Social Studies year plan - grade 1 Alberta

Using the Pearson Many Voices resource as a starting point I divide the grade 1 Alberta Social Studies curriculum into 4 units of study (those that are in Many Voices). They are listed below with the outcomes as laid out in the Many Voices resource. The questions for inquiry for each unit are not included here. Our grade team addressed those in our more detailed unit plans.

My grade team decided to focus on science curriculum themes first term and did not teach or report on social studies outcomes first term. We found that in grade 1 in French Immersion students have very little language to discuss the more abstract concepts in the Social Studies curriculum. Therefore, you will see that these units began in January and are taught and assessed in terms 2 and 3 of the school year.

Following these and the grade 1 science themes I divide the year up to follow these areas of study. Our writing, art, reading, and technology projects all have these themes at their root. So, when we learn new vocabulary or make a collaborative class book or a math journal I try to tie those learning experiences to these themes. I have not posted my unit plans for each unit, however the first unit can be found here.

Here are our class collaborative books (a small piece of our units of study) related to these themes:

Jan. - Groups I belong to and Rights and responsibilities

(see post about this unit here, download document here)

March/April Taking part in a community

(download the document here)

Feb. Looking at my world

We did not make a collaborative book for this unit but in science we were studying animals and adaptations and made a collaborative book linked to that unit of study. It can be found here (examples below). Download documents here and here.

May./June Changes in my world

(download the document here, first page is english, second is french)

This was a new inquiry project for our grade team based on artifacts from the past. We studied a class collection of artifacts and then compared them to present day objects meant for the same use. This book represents just the beginning of our final project. We took photos of the objects as well for students to include with their work. They completed a similar observation after a visit to The Calgary Heritage Park, taking photos at the park to record the object they were to study.

Note - I think our monthly collaborative class books in grade 1 went something like this:

Sept. - me voici
(download document here)

Oct. - les monstres
(download document here)

I have some "How to draw monsters" books in my class that I have taken apart and laminated individual pages. We use those for inspiration for monsters. Sometimes the monsters are a more major art project, students can use different media and we photograph and describe them later in this kind of writing piece.

See document here for some samples of 'learn to draw" ideas to print.

Nov. - la nourriture (see post here)

Dec. - dans la neige (see post here)

Jan. - mes groupes (see post here)
Feb. - les animaux et les adaptations (see post here)
Mar. - cent n'est pas beaucoup (with 100 day, see post here)

April - les responsabilités (above)
May - les changements dans le monde (above)
June - building things unit, we did not do a collaborative book

Social Studies - Mon monde et moi, unit 1

Clear Targets for our first unit Belonging in My World, loosely based on suggestions in the Many Voices District resources.

themes:  belonging to different groups, the value of being part of a group, rights and responsibilities

These resources are a catalyst for discussing rights and responsibilities at the beginning of the year or in November in conjunction with International Children's Day.  










Cards of groups students may belong to, cards are used to sort, identify with, use in drama games and writing.  Also sorted as which groups do you belong to automatically and which to you join as a choice?

I add cards each year for new students interests.  YOU MAY HAVE TO ADD THE ACCENTS TO ALL OF THESE CARDS.  Cut into 4, laminate.

Cards of careers.  Used in kindergarten for a community helpers unit (this is just a sample, men and women, traditional and non-traditional).

Community helpers visual dictionary.  Great for independent writing.

Posters of the rights of the child (they are each linked to the seven habits of happy kids as we are a  Leader in Me school).  Have students generate their own posters and identify a responsibility that would accompany each right.

les pancartes des droits de l'enfant (printable)












 Cut and paste to review rights and responsibilities.  Following the activity students use their sheet during the week to track when they exercise each right and in turn exercise each corresponding responsibility.  Students later illustrated the right they are most thankful they can enjoy as a Canadian citizen, I bind their responses into a collaborative book to add to the classroom library. (you may have to add the accents, sorry!)

les droits et les responsabilités (printable to 11x14)

We make collaborative books every month and put them into clear sleeves to add to the classroom library.  At the end of the year each child's pages are bound into a book that they wrote and can read.  Here are the pages for this month.  

Student brought in symbols from groups they belong too (uniforms, medals, guide books, artifacts).  I photographed them and added the photographs to this page.





About me and my groups poster.  Originally used for K but is appropriate for Grade 1 also. Great for students to present to the class and to parents on student showcase night.

 

Overview of Universal Children's Day celebrated on November 20th.

Precede watching the video with; What is a right?  What do you think you have a 'right' to (what do parents and teachers HAVE to let you do?).  Do you think it's the law for you to have the right to things or is just a nice idea?