Our classroom community
Students start the year by learning how a group of people lives and works together. They talk about classroom rules, fair choices, and what it means to be a good citizen at school and at home.
What does a student learn in
This is the year students step outside their own family and start to see how a community works. Students learn what rules are for, who helps run a school or town, and why people trade things they need. They also start reading simple maps and hearing stories about people from long ago. By spring, students can name a few community helpers, point to their state on a map, and explain why a rule is fair.
- Community helpers
- Rules and fairness
- Maps
- Needs and wants
- People long ago
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
Maps and where we live
Students learn that a map is a picture from above. They find their town, state, and country, and notice things like rivers, mountains, and weather that make a place feel different from other places.
- 3
Needs, wants, and money
Students sort the things people need from the things they want. They look at how families make choices when they cannot have everything, and how coins and bills are used to buy and save.
- 4
People and stories from long ago
Students hear stories about people and events from Pennsylvania, the country, and the wider world. They put events in order and notice how life today is the same and different from life back then.
- 5
Leaders and our country
Students learn who leads their town, state, and country, and why countries have leaders and laws. They talk about national holidays, symbols like the flag, and ways neighbors and nations work together.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 1.
Civics and Government
Civics and Government
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Principles and Documents
Students learn what the U.S. and Pennsylvania governments stand for and get familiar with the key documents, like the Constitution, that set the rules for how those governments work.
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Rights and Responsibilities
Citizens have rights (things they are allowed to do) and responsibilities (things they are expected to do). Students learn why following shared rules and laws matters for everyone in a community.
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Government Structure
Students learn what different levels of government do, from the mayor and city council in their town to the governor in the state capital to the President and Congress in Washington, D.C.
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International Relations
Nations are countries, and they don't just stay inside their own borders. Students learn how countries work together (or disagree) through talking, trading, and making agreements.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Principles and Documents | Students learn what the U.S. and Pennsylvania governments stand for and get familiar with the key documents, like the Constitution, that set the rules for how those governments work. | PA-SS.CIV.1.1 |
| Rights and Responsibilities | Citizens have rights (things they are allowed to do) and responsibilities (things they are expected to do). Students learn why following shared rules and laws matters for everyone in a community. | PA-SS.CIV.1.2 |
| Government Structure | Students learn what different levels of government do, from the mayor and city council in their town to the governor in the state capital to the President and Congress in Washington, D.C. | PA-SS.CIV.1.3 |
| International Relations | Nations are countries, and they don't just stay inside their own borders. Students learn how countries work together (or disagree) through talking, trading, and making agreements. | PA-SS.CIV.1.4 |
Economics
Economics
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Scarcity and Choice
Scarcity means there is never enough of everything, so people must choose what to get or do. Students learn why having to choose means giving something else up, and how that trade-off shapes decisions at home and in the wider world.
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Markets and Economic Systems
Markets are places where people buy and sell things. Students learn how prices and competition shape who gets what goods and services, and why the same item might cost more in one place than another.
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Money and Banking
Students learn what money is, why people use it to buy and sell things, and how banks help people save and borrow. This is the foundation for understanding how earning, spending, and saving connect in everyday life.
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Economic Decision Making
Students look at a simple choice, like spending or saving a coin, and think through what they give up to make it. That same thinking applies to bigger community questions, like how a town decides to spend shared money.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Scarcity and Choice | Scarcity means there is never enough of everything, so people must choose what to get or do. Students learn why having to choose means giving something else up, and how that trade-off shapes decisions at home and in the wider world. | PA-SS.ECON.1.1 |
| Markets and Economic Systems | Markets are places where people buy and sell things. Students learn how prices and competition shape who gets what goods and services, and why the same item might cost more in one place than another. | PA-SS.ECON.1.2 |
| Money and Banking | Students learn what money is, why people use it to buy and sell things, and how banks help people save and borrow. This is the foundation for understanding how earning, spending, and saving connect in everyday life. | PA-SS.ECON.1.3 |
| Economic Decision Making | Students look at a simple choice, like spending or saving a coin, and think through what they give up to make it. That same thinking applies to bigger community questions, like how a town decides to spend shared money. | PA-SS.ECON.1.4 |
Geography
Geography
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Geographic Tools and Spatial Concepts
Students learn to read simple maps and globes to find and describe places, like their neighborhood, their country, or faraway regions of the world.
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Physical Characteristics
Students describe what makes a place look and feel the way it does, like whether the land is flat or hilly, whether the weather is cold or rainy, and what plants and animals live there.
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Human Characteristics
Students look at what makes a neighborhood or region feel like home to the people there. That includes how families live, how communities are built, and how people earn and spend money.
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Human-Environment Interaction
Students learn why people change the land around them (building roads, clearing fields) and how those changes affect the place where they live.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Geographic Tools and Spatial Concepts | Students learn to read simple maps and globes to find and describe places, like their neighborhood, their country, or faraway regions of the world. | PA-SS.GEO.1.1 |
| Physical Characteristics | Students describe what makes a place look and feel the way it does, like whether the land is flat or hilly, whether the weather is cold or rainy, and what plants and animals live there. | PA-SS.GEO.1.2 |
| Human Characteristics | Students look at what makes a neighborhood or region feel like home to the people there. That includes how families live, how communities are built, and how people earn and spend money. | PA-SS.GEO.1.3 |
| Human-Environment Interaction | Students learn why people change the land around them (building roads, clearing fields) and how those changes affect the place where they live. | PA-SS.GEO.1.4 |
History
History
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Historical Analysis
Students look at people, events, and ideas from the past and explain why they happened or why they matter. This is the core habit of thinking like a historian, practiced at a first-grade level.
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Pennsylvania History
Students learn about important people and events from Pennsylvania's past and how they connect to bigger moments in American history.
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United States History
Students learn about important moments in American history that are right for first grade, like the story of how the country began or why certain holidays exist.
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World History
Students learn about important events and people from history around the world, like ancient civilizations, famous leaders, or major changes that shaped how people live today.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Historical Analysis | Students look at people, events, and ideas from the past and explain why they happened or why they matter. This is the core habit of thinking like a historian, practiced at a first-grade level. | PA-SS.HIST.1.1 |
| Pennsylvania History | Students learn about important people and events from Pennsylvania's past and how they connect to bigger moments in American history. | PA-SS.HIST.1.2 |
| United States History | Students learn about important moments in American history that are right for first grade, like the story of how the country began or why certain holidays exist. | PA-SS.HIST.1.3 |
| World History | Students learn about important events and people from history around the world, like ancient civilizations, famous leaders, or major changes that shaped how people live today. | PA-SS.HIST.1.4 |
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 this year?
Students learn about being part of a community. That means rules at school and home, jobs people do, simple maps of familiar places, and stories from the past. Most lessons start with what students already know, like their family, neighborhood, and town.
How can families help with social studies at home?
Talk about your neighborhood on short walks or drives. Point out the grocery store, fire station, library, and park. Ask who works there and how the place fits into the community. Five minutes of real conversation does more than a worksheet.
My child barely knows left from right. Are maps really age-appropriate?
Yes, but the maps stay simple. Students draw their classroom, their bedroom, or the route from home to school. The goal is understanding that a map stands for a real place, not memorizing states or countries.
What should students know about money at this age?
Students learn that people cannot buy everything they want and have to choose. Letting students help pick one item at the store, or save coins in a jar for something small, builds the same idea lessons cover in class.
How should the year be sequenced?
Most teachers start close to home and move outward. Self and family first, then classroom and school, then neighborhood and town, then Pennsylvania, then the country. History and geography fit naturally into each stop along the way.
Which parts usually need the most reteaching?
Wants versus needs gets confused all year, since students often label everything a need. Past, present, and future also take repeated practice. Short, frequent check-ins work better than one long unit.
How much Pennsylvania history belongs in first grade?
Keep it concrete. State symbols, a few well-known places like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and one or two people from the past students can picture. Save dates and documents for later grades.
What does mastery look like by the end of the year?
Students can name rules and why they matter, describe a few community jobs, read a simple map with a key, and tell a short story about something that happened before they were born. Comfort with the ideas matters more than memorized facts.
How can families talk about history with a six-year-old?
Share family stories. Show old photos and explain who is in them and when they were taken. Ask grandparents what school or toys were like when they were little. History feels real when it starts with people students know.