Standard Course of Study :: Social Studies — Grade 1

LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Goal 5

The learner will express geographic concepts in real life situations.

Objective 5.03

Use geographic terminology and tools to create representations of the earth's physical and human features through simple maps, models, and pictures.

Resources aligned to this objective

Lesson plans on the web

Arctic terns from north to south
Students map the arctic tern's migration route and consider why it migrates so far. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Science and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Back in the olden days
In this Xpeditions lesson, students discuss what it might have been like when, and where, their parents and grandparents grew up. The students conduct interviews to see if their guesses were right. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Barbaloot suits: Preserving biodiversity
Students learn about how and why National Geographic Emerging Explorer Mark Olson studies plants. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Social Studies and Science)
Provider: National Geographic
Beautiful Blue Nile
Students learn about the Blue Nile and compare it to a river in the United States. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Big island pool: Igneous rocks and the anatomy of a volcano
Students will learn about the rocks that are formed when a volcano erupts: igneous rocks. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies and Science)
Provider: National Geographic
Caribou migration
Students will learn some basic facts about caribou and map the migration route of the Porcupine caribou herd of Alaska and northwestern Canada. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Science and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Designing a native plants garden
Students compare native vegetation in different parts of the United States. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies and Science)
Provider: National Geographic
El Niño: More Than Just Hot Air?
Students are introduced to the El Niño phenomenon by doing a brief experiment and looking at pictures of El Niño. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies and Science)
Provider: National Geographic
Elephant seals on the beach
Introduces students to the habitat and life patterns of Elephant Seals. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts, Visual Arts Education, and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Forest features
Students concentrate on the tropical rain forest and learn about explorer Michael Fay's Congo Trek through the African rain forest. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Science and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Getting lost
Students practice their knowledge of the cardinal directions by describing the directions in their classroom. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Information Skills and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Handy Map
The teacher draws an outline of his or her hands and begins mapping them using words the students suggest. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies and Mathematics)
Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Immigrating to America
Students learn about what it was like for new immigrants to come through Ellis Island at the turn of the century. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–4 Social Studies)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Introduction to the Grand Canyon
Students look at photographs of three canyons and then focus on the Grand Canyon, discussing how the Colorado River carved it into its present form. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Social Studies and Science)
Provider: National Geographic
Learning about maps and colors
Students develop basic geography skills by reading neighborhood maps. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Life in the mountains
Students are introduced to the idea that people in different parts of the world have different customs and habits of daily life, even if they live in similar landscapes. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Mail time! An integrated postcard and geography study
Provides motivation for writing and reading and provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about maps as students discover where their family members and friends live. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Mathematics)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Marco Polo takes a trip
Students learn about the travels of Venetian adventurer Marco Polo. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies and Mathematics)
Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities
Mars mobiles
Students compare the landscapes of Mars and Earth and create mobiles showcasing some of the features of the Martian landscape. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
The Middle East region: Flags and facts
Students will learn basic facts about the Middle East by exploring maps of the region. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic