Kindergarten Social Studies Curriculum
Family-facing version of the kindergarten social studies curriculum
Quarterly Overview of Kindergarten Social Studies
The objectives and outcomes for each unit are common across FCPS and based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The pacing by quarter and by week provides an example of how the curriculum can be organized throughout the year. Teacher teams may adjust the pacing or order of units to best meet the needs of students.
Week 1Week 2Week 3
Week 4Week 5Week 6
Week 7Week 8Week 9
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Quarter 3
Units and Details
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate being a good citizen within their community, on and offline, by:
- Taking turns and sharing.
- Taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to others.
- Following rules and understanding consequences.
- Practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others.
- Understand how communities express patriotism through events and symbols such as:
- Recognizing the American flag.
- Recognizing the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Knowing that the president is the leader of the United States.
Students will consider:
- What is the same and different about rules in our homes, our classroom, our school, online, and in our community?
- What makes a rule a “good rule”?
- How do our choices affect others?
- What does the American flag mean to the diverse people in our community, nation, and world?
- How do people in our homes, classroom, and community define “patriotism”?
Students will be able to:
- Recognize that people make choices because they cannot have everything they want.
Students will consider:
- How do people make choices?
- Why can’t people always have everything they want?
Students will be able to:
- Describe relative location of people, places, and things using positional words.
Students will consider:
- How do we tell others where to find people, places, and things?
Students will be able to:
- Sequence events in the past and present and recognize that things change over time.
Students will consider:
- How have things changed over time?
- What can stories of the past teach us?
- How can we find out about the past?
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate being a good citizen within their community, on and offline, by:
- Taking turns and sharing.
- Taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to others.
- Following rules and understanding consequences.
- Practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others.
- Understand how communities express patriotism through events and symbols such as:
- Recognizing the American flag.
- Recognizing the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Recognizing the holiday and people associated with Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving.
Students will consider:
- What is the same and different about rules in our homes, our classroom, our school, online, and in our community?
- What makes a rule a “good rule”?
- How do our choices affect others?
- What does the American flag mean to the diverse people in our community, nation, and world?
- How do people in our homes, classroom, and community define “patriotism”?
Students will be able to:
- Use simple maps and globes to identify places and objects by:
- Developing an awareness that a map is a drawing of a place to show where things are located; a globe is a round model of the earth.
- Identifying places and objects of a familiar area.
- Understand that maps and globes model different perspectives such as:
- Showing a view from above.
- Showing things in a smaller size.
- Showing the position of objects.
Students will consider:
- How do maps and globes tell us more about our community?
- Why is it important to know where things are in your community?
Students will be able to:
- Use simple maps and globes to identify places and objects by:
- Developing an awareness that a map is a drawing of a place to show where things are located; a globe is a round model of the earth.
- Identifying places and objects of a familiar area.
- Understand that maps and globes model different perspectives such as:
- Showing a view from above.
- Showing things in a smaller size.
- Showing the position of objects.
Students will consider:
- How do maps and globes tell us more about our community?
- Why is it important to know where things are in your community?
Students will be able to:
- Sequence events in the past and present and begin to recognize that things change over time.
Students will consider:
- How have things changed over time?
- What can stories of the past teach us?
- How can we find out about the past?
- How might people honor and celebrate traditions and events of the past?
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate being a good citizen within their community, on and offline, by:
- Taking turns and sharing.
- Taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to others.
- Following rules and understanding consequences.
- Practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others.
- Participating in classroom decision making.
- Participating successfully in group settings.
- Understand how communities express patriotism through events and symbols such as:
- Recognizing the American flag.
- Recognizing the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Recognizing the holiday and people associated with Presidents’ Day.
Students will consider:
- What is the same and different about rules in our homes, our classroom, our school, online, and in our community?
- What makes a rule a “good rule”?
- How do our choices affect others?
- What does the American flag mean to the diverse people in our community, nation, and world?
- How do people in our homes, classroom, and community define “patriotism”?
- How might people honor and celebrate traditions and events of the past?
Students will be able to:
- Compare and contrast simple job descriptions of the work people do to earn money.
Students will consider:
- In what ways do people make choices?
- How do people satisfy their wants and needs?
- Why do people have jobs?
Students will be able to:
- Use simple maps and globes to identify places and objects.
- Understand that maps and globes model different perspectives.
- Describe how the location, climate, and physical surroundings of a community affect the way people live, including their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation.
Students will consider:
- How do maps and globes tell us more about our community?
- Why is it important to know where things are in your community?
- How does where we live affect how we live?
Students will be able to:
- Recognize that history describes events and people from other times and places.
- Sequence events in the past and present and begin to recognize that things change over time.
Students will consider:
- How have things changed over time?
- What can stories of the past teach us?
- How can we find out about the past?
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate being a good citizen within their community, on and offline, by:
- Taking turns and sharing.
- Taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to others.
- Following rules and understanding consequences.
- Practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others.
- Participating in classroom decision making.
- Participating successfully in group settings.
- Understand how communities express patriotism through events and symbols such as:
- Recognizing the American flag.
- Recognizing the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Knowing that the president is the leader of the United States.
- Recognizing the holiday and people associated with Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Juneteenth.
Students will consider:
- What is the same and different about rules in our homes, our classroom, our school, online, and in our community?
- What makes a rule a “good rule”?
- How do our choices affect others?
- What does the American flag mean to the diverse people in our community, nation, and world?
- How do people in our homes, classroom, and community define “patriotism”?
- How might people honor and celebrate traditions and events of the past?
Students will be able to:
- Compare and contrast simple job descriptions of the work people do to earn money.
Students will consider:
- In what ways do people make choices?
- How do people satisfy their wants and needs?
- Why do people have jobs?
Students will be able to:
- Use simple maps and globes to identify places and objects.
- Understand that maps and globes model different perspectives.
Students will consider:
- How do maps and globes tell us more about our community?
- Why is it important to know where things are in your community?
- How does where we live affect how we live?
Students will be able to:
- Sequence events in the past and present and begin to recognize that things change over time.
Students will consider:
- How have things changed over time?
- What can stories of the past teach us?
- How can we find out about the past?
Assessments
Student assessments are part of the teaching and learning process.
- Teachers give assessments to students on an ongoing basis to
- Check for understanding
- Gather information about students' knowledge or skills.
- Assessments provide information about a child's development of knowledge and skills that can help families and teachers better plan for next steps in instruction.
For testing questions or additional information about how schools and teachers use test results to support student success, families can contact their children's schools.
In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), kindergarten tests focus on basic literacy and numeracy development. Required tests for kindergarteners are:
- Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS): To measure self-control and the ability to successfully interact with peers and adults.
- Fall
- Spring
- Early Mathematics Assessment System (EMAS): To measure early mathematics abilities and growth.
- Fall
- Spring
- Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS): To identify gaps in foundational literacy skills and measure progress.
- Fall
- Winter
- Spring
