Unit Plan 7 (PreK Social Studies): Our Neighborhood
Teach PreK students to identify neighborhood places, what we do there, and the helpers who work to meet our needs, while noticing nature and weather outside.
Focus: Help children recognize familiar neighborhood places (parks, stores, post office, etc.), talk about what we do there, and notice that people work in these places to help us and meet our needs.
Grade Level: PreK
Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Economics)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 15–20 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, children explore their neighborhood as a set of familiar places where people go to play, shop, learn, and get help. Through stories, photos, and simple maps, they name places like the park, store, post office, library, and school and describe what happens there. Children also notice natural features (trees, grass, sky, weather) and begin to understand that workers in the neighborhood help families get what they need.
Essential Questions
- What places are in our neighborhood?
- What do people do in those places?
- Who works in our neighborhood, and how do they help us?
- What do we notice about the outside environment (trees, weather, sky) when we are in our neighborhood?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Name at least two familiar neighborhood places (e.g., store, park, post office, library).
- Tell or show what people do in at least one of those places.
- Describe at least one natural feature or weather condition they see outside (trees, grass, leaves, wind, rain, sun).
- Name at least one worker in the neighborhood and how they help (e.g., “The cashier helps us buy food.”).
Standards Alignment — PreK (C3-based custom)
- PK.C3.Geo.1 — Identify familiar places and spaces. Recognizes and names places like home, school, and playground.
- Example: “We walk to the library from school.”
- PK.C3.Geo.4 — Observe and describe the environment. Talks about natural features like trees, grass, and weather.
- Example: “It’s windy today, and the leaves are moving.”
- PK.C3.Econ.3 — Understand that people work to get what they need. Learns that people have jobs to earn money and help others.
- Example: “My mom works at the store.”
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name places in my neighborhood.
- I can say what people do at one neighborhood place.
- I can tell something I see outside (trees, grass, clouds, weather).
- I can name one worker and how they help us.