Geography, Humans, and the Environment
Unit description: Maps and globes are representations of Earth’s surface that are used to locate and better understand places and regions. In this unit, students will gain an understanding of this and learn to locate places and regions on a map. Students will also learn to locate physical features and man-made structures on a map (e.g., school, grocery store, train station, hospital), using geographic vocabulary. In addition, students will learn about climate and seasonal weather changes and how people and communities are affected by these changes.
Download the complete Kindergarten Social Studies Unit 3 framework to customize for your own planning.
Standards
- Standard 3- Geography
- Standard 5- Civics, Citizenship and Gov’t
Essential Questions and Big Ideas
Big Idea of the Unit: Understanding our physical environment helps us understand how people live.
- How do maps and globes help us better understand places?
- People use maps and gloves to understand where things are in relation to one another.
- How do we locate places, physical features, and man-made structures on a map or globe?
- Map keys, cardinal directions and titles help us to read maps.
- How do climate, seasonal weather changes, and the physical features associated with the community and region all affect how people live?
- Climate, seasonal weather changes, and the physical features impact jobs, resources and patterns to peoples daily lives.
Prerequisite Skills
In kindergarten, students study “Self and Others.” The course is organized into five units of study—Individual Development and Cultural Identity; Civic Ideals and Practices; Geography, Humans, and the Environment; Time, Continuity, and Change; and Economic Systems. These units represent five of the unifying themes of social studies, and may be presented in any order.