baker may make bread and provide service to customers.
Practice: Adult: Read each example and ask whether the named thing is a good or the named action is a service. Families can draw or speak their answers.
Advanced extension: Describe one worker who provides a good and one who provides a service. Explain each.
Lesson 3: Places and Simple Maps
Learn: A map is a drawing or other representation of a place. It can help us find places or follow a route. A map key explains what symbols mean. A map does not have to show every object in a place.
Model: On an imaginary park map, T means tree and B means bench. If the bench is beside the tree, the map helps a person find it. The key explains the letters.
Practice: Imagine a small park. Its map key says T means tree and B means bench. The bench is beside the tree. An adult may draw the tree and bench as symbols on paper. This is a practice map, not a real park.
Advanced extension: Draw an imaginary room map with two symbols and a key. Explain where one item is.
Lesson 4: Follow Position Words
Learn: Position words tell where something is. Above means higher than another object; below means lower. Inside means within something; outside means not within it. Left and right depend on the direction a person is facing.
Model: Place a block inside a box, then put it outside. Place a book above a toy on a shelf, then below it. Explain which object is the reference point.
Practice: Adult: Use a safe empty box and a large block. Ask the child to put the block in, out, above or below the box. Use only safe surfaces and supervise the activity.
Advanced extension: Give an adult two safe directions using position words, then check whether the adult followed them.
Lesson 5: Past, Present, and Evidence
Learn: The past is time before now; the present is now. A photograph made at the time of an event can be a primary source for a question about that event. Ask who made it, when and what it shows. A photograph may not tell the whole story.
Model: A photograph taken at a family gathering last year can show who was in that picture. It does not by itself tell us everything people said or did that day. Families may choose an ordinary public image if they do not want to share a family photograph.
Practice: With an adult, look at a family-approved photograph or a public historical photograph. Do not post names, addresses or private pictures. Tell what you can actually see and one question you would ask. If no image is available, discuss the model instead.
Advanced extension: Compare an approved older picture and a current picture of similar places. Give one observed difference and one thing the pictures cannot tell you.
Standards Reference
This chapter introduces selected skills from Alabama’s 2024 Kindergarten Social Studies standards 5b, 6, 7, 9 and 11. It is partial instruction and does not establish full coverage or mastery. Families outside Alabama should check their own requirements. Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies