Our classroom community
Students start the year learning how to be part of a group. They practice fairness, listening, taking turns, and helping make classroom rules everyone can follow.
What does a student learn in
This is the year students step outside their own family and start seeing themselves as part of a bigger group. Students ask questions about their school and neighborhood, look at simple maps to find where they live, and learn the rules that help people get along. They also hear stories about people from the past and from different backgrounds in Maryland. By spring, students can name a rule, point to their town on a map, and explain why people share and trade.
- Rules and fairness
- Maps
- Community helpers
- Wants and needs
- Stories from the past
- Maryland neighborhoods
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Where we live
Students learn to read simple maps of the classroom, school, and neighborhood. They notice landforms, weather, and how places in Maryland look different from one another.
- 3
Needs, wants, and choices
Students sort needs from wants and see how families make choices with limited money and time. They begin to understand saving, spending, and trading.
- 4
People who lead and help
Students meet leaders in the school, town, and state. They learn what rules and laws do, who makes them, and why citizens have both rights and responsibilities.
- 5
Then and now
Students compare life today with life long ago in Maryland and beyond. They use photos, stories, and timelines to see what has changed and what has stayed the same.
- 6
Many people, many stories
Students hear stories from families and communities across Maryland and the world. They notice traditions, languages, and the ways people have worked toward fairness.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 1.
Inquiry, Disciplinary Skills, and Processes
Inquiry, Disciplinary Skills, and Processes
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Develop Questions and Plan Inquiries
Students ask questions about people, places, and events they want to understand better, then figure out how to find answers through reading, talking to others, or looking at pictures and maps.
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Evaluate Sources and Use Evidence
Students look at pictures, books, or stories from the past and decide whether a source can be trusted. They use what they find to back up an idea they want to share.
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Communicate Conclusions
Students share what they learned by writing, drawing, or talking about it. Then they use that knowledge to do something, like help their class or community.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Develop Questions and Plan Inquiries | Students ask questions about people, places, and events they want to understand better, then figure out how to find answers through reading, talking to others, or looking at pictures and maps. | MD-SS.INQ.1.1 |
| Evaluate Sources and Use Evidence | Students look at pictures, books, or stories from the past and decide whether a source can be trusted. They use what they find to back up an idea they want to share. | MD-SS.INQ.1.2 |
| Communicate Conclusions | Students share what they learned by writing, drawing, or talking about it. Then they use that knowledge to do something, like help their class or community. | MD-SS.INQ.1.3 |
Civics
Civics
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Civic Reasoning and Participation
Students practice the habits that make groups work: taking turns, listening to others, and following rules that treat everyone fairly. These habits show up in the classroom, at home, and in the wider community.
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Government Institutions
Students learn what state, national, and tribal governments do and how they work together. They look at who makes rules, who carries them out, and how the different levels of government are connected.
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Rights, Laws, and Public Issues
Students learn what rights and responsibilities citizens have, then look at real rules and laws to see how they help people solve everyday problems in their community.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Civic Reasoning and Participation | Students practice the habits that make groups work: taking turns, listening to others, and following rules that treat everyone fairly. These habits show up in the classroom, at home, and in the wider community. | MD-SS.CIV.1.1 |
| Government Institutions | Students learn what state, national, and tribal governments do and how they work together. They look at who makes rules, who carries them out, and how the different levels of government are connected. | MD-SS.CIV.1.2 |
| Rights, Laws, and Public Issues | Students learn what rights and responsibilities citizens have, then look at real rules and laws to see how they help people solve everyday problems in their community. | MD-SS.CIV.1.3 |
Economics
Economics
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Economic Decision Making
Choosing one thing means giving up something else. Students look at two or more options, think about what each one costs or gives back, and explain which choice makes more sense.
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Markets and Exchange
Students learn why prices change at a store and how businesses compete to sell things. This is the beginning of understanding how buying and selling connects their neighborhood to the rest of the world.
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Personal Finance
Students learn what to do with money: when to spend it, when to save it, and why some people borrow or invest it. Real choices, like buying a snack or putting coins in a piggy bank, are the starting point.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Decision Making | Choosing one thing means giving up something else. Students look at two or more options, think about what each one costs or gives back, and explain which choice makes more sense. | MD-SS.ECON.1.1 |
| Markets and Exchange | Students learn why prices change at a store and how businesses compete to sell things. This is the beginning of understanding how buying and selling connects their neighborhood to the rest of the world. | MD-SS.ECON.1.2 |
| Personal Finance | Students learn what to do with money: when to spend it, when to save it, and why some people borrow or invest it. Real choices, like buying a snack or putting coins in a piggy bank, are the starting point. | MD-SS.ECON.1.3 |
Geography
Geography
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Geographic Representations
Students look at maps, photos, and simple data to figure out what a place looks like and how it connects to nearby places.
