Andrew's Friends Pre-School Curriculum - Social Studies

*Social studies teaches students about how people live, work, get along with others, solve problems, make changes in their world and are changed by their world. For young children, the family, school,neighborhood and community offer first-hand experiences that introduce them to the foundation for learning social studies.
* In preschool, simple board games help children understand rules of participation (citizenship), while the challenge of riding around a tricycle path teaches mapping (geography) concepts and skills. Children learn about time (history) from the daily, predictable routines established - a story before rest time, or outdoor play after lunch. When a play area is set up as a grocery store, children can explore the concepts of jobs and the buying and selling of goods (economics). The content of social studies is also a familiar theme in many books and poems for young children.
History
What this means: Understanding events that have happened in the past.
What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance:
* Begin to use words describing time such as day, night, yesterday, tomorrow and today.
* Label days by what's happening that day such as school days, weekends, birthdays or vacation days.
* Be able to tell things that happened when he or she was younger.
Check your understanding: Remembering Past Events
Look at photographs together. Family photographs showing you and your child at different ages are good choices. Ask your child, "What do you remember about this picture?"
* Share personal family stories and traditions - "When I was little...", "When Grandpa was a boy...".
People in Societies
What this means: Identifying how people are alike and different by the music they like, the food they eat, where they live and family events they enjoy.
What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance:
* Identify the ways we belong to different groups - family, friends, preschool class, boys or girls.
* Use stories, folktales, music and art to learn about the traditions and customs of other countries.
Geography
What this means: Identifying the location of places such as home, school or park, understanding how places are connected such as the streets traveled from home to the park and how living in that place changes over time.
What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance:
* Use words that describe location such as up or down, over or under, here or there, front or back.
* Recite home address when asked.
* Know how to get around familiar environments such as home, neighborhood or preschool without getting lost (with help from an adult).
* Describe the area near the home such as streets, other buildings, woods, lakes or parks when walking with an adult.
* Tell how natural resources are used such as using water for drinking or bathing, or dirt needed for planting flowers or gardens.
Economics
What this means: Learning the difference between what we need and want, who provides us with those items and services (producers) and who buys or uses the items (consumers).
What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance:
* Recognize that people have many things they may want and many things they may need.
* Learn how to obtain what he or she wants in an acceptable way such as sharing items, taking turns or trading items fairly.
* Understand the concepts of supplying goods and services and using goods and services by activities such as playing store.
Check your understanding: Goods and Services
Goods: Objects you might purchase such as food, clothing or toys.
Services: Actions you might pay someone to do for you such as cutting hair, fixing a car or babysitting.
Government
What this means: Understanding how government helps us and how it works.
What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance:
* Identify adults who provide help and care such as parents, teachers and police officers.
* Recognize the flag of the United States as a symbol of our government.
* Understand the need for classroom rules and why it is important to follow them.
Check your understanding: Importance of Rules
Talk about rules with your child, including traffic rules and safety rules at the swimming pool or park.
Talk about what might happen if there were no rules or if we did not obey the rules.
Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities
What this means: Preparing to become active, responsible citizens.
What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance:
* Cooperate in classroom activities and at home by helping, taking turns and sharing with others.
* Learn how to solve arguments with other children using words to work out the problems.
* Show that he or she can make choices and follow through on plans.
* Understand the results of making choices. For example, picking up toys makes the room safer and keeps toys from being broken.
Social Studies Skills and Methods
What this means: Collecting information, organizing it and using it to make decisions.
What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance:
* Listen for information when others are talking about books, stories or events.
* Begin to make predictions (what might happen next) after listening to and talking about stories and events.
* Share information by talking about,drawing pictures or acting out an idea.

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