Unit Plan 17 (Grade 1 Social Studies): People Adapt to Their World
Students explore how people adapt to hot, cold, and rainy environments using homes, clothing, tools, and key natural and human resources in daily life.
Focus: Help students explore how people adapt to different environments by choosing certain homes, clothing, and tools that fit their weather and surroundings. Introduce simple ideas about natural resources (like wood, water) and human resources (workers and their skills) used to make things people need.
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Economics • Community Life)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students learn that people do not live the same way everywhere. They study how different places have different weather, seasons, and physical features, and how people adapt by choosing certain homes, clothes, and tools. Students look at pictures of houses, coats, hats, and tools from different environments (rainy, snowy, hot, windy). They also begin to notice that things we use are made from natural resources (like wood, cotton) and human resources (people using their skills).
Essential Questions
- How do people adapt to where they live with their homes, clothing, and tools?
- What natural resources and human resources help people make things they need?
- How can we care for the places where we live while using what we need?
- How do our daily choices (what we wear, where we live, what we use) connect to our environment?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Describe at least one way people adapt to their environment with homes (e.g., strong roofs for snow, raised homes near water).
- Describe at least one way people adapt with clothing and tools (e.g., coats, boots, umbrellas, snow shovels, fans).
- Identify simple natural resources (wood, water, cotton) and human resources (builders, farmers, workers) used to make common items.
- Match pictures of homes, clothing, or tools to the type of environment they fit best (hot, cold, rainy, snowy).
- Create a simple drawing/poster showing how a person adapts to their environment and label one resource used.
Standards Alignment — 1st Grade (C3-based custom)
- 1.C3.Geo.5 — Explain how people adapt to and care for places.
- Example: Clothing for seasons, recycling, picking up litter at a park.
- 1.C3.Econ.5 — Identify natural and human resources used to make things.
- Example: Paper comes from trees; builders use wood, tools, and skills.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can tell how people change what they wear or build because of the weather and place they live.
- I can point to something I use (like paper, clothes, or a toy) and say a natural resource and a human resource that helped make it.
- I can match pictures of homes, clothing, or tools to hot, cold, or rainy places.
- I can draw and label a person adapting to their environment.
- I can share one way to take care of the place where I live.