SOCIAL STUDIES

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 1

By the end of grade 1, students will be able to:

1. Name at least two playground safety rules.

2. Relate how the environment affects life.

3. Understand the role and nature of families.

4. Know their role in the family.

5. Discuss appropriate ways of dealing with conflict.

6. Appreciate how we depend upon each other in a community.

7. Express their feelings about self and family.

8. Track a route from their home to school on a map.

9. Name important public officials (e.g., president, prime

minister, mayor).

10. Recognize national symbols (e.g., flag, eagle).

11. Sing and understand the importance of patriotic songs.

12. Differentiate landforms (e.g., mountains, valleys).

13. Understand the four cardinal directions and locate them on a

map.

14. Appreciate the diversity of people around the world.

15. Explain why people need jobs.

16. See how the classroom is both the same and different from a

family.

17. Formulate and ask more detailed questions.

18. Discuss influences upon their decisions.

19. Understand simple graphs and charts.

20. Explain forms of transportation they use.

21. Act appropriately in new and different situations.

22. Use pictures to demonstrate ideas.

23. Recognize the causes of outcomes.

24. Give a list of instructions in the proper sequence.

25. Use a dictionary or glossary to find the meanings of words.

26. Understand how technology affects their lives.

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 2

By the end of grade 2, students will be able to:

1. Participate in developing guidelines for classroom practice

and procedures.

2. Differentiate between needs and wants.

3. Describe differences between various types of communities,

such as rural and urban.

4. Describe how people use the arts and music to express

themselves.

5. Describe how the past affects the present.

6. Create a map of their neighborhood.

7. Estimate distances using a scale on a map.

8. Develop a map or model of the community.

9. Understand use of symbols on a map.

10. Describe how things have changed over time in the community.

11. Explain how to be wise stewards of the environment.

12. Describe groups and institutions to which they belong.

13. Describe things their government does for them.

14. Understand the use of money in society.

15. Suggest a conflict-resolution plan to solve a dispute.

16. Seek the common good in classroom decisions.

17. Be aware of dependence upon each other.

18. Understand the hardships of the Pilgrims and other early

settlers.

19. Create a weekly job chart and graph task completion.

20. Explain the importance of inventions (e.g., electricity,

automobile).

21. Appreciate the lives of those who lived in the past (using

biographies).

22. Write a simple paragraph about historical figures.

23. Understand how some events exist beyond the immediate

community.

24. Demonstrate how to make rules for a social system.

25. Understand the existence of more than one point of view for

an issue.

26. Define seasonal climates where they live.

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 3

By the end of grade 3, students will be able to

1. Participate in establishing common goals.

2. Describe how to celebrate cultural traditions.

3. Compare different cultural practices and values.

4. Identify a globe as a model of the earth and understand that

land areas can be divided into entities such as cities, states,

and countries.

5. Place events on a time line.

6. Understand differences between rural, urban, and suburban

life.

7. Use the voting process to make selections and decisions on

issues regarding classroom life.

8. Compare information from two different sources and give

examples of how people interpret experiences differently.

9. Refer to historical sources to help understand the past.

10. Describe environmental issues of their region.

11. Relate how institutions and experience shape personal and

community development.

12. Explain the purpose of governments.

13. Understand how price and value are influenced by supply and

demand.

14. Identify the basis of conflict and suggest resolution

approaches.

15. Explain their responsibility in the classroom.

16. Express appreciation and concern for the nation in oral or

written form.

17. Compare and contrast daily life in 1750, 1850, and 1950 using

a retrieval chart or other research approach.

18. Recognize the contributions of Native American civilizations

prior to European settlement.

19. Identify the seven continents and major oceans on a globe or

map.

20. Understand how cultures change over time and note factors

that influence change.

21. Consider ways that governments use tax money.

22. Understand why regions grow and decline (e.g., as they are

affected by economic, sociological, environmental, and political

factors).

<*dv_2*>23. Explain why transportation was and is important to economic

development.

24. Explain the wise use of natural resources.

25. Use longitude and latitude to find a location on a map or

globe.

26. Use evidence to support an idea or position.

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 4

By the end of grade 4, students will be able to

1. Use reference resources within their text, (e.g., table of

contents, index, appendix, bibliography).

2. Roleplay the action of historic figures or events after doing

research in encyclopedias, biographies, or other factual

materials.

3. Explain how place influences life.

4. Participate in group decision making and in the election of

classroom representatives.

5. Identify the capital, major cities, natural resources, and

regional-interest sites of their state.

6. Describe different types of industry and occupations in the

state and region.

7. Locate places on a map using a grid.

8. Discuss sources of conflict and methods of resolution.

9. Define and explain both freedom and responsibility.

10. Explain how public policy is made by local and state

governments.

11. Identify elements of the common good for the society.

12. Describe how causality affects history.

13. Work independently to develop concepts and generalizations.

14. Make suggestions to improve the common good and well-being.

15. Identify the origins of their state.

16. Describe the role of Native Americans in the history of their

region or state.

17. Analyze the impact of media in their lives.

18. Construct a bar graph, line graph, or picture graph

representing population growth.

19. Understand why immigrants from many parts of the world

continue to want to come to the United States.

20. Define specific responsibilities of state as opposed to

federal government.

21. Write a letter about an important issue to a city or state

government representative.

22. Appreciate different forms of food, music, and art,

<*dv_1*>recognizing ethnic diversity and how it contributes to our way of

life.

23. Demonstrate an understanding of time zones.

24. Detail how transportation played a role in regional

development

25. Use a road map to plan a trip across the state or region.

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 5

By the end of grade 5, students will be able to

1. Locate the 50 states on an outline map.

2. Identify major geographic regions of the United States.

3. Support basic constitutional rights.

4. Explain the responsibility of being a United States citizen.

5. Use reference resources (i.e., encyclopedias, atlases,

almanacs).

