social studies Archives - Teacher's Brain

Introducing Constitution Day to Kids

September 16, 2022 teachersbrain Teaching Tips

Constitution Day is here and this is an excellent time to teach our elementary students about what this holiday is and why it is important to our nation’s history.

Why do we celebrate Constitution Day?

In September of 1787, our founding fathers signed the constitution which has become the most important and influential document in our country. To commemorate it, we now celebrate this day as a national holiday on September 17th.

This is a new concept to most of our early elementary students, so this is an excellent time of year to introduce the topic in a way that is engaging and fun for them so that they remember why this document is so important.

Constitution Day activities for elementary students

When teaching this subject, you want to start by explaining to students what this day means, why it’s so important, and who some of the founding fathers are that created and signed the constitution. This will give them the foundational knowledge they need to understand your Constitution Day lesson plans.

After covering the basics, make it fun! You can pull out some craft supplies or Constitution Day worksheets that students can use to better grasp the concept.

I created my interactive flip book to make it easy to incorporate learning about this important holiday in a way that students will enjoy.

These Constitution Day activities for kindergarten and first grade students include 15 printables, writing prompts, posters, a mini book, and more.

Here’s what’s included:

Pg. 1 Cover

Pg. 2 Lesson Plan

Pg. 3 Poster

Pg. 4 Instructions with a visual

Pg. 5- 7 Flip Book Pages where the student writes the word on the side of the flipbook

Pg. 8 – 15 Writing Prompts (primary or intermediate lined with self-check at the bottom)

Pg. 16 Mini Book

Pg. 17 Credits

Check it out here!

Students will love this engaging activity! If you want more social studies fun, make sure to check out my post here for tips on how to teach social studies to kindergarten and first grade students!

How to Teach Social Studies in Kindergarten and First Grade

September 9, 2022 teachersbrain Teaching Tips

Social studies is such an important topic for students to learn about starting at an early age. However, there are so many components included, that it can be hard to know where to even start.

What are the topics of social studies in elementary?

In kindergarten and first grade, we introduce our students to the basics of things like civics, community helpers, geography, history, and economics. Each of these elementary social studies topics are big and can seem a little overwhelming to younger learners so it’s important to introduce them in a fun, engaging, and easy-to-understand way.

What are some elementary social studies lessons and resources?

If you’re looking for social studies ideas or activities for your classroom, you’re in the right place! To make it easy to teach this subject in a fun way for early elementary students, I created my massive Social Studies Bundle.

This year-long comprehensive social studies curriculum is perfect for Kindergarten or 1st Grade students that are just getting started. This bundle includes 9 weeks of American History, 9 weeks of Geography, 9 weeks of Community Helpers, and 9 weeks of Civics and Governments.

Here’s what’s Included

►Unit 1 (9 Weeks) American History. (Timelines, History, Past, Then and NOW, Long Ago – Today, American Holidays and Celebrations, Honor, Holidays Around the World, American Symbols, George Washington, Lincoln, MLK, George Washington Carver, Ruby Bridges)

►Unit 2 (9 Weeks) Geography. (Maps, Globes, Landforms, Cardinal Directions, Write the Room Activities, Bodies of Water, Seasons, Me on the Map, Positional Words, Personal Informations)

►Unit 3 (9 Weeks) Civics and Government. (Primary Sources, Days of the Week, Months, Chronology, Calendar, Laws and Rules, Conflict vs Violence, Write the Room, Posters)

►Unit 4 (9 weeks) Community Helpers (Community Helpers, Songs, Crafts, Interactive Notebook Pages, Home Connection)

Each unit hits both Kindergarten and 1st Grade standards with detailed plans and 9 week at a glance guide. Each week follows the same routine so students get used to procedures after a couple of weeks. There are extra crafts and activities as well as home connection activities.

Bonus:

1-week plan for Money
1-week plan for Wants and Needs

These social studies worksheets and activities are engaging enough that your students will love learning! Check it out here!

For more ideas, check out my blog post here for fun ways to teach social skills!

What are your favorite ways to teach this subject in kindergarten and first grade? Let me know in the comments!

Everything You Need To Know To Teach Community Helpers

April 22, 2022 teachersbrain Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Let’s talk about community helpers! This is one of my favorite topics to teach because you can tell it just opens up a whole new world to little learners. They learn about all of these professions and sometimes they decide what they want to be when they grow up. If you are looking for some community helpers crafts and activities, you’re in the right place!

