NY Social Studies Standards (Grade 1)

An engaged and active citizen participates in the activities of the group or community and makes positive contributions. Students will participate in group activities and contribute to the work of the group.

Traits of a responsible citizen include respecting others, behaving honestly, helping others, obeying rules and laws, being informed, and sharing needed resources. Students will explain the traits of a responsible citizen and model actions of responsible citizens.

As global citizens, we are connected to people and cultures beyond our own community and nation, and we have a shared responsibility to protect and respect our world. Students will discuss ways that they can protect and respect our world and its people.

Rules and laws are developed to protect people’s rights and for the safety and welfare of the community. Students will discuss the difference between rules and laws, and determine why school rules were developed and what the consequences are of not following the rules.

Governments exist at the local, state, and national levels to represent the needs of the people, create and enforce laws, and help resolve conflicts. Students will begin to understand that there are local, state, and national levels of government and will identify some actions that the government takes.

Children can participate in problem solving, decision making, and conflict resolution within their home, school, and community. Students will be given opportunities to solve problems, make decisions, and resolve conflicts.

Scarcity means that people’s wants exceed their limited resources. Students will provide examples of scarcity by identifying wants that exceed resources.

Families and communities must make choices due to unlimited needs and wants, and scarce resources; these choices involve costs. Students will examine choices that families make due to scarcity, and identify costs associated with these choices.

People use tools, technologies, and other resources to meet their needs and wants. Students will examine how tools, technology, and other resources can be used to meet needs and wants.

Goods are consumable, tangible products; services are actions performed by a person or group of people with a certain skill. Students will identify examples of goods and services.

A producer makes goods or provides a service, while a consumer uses or benefits from the goods or services. Students will identify examples of a producer and a consumer.

People and families work to earn money to purchase goods and services that they need or want. Students will examine how earning money through work is related to the purchase of goods and services.

People make decisions about how to spend and save the money that they earn. Students will examine decisions that people make about spending and saving money.

Maps and map tools, such as legends and cardinal directions, can help us navigate from one place to the next, provide directions, or trace important routes. Students will use cardinal directions within the classroom to describe the locations of objects (e.g., desks, bookcases) and create a map of the classroom by using symbols to represent objects.

Maps are used to locate important places in the community, state, and nation, such as capitals, monuments, hospitals, museums, schools, and cultural centers. Students will use a map of the community and provide directions to another student on how to get from the school to another place identified on the map.

Symbols are used to represent physical features and man-made structures on maps and globes. Students will closely read maps making use of the legends to understand symbols and what they represent.

People and communities depend on the physical environment for natural resources. Students will identify natural resources required to meet basic needs.

Roads, dams, bridges, farms, parks, and dwellings are all examples of how people modify the physical environment to meet needs and wants. Students will identify how the physical environment of their community has been modified to meet needs and wants.

People interact with their physical environment in ways that may have a positive or a negative effect. Students will identify positive and negative effects that human interaction can have on the physical environment.

Families are a basic unit of all societies, and different people define family differently. Students will listen to stories about different families and will identify characteristics that are the same and different.

People and families of diverse racial, religious, national, and ethnic groups share their beliefs, customs, and traditions, which creates a multicultural community. Students will identify traditions that are associated with their families, and tell why the tradition is important.

Awareness of America’s rich diversity fosters intercultural understanding. Students will compare the cultural similarities and differences between various ethnic and cultural groups found in New York State.

The study of historical events, historical figures, and folklore enables Americans with diverse cultural backgrounds to feel connected to a common national heritage. Students will listen to stories about historical events, folklore, and popular historical figures and identify the significance of the event or person. Students will explain when and why celebrate national holidays such as Labor Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Law Day, and Independence Day are celebrated.

The Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic songs play an important role in understanding and examining the nation’s history, values, and beliefs. Students will be able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, to begin to understand its purpose and its general meaning, and to sing patriotic songs such as America the Beautiful, America (“My Country 'Tis of Thee”), and The Star Spangled Banner and begin to understand the general meaning of the lyrics.

Personal and family history is a source of information for individuals about the people and places around them. Students will create personal time lines of their life, school year, and family events with the help of family members. Students will demonstrate an understanding of sequence and chronology and share their time lines with each other.

Families change over time, and family growth and change can be documented and recorded. Students will examine the changes in their family over time and how the family growth and change could be documented and recorded.

Families of long ago have similarities and differences with families today. Students will examine families of the past and compare them with their family. They will identify characteristics that have been passed on through the generations.

Sequence and chronology can be identified in terms of days, weeks, months, years, and seasons when describing family events and histories. Students will use sequence and chronological terms when describing family events.

Various historical sources exist to inform people about life in the past, including artifacts, letters, maps, photographs, and newspapers. Students will be exposed to various historical sources, including artifacts, letters, maps, photographs, and newspapers.

Oral histories, biographies, and family time lines relate family histories. Students will interview family members to learn about their family histories. Students will develop a family time line as an extension of their personal time line. Students will describe the main characters and qualities after listening to biographies and legends.