6. Write a persuasive paragraph regarding civil rights.

7. Explain how cultures respond to physical environments.

8. Place events into a chronological order.

9. Recognize historical eras of United States history.

10. Demonstrate empathy and critical thinking when responding to

cultural social issues.

11. Relate personal experience to current events.

12. Show understanding of role and social status and their

implications.

13. Explain how governmental decisions affect daily life.

14. Identify economic impacts upon the culture.

15. Describe how global issues affect daily life.

16. Role play the legislative process.

17. Discuss major current events from a daily newspaper.

18. Recognize hardships faced during the western migration.

19. Define difference between a colony and a state.

20. Explain how the Industrial Revolution changed America.

21. Work effectively in a cooperative group.

22. Appreciate the diversity of the American experience.

23. Identify major land forms, (i.e., rivers, mountain ranges).

24. Explain how rich natural resources have been a blessing to

the United States.

25. Identify outstanding Americans in their historical context.

26. Appreciate cultural contributions (i.e., music, art, and

literature).

27. Use charts to interpret dates (i.e., music, art, and

literature).

28. Retrace major exploration routes.

29. Discuss and evaluate historical situations (e.g., the

American Revolution, slavery).

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 6

By the end of grade 6, students will be able to

1. Use source documents in a research project.

2. Locate and describe the seven continents.

3. Explain how literature and art may express cultural values.

4. Define the relationship between cohesion and diversity within

a culture.

5. Describe how history may be explained in various ways by

different scholars.

6. Interpret the past using valid historical tools.

7. Apply historical facts and concepts to current decision

making.

8. Relate how culture influences daily life.

9. Describe how communication and technology affect society.

10. Describe how conditions contribute to both conflict and

cooperation between nations and cultures.

11. Understand how communications and technology affect the

nation in a new, more global, world.

12. Explain how values and beliefs affect economic decisions.

13. Seek ethical solutions to technological and social issues.

14. Describe how conflict affects decisions and modern life.

15. Recognize differences between political systems in different

nations.

16. Discuss the power of the media in influencing public opinion.

17. Recognize major world landforms (i.e., oceans, rivers).

18. Explain how climate influences life in a place.

19. Identify functions of the national government.

20. Explain the benefit of laws and our legal system.

21. Identify how basic needs are met in underdeveloped nations.

22. Describe the impact of illustrations and visual information

on understanding.

23. Review the history of other nations or cultures.

24. Evaluate why some cities grow and others do not (i.e.,

London, Chicago, Kansas City, Mexico City).

25. Compare and differentiate between different cultures.

26. Create a historical mural of an era or period.

27. Distinguish between fact and opinion.

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 7

By the end of grade 7, students will be able to

1. Describe cultural values in different societies.

2. Apply historical inquiry to analyze past current issues.

3. Describe how economic concerns affect social issues.

4. Identify significant historical eras.

5. Analyze multiple viewpoints to understand events.

6. Calculate distance and scale on a map.

7. Explain physical phenomena regarding climate and weather.

8. Describe how human actions contribute to environments.

9. Understand how stereotyping and conformity affect behaviors of

individuals and groups.

10. Describe how institutions affect their lives.

11. Evaluate how well institutions fulfill their purposes.

12. Express their roles as world citizens.

13. Explain how economic forces affect culture.

14. Appreciate a diversity of cultural activities.

15. Participate in efforts to promote public welfare.

16. Appreciate benefits of literature to understand history and

cultural values.

17. Interpret editorial cartoons.

18. Identify major nations of the world on an outline map.

19. Identify the impact of demographics on a society, (i.e.,

migration, economic growth).

20. Recognize the existence of different economic systems.

21. Use biographical information to contrast and

compare historical figures.

22. Explain the historical significance of places (e.g., Panama

Canal).

23. Explain rationale for the development of banking systems.

24. Understand importance of growth of international trade.

25. Describe causes of conflict between nations.

26. Appreciate the impact of the Enlightenment on western

thought.

27. Interpret topographical maps.

28. Make hypotheses based on past events.

29. Recognize bias in literature and media.

OBJECTIVES FOR GRADE 8

By the end of grade 8, students will be able to

<*dv_0*>1. Describe the functions of the three branches of the federal

government.

2. Define components of culture and causes of culture clash.

3. Demonstrate benefit of diversity and the necessity of cohesion

within a culture.

4. Construct reasoned judgments about human issues.

5. Analyze causality, change, and conflicts regarding historical

events.

6. Use critical inquiry to interpret history.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of map reading regarding place,

size, and location.

8. Compare and propose a natural-resource use plan.

9. Describe how human growth and development affect actions.

10. Explain how individual rights and cultural norms may

conflict.

11. Assess how institutions impact life.

12. Analyze and evaluate how public policy is made, (e.g., the

Civil Rights Act of 1964).

13. Explain current issues in respect to historical events.

14. Explain the role of international institutions in forming

policy.

15. Describe how to affect and shape public policy.

16. Analyze their responsibility for citizenship.

17. Describe the importance of the Civil War in American history.

18. Explain how the Great Depression changed the role of the

federal government.

19. Analyze the American colonies as an economic effort.

20. Explain why people came to America.

21. Understand different roles of state and national government.

22. Review the rationale behind the policy of Manifest Destiny as

pursued by the United States in the 19th century.

23. Explain why the balance-of-power concept in the Constitution

is important.

24. Analyze how an issue may be seen from various points of view.

25. Demonstrate the ability to compromise.

26. Use bibliography cards to write a report.

27. Develop a plan for a model community.