This is an important lesson because, among many other reasons, it helps students learn how a community works and the importance of working together.

So what is the role of community helpers?

Generally, this is anyone who helps our community function. They perform the day-to-day activities that we need in order to live our lives. They are incredibly important!

What are some examples of community helpers?

When making your community helpers list, think about professions like police officers, firefighters, teachers, doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks, and mailmen.

Here are some lesson ideas, community helpers activities, and community helpers printables to get you started!

Bring in guest speakers. This is an easy and fun one! Reach out to parents to see if they are a community helper. If so, invite them into your classroom to talk to your students about what it’s like. If not, you can reach out to local police officers, or fire stations and see if anyone would be interested in talking to the class.
Keep a journal. As students are learning about the different types of helpers, encourage them to keep a journal. They can write down what they have learned, draw pictures, store any community helpers crafts, etc.
Find places that help the community. You can sit with your students and brainstorm places where these helpers might work and take a virtual field trip! Search online for a video tour of one of these places for students to explore.
Discuss long ago vs. today. This is a great opportunity to explain to students how things have evolved and changed in our community.
Read some books about helpers in the community. This can be any book about doctors, teachers, police, mailmen, etc.

Don’t have time to plan? I have you covered. Check out my Community Helpers Worksheets resource! This download is nine weeks of lessons designed to easily create a journal for students to use, interactive notebook pages, posters, and so much more!

Here’s everything included

Weekly Detailed Lesson Plans for 9 Weeks
Home connection parent letter
Journal cover
Word Bank for the Journal
KWL
Printables to insert as a journal or use individually covering different helpers, tools and equipment, and today & long ago
Rubric for the journal
Nine interactive notebook pages (suggested to do once a week on Fridays)
Classroom posters

➜EXTRAS:

Poem/songs
Dial 911
Cut and label the police officer
Cut and label the firefighter
Volunteer art handprint gift
Sample of how to make the gift
Police officer hat/headband craft
Police badges
Firefighter hat

My biggest tip for teaching community helpers for kindergarten or first grade is to have fun! Students love exploring and learning about these different professions. For more tips on teaching this unit, check out my post here!

What are your favorite ways to teach this unit? Let me know in the comments!

Exciting Ways To Teach Community Helpers

August 13, 2021 teachersbrain education, kindergarten survival, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

One of the important lessons we cover in kindergarten or first grade is on the topic of community helpers. We generally consider this to be police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, construction workers, mail carriers, etc. This is a great way to teach about the different kinds of people who help in our community. It helps students further understand how a community works and the important roles these people play.

There are tons of ways you can teach this lesson and make it super fun and engaging for your students!

Here are some of my favorite ways to teach about community helpers.

Bring in guest speakers. Reach out to some of the community helpers in your area and ask them to come in and speak to the class! This can be parents in that profession, or friends. The guest can share what they do, how they help the community, and what a typical day in their profession looks like.
Keep a journal. As students are learning about the different community helpers, have them keep a journal about the different people. They can draw pictures of them in uniform and get some writing practice by writing a couple of sentences about who they are and what they do.
Discuss the differences between long ago and today. How were the jobs different? Are they easier now? This is a great activity to encourage critical thinking.
List the different occupations. Use this list to get students thinking about what they want to be when they grow up. They can write it in their journal and you can go around the classroom sharing.
Read books about community helpers. Whenever possible, adding a story or two about your topic will enrich your lessons.
Watch videos about community helpers. There are lots of options available on Youtube. This video includes a fun song for students to sing or dance along to.

Looking for more activities to do during your community helpers lesson? Check out my Community Helpers resource!

This download is nine weeks of lessons designed to easily create a journal for students to use, interactive notebook pages, posters, and so much more! It covers three topics, Community Jobs, Tools and Equipment for Jobs, and Today vs. Long Ago.

This resource covers 9 full weeks of detailed lesson plans. You’ll get everything listed above and some extras including poems and songs, how to dial 911, cut and label activities for different community helpers, a volunteer art handprint gift, police officer hat/headband, police badges, and firefighter hats. Everything you need for this exciting social studies topic!

What are your favorite ways to teach about this topic? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more social studies fun? Check out my year long social studies bundle for kindergarten and first grade!