1st grade Social Studies
15 units matched to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Kids see this subject as “My World”.
Focus areas
- History: where holidays come from, and people who shaped Texas and the nation
- Geography: directions, simple maps, and Texas and the United States on maps and globes
- Economics and government: goods and services, choices, rules, laws and public officials
- Citizenship and culture: state and national symbols, anthems and mottoes, and good citizens
Units
Unit 1
Maps
Reading a simple map with north at the top, using north, south, east and west, map symbols and legends, and near and far.
TEKS student expectation: 1.4(A) · reading and making simple maps of the classroom, school and community
Unit 2
Our Land
Natural and human-made features, how the land shapes how we live, and caring for it by reducing, reusing and recycling.
TEKS student expectation: 1.5(A); 1.5(B) · landforms, water, resources and weather, and how place shapes the way people live
Unit 3
My Community
Community helpers and places, plus rights, rules, roles and responsibilities at home, at school and in the community.
TEKS student expectation: 1.11(A); 1.12(A) · the helpers and responsibilities of people at home, at school and in the community
Unit 4
Community Services
Jobs that serve the community (fire, health, sanitation, libraries, transit) and services the government or community provides for everyone.
TEKS student expectation: 1.7(A); 1.9(B) · goods and services in the community and the jobs that provide them
Unit 5
Earning, Saving & Sharing
Practices how people earn income, why families save, sharing and bartering, choosing between needs and wants, and natural, human and capital resources.
TEKS student expectation: 1.7(B); 1.8(A); 1.8(B); 1.8(C) · exchanging goods and services, wanting more than we can have, and choices families make
Unit 6
Respect & Inclusion
Sharing, taking turns, listening, including others, and showing respect for people, belongings and the places we share.
TEKS student expectation: 1.12(A); 1.18(A) · respect, fairness and responsibility, and deciding together at school
Unit 7
Changes in My Life
Big life events (a new sibling, a move, starting school), how people's experiences are alike and different, and ordering events as a simple timeline.
TEKS student expectation: 1.17(A) · putting the events of a child's life in order on a timeline of past, present and future
Unit 8
School & Travel Long Ago
How schools and communities worked in the past, and how people traveled by wagon, stagecoach, sailing ship and steam train before cars and airplanes.
TEKS student expectation: 1.15(A); 1.15(B) · how technology changed family life, school and travel
Unit 9
Social Studies Detectives
The inquiry process: asking good questions, finding clues in people, photos, maps and charts, thinking about what they show and sharing what we learned.
TEKS student expectation: 1.16(A); 1.16(C); 1.16(D) · asking questions, gathering facts from sources and sorting information
Unit 10
Flags, Symbols & Songs
State and national symbols (the US and Texas flags, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty and the Alamo), the two pledges, our anthem and state song, the mottoes of Texas and the United States, and voting.
TEKS student expectation: 1.13(A); 1.13(B); 1.13(C); 1.13(D); 1.13(E) · state and national symbols, the pledges, anthems and mottoes, and voting to decide
Unit 11
People Who Made a Difference
The people the Texas standards name for Grade 1: Sam Houston, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.; good citizens Benjamin Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; and inventors Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Garrett Morgan.
TEKS student expectation: 1.2(A); 1.2(B); 1.12(B); 1.15(C) · historical figures who shaped Texas and the nation, good citizens, and inventors
Unit 12
Holidays & Celebrations
Where community, state and national holidays come from (Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day, Juneteenth and others) and how people celebrate them.
TEKS student expectation: 1.1(A); 1.1(B) · the origins of holidays of the community, state and nation, and how they are celebrated
Unit 13
Texas on the Map
The four cardinal directions, and finding the community, Texas and the United States on maps and globes, with Texas's capital, its neighbors and the Rio Grande.
TEKS student expectation: 1.3(B); 1.4(B) · the four cardinal directions, and locating the community, Texas and the United States on maps and globes
Unit 14
Rules, Laws & Leaders
Why homes, schools and communities have rules and laws, the people in charge at home and school, and what a mayor, the governor and the president do.
TEKS student expectation: 1.10(A); 1.10(B); 1.11(A); 1.11(B) · rules and laws, authority figures, and the roles of public officials
Unit 15
Families Near & Far
How families meet their needs for food, clothing and shelter in different places, family traditions and languages, and how families are alike and different.
TEKS student expectation: 1.6(A); 1.6(B); 1.14(A) · how families meet basic needs, and the beliefs, languages and traditions of families
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