Young children are explorers and adventurers interacting with those around them. The purpose of history and social science is to enable children to understand and participate effectively in their world. The energy, curiosity and imagination of young children lead them to action and interaction within their surroundings. Foundational concepts and basic understandings are developed in history, geography, civics and economics at a very young age.

 

History	Geography	Economics	Civics
Block One	Block Three	Block Five	Block Seven
Similarities and Differences The child will identify ways in which people are alike and different	Location The child will develop an increased awareness of the physical relationship between and among people and places.	World of Work The child will develop an increased awareness of the kinds of work people do and the variety of tools people use on their jobs.	Citizenship The child will participate as a member/ citizen of a classroom community.
Block Two	Block Four	Block Six
Change Over Time The child will develop an awareness of change over time.	Descriptive Words The child will use words to indicate relative location of objects and people including direction words, comparison words, and attribute words.	Making Choices The child will identify that people have wants and make choices.

 

 

Block One: History- Similarities and Differences

History makes links between the child and home, between school and the wider community, between past and present. It links reasoning and imagination and begins with the child’s awareness of him or herself and others.

a) Recognize ways in which people are alike and different	History and Social Science: Similarities and Differences A
b) Describe his/her own unique characteristics and those of others	History and Social Science: Similarities and Differences B
c) Make the connection that he/she is both a member of a family and a member of a classroom community	History and Social Science: Similarities and Differences C
d) Engage in pretend play to understand self and others	History and Social Science: Similarities and Differences D
e) Participate in activities and traditions associated with different cultural heritages	History and Social Science: Similarities and Differences E

 

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Block 2: History- Change Over Time

Young children become aware of time through events specific to themselves and to people in their immediate surroundings. Begin the focus with the child’s own history, then when grandparents were children and then to periods beyond living memory.

a) Describe ways children have changed since they were babies	History and Social Science: Change Over Time A
b) Express the difference between past and present using words such as before, after, now, and then	History and Social Science: Change Over Time B
c) Order/sequence events and objects	History and Social Science: Change Over Time C
d) Ask questions about artifacts from everyday life in the past	History and Social Science: Change Over Time D
e) Recount episodes from stories about the past	History and Social Science: Change Over Time E
f) Take on a role from a specific time, use symbols and props, and act out a story/narrative	History and Social Science: Change Over Time F
g) Describe past times based on stories, pictures, visits, songs and music	History and Social Science: Change Over Time G

 

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Block 3: Geography- Location

The energy, curiosity and imagination of young children lead them to action and interaction with their environment. Being egocentric, they view their world from a narrow, limited perspective. They grow in their understanding as they become more aware of themselves in the social settings of their daily experiences – home, school, neighborhood, and community.

a) Identify and describe prominent features of the classroom, school, neighborhood, and community	History and Social Science: Geography- Location A
b) Engage in play where one item represents another – miniature vehicles, people, blocks	History and Social Science: Geography- Location B
c) Make and walk on paths between objects- ex., from the door to the window	History and Social Science: Geography- Location C
d) Represent objects in the order in which they occur in the environment	History and Social Science: Geography- Location D
e) Experience seeing things from different elevations	History and Social Science: Geography- Location E

 

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Block 4: Geography- Descriptive Words

As children learn more about their world, they use more words to express the new ideas and information needed to share what they know. Verbalizing helps children to solidify spatial concepts. Exposing children to a wide-variety of experiences helps build vocabulary. Students need to experience direction through movement and senses in order to describe their movements with words.

 

a) Use words to indicate relative location	History and Social Science: Geography-Descriptive Words A
b) Use words to describe features of locations in the environment and manmade structures found in stories and seen in everyday experiences	History and Social Science: Geography-Descriptive Words B
c) Develop control in using direction words on, under, over, behind, near, far, above, below, toward, and away - one direction at a time	History and Social Science: Geography-Descriptive Words C
d) Develop control in using comparison words– closer, farther away, taller, shorter, higher, lower, alike, different, inside, and outside	History and Social Science: Geography-Descriptive Words D
e) Develop fluency using attribute words -hard, soft, rough, smooth	History and Social Science: Geography-Descriptive Words E
f) Use labels and symbols for what the child has seen	History and Social Science: Geography-Descriptive Words F

 

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Block 5: Economics- World of Work

The principles of economics influence everyday routines of life. Concepts and understandings develop when young children explore individual interests and build on their own experiences and what they already know. Their interest in the work people do and the tools they use provides a strong foundation for economic basics.

 

a) Identify pictures of work and name the jobs people do	History and Social Science: Economics- World of Work A
b) Describe what people do in their community job	History and Social Science: Economics- World of Work B
c) Match tools to jobs	History and Social Science: Economics- World of Work C
d) Match job sites to work done	History and Social Science: Economics- World of Work D
e) Role-play the job of workers	History and Social Science: Economics- World of Work E

 

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Block 6: Economics- Making Choices

If young children are allowed to make choices, then making decisions for themselves as they grow becomes less difficult. Guiding young children to make simple choices will give them the experience and confidence to make good decisions on their own as they grow. Making good choices is at the heart of economic understanding and success.

a) Identify choices	History and Social Science: Economics- Making Choices A
b) Recognize that everyone has wants	History and Social Science: Economics- Making Choices B
c) Choose daily tasks	History and Social Science: Economics- Making Choices C
d) Role-play purchasing situations where choices are made	History and Social Science: Economics- Making Choices D

 

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Block 7: Civics- Citizenship

The early years are the ideal time for children to understand democratic norms and values (justice, equality, etc.) in their family, classroom and community. Applying these concepts to the nation and world will be easier if the child has experienced and appreciated them on a smaller scale. Democracies are built on the belief that people should be free, should have choices and opportunities, and should work together to make each other’s lives better. To maintain our democratic society, we must teach our children to be good citizens.

 

a) Cooperate with others in a joint activity	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship A
b) Recognize the need for rules to help get along with others	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship B
c) Participate in creating rules for the classroom	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship C
d) State personal plans for learning center activities	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship D
e) Participate in discussing and generating solutions to a class problem	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship E
f) Share thoughts and opinions in group settings	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship F
g) Demonstrate responsible behaviors in caring for classroom materials	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship G
h) Identify the needs of other people by helping them	History and Social Science: Civics- Citizenship H

 

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© Copyright 2007 Curriculum Enrichment Publications, LLC
Information on website may NOT be reproduced without express permission by Curriculum Enrichment Publications, LLC

Text on this page has been taken from and adapted to use for instructional purposes in Virginia classrooms. To access to Virginia Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds go to:
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Elem_M/FoundationBlocks.pdf. The acutal lesson plans are copyrighted by Curriculum Enrichment Publications LLC.