Government Standard: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of governmental systems of the United States and other nations with an emphasis on the U.S. Constitution, the necessity for the rule of law, the civic values of the American republican government, and the rights, privileges, and responsibilities to become active participants in the democratic process.
Benchmark 1
The student understands the shared ideals and the diversity of American society and political culture.
Indicator 1
The student identifies and describes how people are alike and different in the regions of the United States.
KS SS 04.1.2.2
Discuss how differences add to the richness of the community, and how our laws protect our civil rights (examples: freedom of worship, freedom of speech).
Standard 2 Economics Standard:
The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of major economic concepts, issues, and systems of the United States and other nations; and applies decision making skills as a consumer, producer, saver, investor, and citizen in an interdependent world.
Benchmark 1
The student analyzes how different economic systems, institutions, and incentives affect people.
Indicator 1
The student defines imports and exports and gives examples of each.
KS SS 04.2.3.1
Make a list of products Kansas imports from and exports to other countries.
Standard 3 Geography Standard:
The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of the spatial organization of Earth's surface and relationships among people, places, and physical and human environments in order to explain the interactions that occur in our interconnected world.
Benchmark 1
Maps and Location: The student uses maps, graphic representations, tools, and technologies to locate, use, and present information about people, places, and environments.
Indicator 1
The student uses grid system to locate places on maps and globes (e.g., basic alphanumeric, latitude/longitude coordinates).
KS SS 04.3.1.2
Give each group of 3-4 students a Kansas road map. Instruct them to write questions that can be answered using the map legend, scale, and grid system. They must also make an answer key to accompany their questions. Compile the questions and distribute to individual students for answering.
Indicator 2
The student locates major physical and political features of Earth from memory e.g., 4 oceans, 50 U.S. capitals, 7 continents, Appalachian Mountains, Atlanta, Caribbean Sea, Chicago, Colorado River, Denver, equator, Grand Canyon, Gulf of California, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Nt. McKinley, New York City, North and South Poles, Prime Meridan, Puerto Rico, Rio Grande, Rocky Mountains, The Great Lakes, Washington, D.C.).
KS SS 04.3.1.4
Give each group of 3-4 students a Kansas road map. Instruct them to write questions that can be answered using the map legend, scale, and grid system. They must also make an answer key to accompany their questions. Compile the questions and distribute to individual students for answering. Ask students to identify physical and political features along a great circle route (along the curvature of the earth) between two places (e.g., Los Angeles and Moscow, Singapore and Buenos Aires) using a globe, maps, and other sources of graphic information, and answer simple geographic questions relating to their relative locations.
Indicator 3
The student explain and use maps essentials (i.e., scale, directional indicators, symbols, legend, latitude, longitude).
Create a world map puzzle filling in locations as you study them throughout the year. Begin with a world map with borders drawn (have a large class map on a bulletin board and smaller individual ones). Gradually add colored pieces for new locations learned. Draw and label rivers, mountains, and cities. Label water bodies as they are learned. Each continent could be colored a different color. Borders would still be visible for adding political units later. On desk maps each U.S. region could be added as a whole and a separate puzzle could contain only a version of that region to which the individual states could be added. Each week as new locations are added, previously learned ones should be reviewed. Distinctions between continent, country, state, and city should also be reinforced during these discussions. The key should be updated as colors and other symbols are added.
Indicator 4
The student locates and names continents, oceans, and hemispheres.
Give each group of 3-4 students a Kansas road map. Instruct them to write questions that can be answered using the map legend, scale, and grid system. They must also make an answer key to accompany their questions. Compile the questions and distribute to individual students for answering.
Benchmark 2
Regions: The student analyzes the spatial organization of people, places, and environments that form regions on Earth's surface.
Indicator 1
The student identifies and compares the physical characteristics of the regions of the United States (i.e., location, land and water features, climate, vegetation, resources; Southeast, Northeast, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Pacific, Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii).
