Unit Plan 11 (Grade 1 Social Studies): Position and Direction

Focus: Help students use position words to describe routes and locations in their classroom, school, and nearby outdoor spaces. Connect position words to simple maps, physical features, and local weather patterns they experience every day.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Community • Inquiry)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students practice using position words to describe where things are and how to move from one place to another. They explore classroom, hallway, and outdoor spaces and describe routes using words like in front of, behind, next to, between, near, far. Students also notice simple physical features around school (trees, grassy areas, hill, sidewalk) and talk about weather patterns (sunny, rainy, windy, cold) that affect how they move and dress. By the end of the week, each student creates a simple route map or route card that uses position words to describe a path.

Essential Questions

• How can position words help us tell where things are and how to get somewhere?
• How can simple maps and symbols help us follow a route?
• What physical features and weather patterns do we notice around our school?
• How does weather change what we wear and how we move in our community?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Use position words (e.g., in front of, behind, next to, between, near, far) to describe where objects or places are.
2. Follow and describe a simple route in the classroom or hallway using position words and landmarks.
3. Use a simple map or diagram with symbols to show a route from one place to another (e.g., door to rug, classroom to office).
4. Name a few physical features and weather patterns in the local area (e.g., trees, grassy areas, sunny, rainy, windy).
5. Explain one way weather affects what people wear or how they move (e.g., “We wear coats when it’s cold and windy”).

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

• 1.C3.Geo.2 — Use simple maps and map symbols; follow/describe routes with position words.
  • Example: Draw a classroom map with a legend; describe the route to the playground.
• 1.C3.Geo.3 — Describe physical features and weather patterns in the local area.
  • Example: Trees, river, hills; “It’s windy in spring so we wear jackets.”

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can use position words like in front of, behind, next to, and between to tell where things are.
• I can follow a route and describe it using position words.
• I can look at a simple map and tell how to get from one place to another.
• I can name physical features (like trees or grassy areas) and weather patterns (like sunny or rainy) near my school.
• I can tell one way weather changes what we wear or how we move.