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Human-Environment Interaction
Students look at why people build differently, dress differently, or farm differently depending on where they live, like how Marylanders near the coast live differently from those near the mountains.
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Movement and Connections
Students look at why people move to new places and how those moves spread languages, foods, and traditions from one community to another.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Geographic Representations | Students look at maps, photos, and simple data to figure out what a place looks like and how it connects to nearby places. | MD-SS.GEO.1.1 |
| Human-Environment Interaction | Students look at why people build differently, dress differently, or farm differently depending on where they live, like how Marylanders near the coast live differently from those near the mountains. | MD-SS.GEO.1.2 |
| Movement and Connections | Students look at why people move to new places and how those moves spread languages, foods, and traditions from one community to another. | MD-SS.GEO.1.3 |
History
History
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Continuity and Change
Students look at how life, tools, or communities changed over time and what stayed the same, from their own neighborhood to places farther away.
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Perspectives
Students look at the same event through more than one set of eyes, asking how different people in Maryland, including different communities, might have lived it or understood it differently.
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Causation and Argumentation
Students look at something that happened in the past, figure out why it happened, and explain what changed because of it. They back up their thinking with facts from what they read or heard.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Continuity and Change | Students look at how life, tools, or communities changed over time and what stayed the same, from their own neighborhood to places farther away. | MD-SS.HIST.1.1 |
| Perspectives | Students look at the same event through more than one set of eyes, asking how different people in Maryland, including different communities, might have lived it or understood it differently. | MD-SS.HIST.1.2 |
| Causation and Argumentation | Students look at something that happened in the past, figure out why it happened, and explain what changed because of it. They back up their thinking with facts from what they read or heard. | MD-SS.HIST.1.3 |
Peoples of the Nation and World
Peoples of the Nation and World
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Diverse Communities and Cultures
Students look at how different people, families, and groups live, work, and see the world, starting with Maryland and reaching out to other places and countries.
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Movements for Equity
Students look at moments in history when people organized to demand fair treatment, such as marching, voting, or speaking out. They connect those past efforts to changes still happening today.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Diverse Communities and Cultures | Students look at how different people, families, and groups live, work, and see the world, starting with Maryland and reaching out to other places and countries. | MD-SS.PEOPLES.1.1 |
| Movements for Equity | Students look at moments in history when people organized to demand fair treatment, such as marching, voting, or speaking out. They connect those past efforts to changes still happening today. | MD-SS.PEOPLES.1.2 |
No state assessments at this grade
Students take their next one in Grade 4.
NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)
Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.
- When given:
- biennial in winter
- Frequency:
- every two years
Common Questions
What does social studies look like in first grade?
Students learn how their school, neighborhood, and family fit into a bigger world. They look at maps, talk about rules and fairness, learn about jobs and money, and hear stories from the past. Most of the work happens through pictures, read-alouds, and class discussion.
How can I help with social studies at home?
Talk about your neighborhood on walks or drives. Point out street signs, parks, stores, and who works there. Look at family photos and tell short stories about when you were little. Five minutes of real conversation does more than a worksheet.
Does a first grader really need to learn about money?
At this age, money work is simple. Students think about wanting something, saving for it, and choosing between two things they cannot both have. A piggy bank or a small allowance jar at home makes this real.
How can students practice asking good questions?
When a child wonders about something, write the question down and look it up together. Ask follow-ups like why do you think that, or how could we find out. Curiosity is the main skill this year.
How should the year be sequenced?
Most teachers start close to home with self, family, and classroom, then move out to school, neighborhood, and Maryland. Save bigger ideas like government, history, and world cultures for later in the year, once students have language for community and rules.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Reading a simple map, telling past from present, and supporting an opinion with a reason. Students often confuse what they think with what a picture or text actually shows. Plan to revisit these across every unit, not just once.
How do students show learning when most cannot write much yet?
Drawings, labeled pictures, sorting activities, and short class discussions carry most of the evidence. A sentence stem like I think because gives students a way to share thinking out loud. Photos of student work and quick anecdotal notes are enough.
How do I know a student is ready for second grade?
By spring, students should describe their community, follow and explain a class rule, read a basic map with a key, and tell a short story about the past using a picture or book. They should also share an opinion and give one reason for it.