Unit Plan 6 (Grade K Social Studies): Asking Questions About Our World
Help children ask and answer questions about familiar people, places, and routines using who, what, where, and why, building inquiry skills through observation and simple sources.
Focus: Help children ask and answer questions about familiar people, places, and events. Students learn that questions begin with words like who, what, where, and why, and they practice finding answers by looking carefully, listening, and using simple sources like picture books, classroom walks, and photos.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject Area: Social Studies (Inquiry • Civics • Community)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 20–30 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, children become “question detectives” who notice things in their classroom and school and ask curious questions about them. They practice using question words, listening to answers, and looking at pictures, books, and real places to learn more. Step by step, they understand that questions help us learn about people, understand places, and figure out why rules and routines matter.
Essential Questions
- What is a question?
- How do we use question words like who, what, where, and why?
- How can we find answers by looking, listening, and using simple sources?
- Why is it important to ask questions about our classroom, school, and community?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Use simple question words (who, what, where, why) to ask about familiar people, places, and events.
- Ask and answer questions about classroom routines, school helpers, and rules.
- Use observations and simple sources (photos, picture books, classroom walks) to find answers.
- Share one question they asked and one thing they learned with the class.
- Help create a small “Our Questions About Our World” chart or mini-poster.
Standards Alignment — Kindergarten (C3-based custom)
- K.C3.Inq.1 — Ask and answer questions about people, places, and rules.
- K.C3.Inq.2 — Gather information from observations and simple sources (photos, maps, short texts).
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can use who, what, where, or why to ask a question.
- I can ask a question about a person, place, or rule at school.
- I can look at a picture, book, or real place to help me find an answer.
- I can tell my class one question I asked and one thing I learned.
- I can help add to our “Our Questions About Our World” chart.