Kindergarten Social Studies Curriculum: How can I help others?
Updated: Oct 21, 2020
This blog post is one in a series that breaks down one unit from each grade level of Inquiry Journeys, inquirED's core elementary social studies curriculum. For a trial account containing all lessons for the unit, click below.
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Kindergarten Social Studies Curriculum Essential Question
How can I help others?
In this series of lessons, kindergarten social studies students learn the importance of rules and norms in a community, and the role that kindness plays in making school a happy and productive place for all. After reflecting on learning throughout the unit, students make a claim about how they can help make school a great place. Objectives include:
Analyze situations in which they can be helpful in school
Generate ideas for helping at school
Describe how their responsibilities benefit the school community
Predict how their helpful acts may impact others
Lesson 1: My Role at School
What is my role at school? Students brainstorm and discuss the many ways to be responsible, safe, and respectful throughout the school, and how doing so helps make the community better for all.
Lesson 2: Being Kind
Students read and discuss Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller and Jen Hill in order to learn ways to spread kindness throughout the school community. Then, they watch a video to think about how being kind can feel good. Finally, students make a pledge to try an act of kindness at school.
Lesson 3: Helping Others at School
Students reflect on their learning throughout this module and create a plan of action to be a helper at school. They make a claim about the best way to help make school a great place.
Use this handout to help students construct a claim.