Social Studies Curriculum

Kindergarten - Unit 2

• Themes, Understandings And Overarching Essential Questions For This Unit
  
• Specific Essential Questions For This Unit
  
• By The End Of This Unit Students Should Know
  
• By The End Of This Unit Students Should Be Able To
  
• Enrichment Resources

Themes, Understandings And Overarching Essential Questions For This Unit

• Understanding:    American Government exists to help its citizens.
• Essential Question:    What is the role of Government?

• Understanding: American citizens must be informed and involved in their government and communities.
• Essential Questions: How can I be a good citizen?  (What does it mean to be an American?)

• Understanding: Interactions between groups of people can benefit some, while harming others.
• Essential Question: How does interaction sometimes help some and hurt others?

Specific Essential Questions For This Unit

Theme 6: Power, Authority and Governance

• What are the symbols of our country?
• What does the American Flag represent?

Theme 7: Civil Ideals and Practices

• How do we celebrate holidays?
• What are our responsibilities as members of the classroom, school and Long Beach communities?

Theme 10: Connections

• How do my choices and actions affect myself and others?

By The End Of This Unit Students Should Know

• Key Idea: The American Flag is the symbol of our country, representing freedom and unity.
• Vocabulary: country, flag, freedom, harmony, patriotism, pledge, symbol, unity

• Key Idea: We have individual responsibilities as members of a community.
• Vocabulary: career, labor, responsibility, rules

• Key Idea: Our choices and actions affect ourselves and other members of our community.
• Vocabulary: choice, consequence, reward

By The End Of This Unit Students Should Be Able To

• Identify the American Flag as a symbol for the United States.
• Explain what the American Flag stands for.

• Identify rules of the classroom.
• Work well with others.

• Explain the results of a specific choice or action.

Enrichment Resources

Suggested Books

• Berenstain, Stan and Jan.  Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare.  New York:  Random House, 1988.  Brother Bear feels excited about joining Too-Tall Grizzly’s gang until the members dare him to steal one of Farmer Ben’s juicy watermelons.
• Candell, Arianna.  Mind Your Manners:  In School.  Hauppauge, New York:  Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2005.  Classmates create rules so that they can work well together. 
• Canizares, Susan et al.  Red, White, and Blue.  New York:  Scholastic Inc., 1999.  Simple text and photographs explore the colors of the American flag and present other American things that are red, white, or blue. 
• Demi.  The Empty Pot.  New York:  Henry Holt and Company, 1990.  A long time ago in china there was a boy named Ping who loved flowers.  Anything he planted burst into bloom.  The Emperor loved flowers too.  When it was time to choose an heir, he gave a flower seed to each child in the kingdom.  “Whoever can show me their best in a year’s time,” he proclaimed, “shall succeed me to the throne!” Ping plants his seed and tends it every day.  But month after month passes and nothing grows.  When spring comes, Ping must go the Emperor with nothing but an empty pot.  Demi’s exquisite art and beautifully simple text show how Ping’s embarrassing failure is turned triumphant in this satisfying tale of honesty rewarded.
• de Paola, Tomie.  Strega Nona.  New York:  Aladdin Paperback, 1975.  When Big Anthony ignores Strega Nona’s warning not to touch her magic pot, a flood of pasta threatens to cover the town.  This Caldecott Honor Book provides a lighthearted lesson about taking responsibility.
• Hamilton, Tisha and Jan Christy.  Play Fair, Have Fun:  A Flap Book About Making Good Choices. 
• Henkes, Kevin.  Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse.  New York:  Scholastic Inc., 1996.  School was a wonderful place to be until the day Lilly took her new glittery glasses and purple plastic purse to school.  She was so anxious to share her new things that she ignored her teacher’s warning to wait, and interrupted the class.  When her teacher took the things to keep for her until the end of the day, Lilly was furious.  She drew a terrible picture of Mr. Slinger and put it into his book bag.
• Lewison, Wendy Cheyette.  F is for Flag.  New York:  Grosset & Dunlap, 2002.  Celebrates the origin, symbolism, and power of the banner that represents the United States of America.
• Lionni, Leo.  It’s Mine!  New York:  Knopf, distributed by Random House, 1986.  Three selfish frogs quarrel over who owns their pond and island until a storm makes them value the benefits of sharing.
• Marzollo, Jean.  Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr.  (Scholastic Bookshelf).  New York:  Scholastic Paperbacks, 2006.  This biography provides information about the life of Dr. King and why he is celebrated in our country.
• Rockwell, Anne.  Career Day.  New York:  HarperCollins, 2000.  This book helps young readers explore the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
• Rockwell, Anne.  Presidents’ Day.  New York:  HarperCollins, 2008.  An introduction to Presidents Lincoln and Washington for young readers.
• Williams, Rozanne.  Cat and Dog at School.  California:  Creative Teaching Press, 1996.  Item CTP 3934.  Dog follows appropriate school rules.  Cat does not follow any rules.  Together they suggest developing rules and following them.

Internet Resources

• Jon Brett.  http://www.janbrett.com/flag_hooray.htm. This is a document for students to color.
• World Book.  Requires subscription. http://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/Article?id=ar830478