Unit Plan 36 (Grade 1 Social Studies): Cumulative Synthesis & Exhibition

Focus: Help students pull together what they have learned about rules and citizenship, helpers and community, maps and places, past and present, and needs, wants, and work by creating displays for a class “Civic Fair.” Children revisit key ideas through simple review centers, then design posters, maps, timelines, and mini-projects to teach visitors (another class, families, or staff) about their learning.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Social Studies (Civics • Inquiry • Geography • History • Economics)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this culminating unit, students become teachers of their own learning. They revisit big ideas from the year—rules and fairness, school and community helpers, maps and places, then and now, and needs, wants, and work—and turn them into simple displays for a class “Civic Fair.” Working in small groups, children create maps, timelines, helper posters, and service project displays that show how they care for their classroom and community. The week ends with a celebration where visitors tour the fair, ask questions, and give kind feedback.

Essential Questions

• What are the most important things we learned about being part of a classroom and community this year?
• How do rules, helpers, and choices help our classroom and neighborhood stay fair and safe?
• How do maps, timelines, and stories help us understand places and the past?
• How do people work, earn, and help others in our community?
• How can we show and explain our social studies learning to others at a Civic Fair?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Name and show examples of good citizenship (kindness, fairness, helping, problem solving) in the classroom and school.
2. Use a simple map (classroom, school, or neighborhood) with symbols and labels to show familiar places.
3. Create a timeline (daily routine, school year, or simple past/present comparison) using words like first, next, last.
4. Explain how helpers and jobs provide goods and services to meet needs and wants.
5. Work with peers to design and present a Civic Fair display (poster, map, timeline, or project board) using words, drawings, charts, and labels to communicate their learning.

Standards Alignment — 1st Grade (C3-based custom)

• Comprehensive spiral across:
  • 1.C3.Inq — Asking questions, gathering information, sorting evidence, and communicating conclusions.
  • 1.C3.Civ — Rules, leaders/helpers, citizenship, participation, and caring for communities.
  • 1.C3.Geo — Places, maps, physical features, human-made features, and adapting/caring for environments.
  • 1.C3.Hist — Timelines, past/present, important people/holidays, family and community traditions.
  • 1.C3.Econ — Needs vs. wants, goods and services, work and money, choices and saving, natural/human resources.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can tell and show how to be a good citizen in my classroom and school.
• I can use maps and symbols to show places I know.
• I can put events in order using words like first, next, and last.
• I can explain how helpers and workers help our community and meet needs and wants.
• I can work with my group to make a Civic Fair display and explain it to visitors.