CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
UNIT OVERVIEW
The Earth, Our Home Unit points out that Earth, our world, is home to all living things. This
unit will teach the children about Earth’s land and waters. Lastly, the children will learn how
important it is to take care of this planet and conserve our natural resources.
For this Unit Students will:
Recognize that the U.S. is made up of 50 states, and that we each live in a state as well as a
country.
Use a compass rose to help locate place on a map.
Identify Earth’s countries, continents and four oceans.
Identify the major forms of land and water found on Earth.
Identify and locate landforms and bodies of water on a map.
Identify ways people adapt to and change the environment.
Identify some natural resources and how to preserve them.
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Student Goals:
Unit Overview Template
Content Area: Social Studies
Unit Title: Earth, Our Home
Target Course/Grade Level: Second Grade
Unit Summary
In this Unit, children will learn about their state, country and world. They will identify landforms
such as, river, lakes, plains, mountain, hills etc. Lastly, the children will learn about its natural
resources and how it impacts where and how people live, work and play.
The children will also learn how to read maps and locate landforms on these maps using a compass
rose and map keys. They will identify that there are different maps used for retrieving different
information.
Lastly the children will learn about the natural resources our world has and how to preserve them
so they will provide us with the resources we need to function in our world. The students will
discover that our interaction with the environment impacts our world.
This unit will be done through the months of November and December. Through this Unit the
students will learn about their world and the importance of the resources the world provides for us
to live.
Primary interdisciplinary connections: ILA
21st century themes: Global Awareness
Unit Rationale: The purpose of this Unit is for the students to learn about their world and the way it
functions so we can better take care of it and respect the resources it provides for us.
Learning Targets
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Standards:
6.1 U.S. History: America in the World All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think
analytically about how past and present interactions of people, cultures , and the environment shape
the American heritage . Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions that
reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and
global communities.
Content Statements:
6.1.A The world is comprised of nations that are similar to and different from the United States.
6.1.B Spatial thinking and geographic tools can be used to describe and analyze the spatial patterns
and organization of people, places, and environments on Earth.
CPI #
6.1.4.A.14
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
Describe how the world is divided into many nations that have their own governments,
languages, customs, and laws.
6.1.4.B.1
Compare and contrast information that can be found on different types of maps, and
determine when the information may be useful.
Use physical and political maps to explain how the location and spatial relationship of
places in New Jersey, the United States, and other areas, worldwide, have contributed to
cultural diffusion and economic interdependence.
Describe how landforms, climate and weather, and availability of resources have impacted
where and how people live and work in different regions of New Jersey and the United
States.
Describe how human interaction impacts the environment in New Jersey and the United
States.
Compare ways people choose to use and divide natural resources.
6.1.4.B.2
6.1.4.B.4
6.1.4.B.5
6.1.4.B.8
Unit Essential Questions
How many states are in the United States?
What are state symbols?
What is a compass rose?
Unit Enduring Understandings
There are 50 states in our country.
A state symbol is the state flag, state bird, state
flower and state tree.
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
How many continents and oceans?
What are landforms?
What is a natural resource and how do people
adapt to and change the environment?
A compass rose helps us to tell directions on a
map.
There are 7 continents and 4 oceans.
Landforms include rivers, ocean, mountain,
lakes, islands, etc.
Natural resources are something in nature that
people use.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will know and be able to...
Identify how many states are in the United States.
Name the 7 continents and four oceans in our world.
Compare our state symbols from other states in our country.
Record the natural resources we depend on in our world.
Discuss how we can protect our natural resources.
Read maps using a compass rose and its map symbols.
List landforms that make up our state, country and world.
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment
McGraw Hill’s People Together assessments, teacher created
Equipment needed:
People Together Big Book, United States and World Maps, Atlas, United Streaming,
Teacher Resources: McGraw Hill People Together Teacher Edition
Formative Assessments
Participation during discussions, read alouds
and observations. Completion of activities and
teacher observations.
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Lesson 1
Our World
Timeframe
3 -4 Days
Lesson 2
Looking at Earth
3- 4 Days
Lesson 3
Our Natural Resources
2- 3 Days
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Teacher Notes:
Curriculum Development Resources
Click the links below to access additional resources used to design this unit:
unitedstreaming.org
Lesson Plan 1
Content Area: Social Studies
Lesson Title: Our World
Timeframe: 3 -4 days
Lesson Components
21st Century Themes
Global Awareness
Financial, Economic,
Business, and
Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic Literacy
Health Literacy
Information
Literacy
21st Century Skills
Creativity and
Innovation
Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Communication
and Collaboration
Media Literacy
ICT Literacy
Life and Career Skills
Interdisciplinary Connections: ILA, Math
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Integration of Technology: smartboard, united streaming
Equipment needed: McGraw Hill People Together Big Book and teacher edition (pgs. 40A – 51)
Goals/Objectives
Students will:
Locate their state and
recognize that the
U.S. is made up of 50
states.
Recognize that each
state has its own
symbols.
Identify different
kinds of maps; there
uses and how we use
a compass rose to tell
directions.
Describe how the
world is divided up
and find adjacent
countries and identify
the seven continents
and four oceans.
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies
Formative Assessment
Tasks
Discussion
Think/Pair/Share
Observations
Diagramming/Mapping
Researching
Lesson Sequence
Introduction
Teach/Model/Demonstrate
Guided Practice/Independent Practice
Record Findings
Closure
Differentiation: Lessons will be planned with assessment and instructional strategies that address
the various learning modalities of children, namely auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Lessons will
also be modified as needed as per IEPs or 504 Plans. In addition, student learning will be extended
for those learners who are ready to pursue enrichment opportunities.
Lesson Plan 2
Content Area: Social Studies
Lesson Title: Looking at Earth
Timeframe: 3-4 days
Lesson Components
21st Century Themes
Global Awareness
Financial, Economic,
Business, and
Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic Literacy
Health Literacy
Information
Literacy
21st Century Skills
Creativity and
Innovation
Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Communication
and Collaboration
Media Literacy
ICT Literacy
Life and Career Skills
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Interdisciplinary Connections: ILA, Math
Integration of Technology: smartboard, unitedstreaming,
Equipment needed: McGraw Hill People Together Big Book (Pgs. 52A – 59)
Goals/Objectives
Students will:
Identify the major
forms of land and the
major types of bodies
of water found on
Earth.
Identify and locate
landforms and bodies
of water on a map.
Describe how these
landforms impact
where and how people
live.
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies
Lesson Sequence
Introduction
Teach/Model/Demonstrate
Guided Practice/Independent Practice
Record Findings
Closure
Formative Assessment
Tasks
Discussion
Think/Pair/Share
Observations
Mapping
Differentiation: Lessons will be planned with assessment and instructional strategies that address
the various learning modalities of children, namely auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Lessons will
also be modified as needed as per IEPs or 504 Plans. In addition, student learning will be extended
for those learners who are ready to pursue enrichment opportunities.
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Lesson Plan 3
Content Area: Social Studies
Lesson Title: Our Natural Resources
Timeframe: 2-3 days
Lesson Components
21st Century Themes
Global Awareness
Financial, Economic,
Business, and
Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic Literacy
Health Literacy
Information
Literacy
21st Century Skills
Creativity and
Innovation
Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Communication
and Collaboration
Media Literacy
ICT Literacy
Life and Career Skills
Interdisciplinary Connections: ILA, Science
Integration of Technology: smartboard, unitedstreaming
Equipment needed: McGraw Hill People Together Big Book (pgs. 60A – 63)
Goals/Objectives
Students will:
Identify ways people
adapt to and change
the environment.
Identify some natural
resources we use and
how we can preserve
our natural resources
to conserve.
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies
Lesson Sequence
Introduction
Teach/Model/Demonstrate
Guided Practice/Independent Practice
Record Findings
Closure
Formative Assessment
Tasks
Discussion
Think/Pair/Share
Observations
Diagramming
Differentiation: Lessons will be planned with assessment and instructional strategies that address
the various learning modalities of children, namely auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Lessons will
also be modified as needed as per IEPs or 504 Plans. In addition, student learning will be extended
for those learners who are ready to pursue enrichment opportunities.
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.
CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Curriculum Design Template
Content Area:
Course Title:
Grade Level:
5 weeks
5 weeks
5 weeks
5 weeks
Date Created:
Board Approved on:
Created for the Chester School District through committee work in order to provide the students of Chester with a high quality program. In
addition, the goal was to provide the teachers with a workable template for instruction that will allow for common pacing, common formative and
summative assessment, and common educational standards/vocabulary in order to bring about grade and building level discussions for
enrichment and intervention strategies.