KS SS 04.3.2.1
Have students compare and contrast the human characteristics, and physical processes and characteristics of two or more regions of the U.S. using compare and contrast charts, Venn diagrams, or other graphic representations.
Indicator 2
The student describes the physical processes that shape the characteristics of regions (e.g., erosion, mountain building, precipitation).
KS SS 04.3.2.2
Have students compare and contrast the human characteristics, and physical processes and characteristics of two or more regions of the U.S. using compare and contrast charts, Venn diagrams, or other graphic representations.
Indicator 3
The student identifies and compares the human characteristics of regions of the United States (i.e., people, religions, languages, customs, economic activities, housing, foods, customs; Southeast, Northeast, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Pacific, Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii).
KS SS 04.3.2.3
Have students compare and contrast the human characteristics, and physical processes and characteristics of two or more regions of the U.S. using compare and contrast charts, Venn diagrams, or other graphic representations.
Indicator 4
The student describes the human activities that shape the characteristics of regions (i.e., mining, farming, manufacturing, migration, settlement, road and railroad building).
KS SS 04.3.2.4
Using historical fiction or other period literature have students examine changes in the physical and human characteristics for a region. Ask them to investigate events and decisions from that period and discuss the consequences.
Benchmark 3
Human Systems: The student understands how economic, political, cultural, and social processes interact to shape patterns of human populations, interdependence, cooperation, and conflict.
Indicator 1
The student describes and compares cultural characteristics and patterns within the U.S. (e.g., beliefs, customs, food preferences, ways of earning a living, technology, and gender/age roles).
KS SS 04.3.4.2
Write an account, using thematic maps, briefly describing a U.S. culture region and its change over time.
Indicator 2
The student identifies factors important in the location of economic activities (e.g. population concentration, environmental resources, transportation access, technology, market, labor pool).
KS SS 04.3.4.3
Prepare a visual display featuring graphs, maps, and pictures to compare the ways in which people earn a living or support themselves in different regions of the U.S.
Indicator 3
The student explains reasons for variation in population distribution (e.g., environment, migration, government policies, birth and death rates).
Brainstorm situations in which people compete for control. Include a list of the major players in those conflicts. Using the theme of "Conflict and Cooperation" have students write an advice column in response to a letter from one of the major players.
Indicator 4
The student locates and names the states, capitals, and the capital of the United States.
Benchmark 4
Human-Environment Interactions: The student understands the effects of interactions between human and physical systems.
Indicator 1
The student identifies the positive and negative impacts of past, present, and future human activities on the physical environment (e.g., loss of habitat, mining, farming, chemical uses, community development, improved transportation).
KS SS 04.3.5.1
Prepare an illustrated booklet that shows how and why people alter the physical environment and the impact of their decisions.
Indicator 2
The student identifies ways in which human activities are enhanced or constrained by the physical environment (e.g., housing, clothing, recreation, jobs resource availability, effects of weather and climate).
KS SS 04.3.5.2
Use pictures of housing in the student's community, region, or in other parts of the U.S. at different periods of time to describe how the physical environment can influence the choice of building materials and style of construction, and how people adapt building styles to the availability of building materials (e.g., sod houses in the Great Plains, dugouts in early Texas settlements, log cabins in wooded areas of the eastern U.S.).
Standard 4 U.S. and World History Standard:
The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of significant individuals, groups, ideas, events, eras, and developments in the history of Kansas, the United States, and the world, utilizing essential analytical and research skills.
Benchmark 1
The student understands the significance of events, holidays, documents, and landmarks, which are important in United States history.
Indicator 1
The student recognizes and locates national and local landmarks and historic sites (e.g., Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Plymouth Rock, U.S. Capital, Washington Monument, White House).
KS SS 04.5.3.3
As a class, make a picture book of important landmarks, both local and national. Write captions that tell why each is important.
Benchmark 2
The student engages in historical thinking skills.
Indicator 1
The student identifies artifacts and documents as either primary or secondary sources of historical data.
KS SS 04.5.4.2
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