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Teaching Elementary School Social Studies
using "North Carolina: People and Environments"
North Carolina: People and Environments (hereafter referred to
as NCPE) is a recent text focused on the contemporary character
of the state, and the issues confronting its populace. It is a
regional and systematic geography, written to capture a holistic
essence of the state's varied physical, cultural and regional
environments. As such it responds well to teacher expectations
of having a resource that allows not only comprehensive applications
in the study of geographic relationships, but also applications
in the remaining various strands that are identified as being
important, if not critical, in providing the framework for studying
and analyzing specific grade level content in the social studies.
Most importantly, NCPE supports the growing of knowledge from
the student's own experience, her/his own territory, to worlds
beyond; thereby allowing a measure of comparison rooted in the
student's own experience and sense of self.
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Kindergarten
- Self and Families Around the World |
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COMPETENCY GOAL 3: The learner will recognize and understand
the concept of change in various settings.
3.02 Evaluate how the lives of individuals and families of the
past are different from what they are today. Using illustrations in chapters 5-7 to demonstrate how families
have gradually changed in their economic activities from primary
(agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining) activities to secondary
(manufacturing), and services (retail, food, banking, teaching,
etc.).
COMPETENCY GOAL 5: The learner will express basic geographic concepts in real life
situations.
5.01 Locate and describe familiar places in the home, school, and other environments.
Use the photo illustrations in regional chapters (10-13)
to recognize familiar places and compare these to other regions
in the state.
5.02 Create and interpret simple maps, models, and drawings of the home,
school, and other environments. Using maps on Color Plate 1.1 (p. 61) to find where one
lives in the context of world, the United States and county; take
this information to appropriate regional chapter and more detailed
maps.
5.03 Describe the functions of places in the home, school, and other environments.
Use photos (chs. 10-13) to interpret what is going on in
particular places, always beginning with that which is most familiar
5.04 Recognize and explain seasonal changes of the environment.
Using photos pp. 62-76 to identify seasonal differences
in various parts of the state
5.05 Identify and state how natural and human resources are used within the community.
Photos throughout the text identify the great range of natural
and human resource use within North Carolina; especially worthwhile
is exploring variation among the state's regions. (chapters 10-13.
COMPETENCY GOAL 6: The learner will apply basic economic concepts
to home, school, and the community.
6.05 Explore goods and services provided in communities.
Explore photos, especially in chapters 5 and 6, to see examples
of goods and services offered in different communities.
COMPETENCY GOAL 7: The learner will recognize how technology is used at home,
school, and the community.
7.02 Explore modes of transportation at home and around the world.
Search out photos identifying different forms of transportation,
from walking to biking, car driving, and train and airplane riding;
also identify different forms of movement in recreational activities.
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First Grade, emphasis is on neighborhoods and communities around the worldFirst Grade, emphasis is on neighborhoods and communities around the world |
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COMPETENCY GOAL 3: The learner will recognize and understand the concept of
change in various settings.
3.03 Compare and contrast past and present changes within the local community and communities around the world. Using illustrations in chapters 5-7 to demonstrate how families have gradually changed in their economic activities from primary (agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining) activities to secondary (manufacturing), and services (retail, food, banking, teaching, etc.).
3.04 Recognize that members of the community are affected by changes in the community that occur over time. Using illustrations in chapters 5-7 to demonstrate how families have gradually changed in their economic activities from primary (agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining) activities to secondary (manufacturing), and services (retail, food, banking, teaching, etc.).
COMPETENCY GOAL 5: The learner will express geographic concepts in real life situations.
5.01 Locate and describe familiar places in the home, classroom, and school.Use photo illustrations in regional chapters (10-13) to recognize familiar places and compare these to other regions in the state. Check out maps showing the distributional aspects of different physical and human features in the state (esp. Fig. 1.11, CP 1.10, Fig. 4.5, CPs 8.1 and 8.2, Fig. 9.8, Fig. 9.9, Fig. 9.10, Fig. 9.11, Figs. 10.1-10.3, CP 10.25, Figs. 10.12, 10.14, 10.16 and all similar primary and geographic regions maps in chapters 11, 12, and 13.
5.02 Investigate key features of maps.Using maps on Color Plate 1.1 (p. 61) to find where one lives in the context of world, the United States and county; take this information to appropriate regional chapter and more detailed maps.
5.03 Use geographic terminology and tools to create representations of the earth's
physical and human features through simple maps, models, and pictures.Examine illustrations in text that depicts different physical and human environments.
5.04 Analyze patterns of movement within the community.Patterns of movement in human communities are found mapped and discussed in chapter 4.
5.05 Demonstrate responsibility for the care and management of the environment
within the school and community.Environmental management and care is demonstrated in a range of illustrations in chapter 8.
5.06 Compare and contrast geographic features of places within various communities.Use photos (chs. 10-13) to interpret what is going on in particular places, always beginning with that which is most familiar. Photos throughout text identify the great range of natural and human resource use within North Carolina; especially worthwhile is exploring variation among the state's regions (chapters 10-13).
COMPETENCY GOAL 6: The learner will apply basic economic concepts to home,
school, and the community.
6.02 Describe how people of different cultures work to earn income in order to satisfy
wants and needs.Begin with North Carolina to use familiar situations for an appropriate point of departure, especially chapters 5 and 6 illustrations are valuable here.
6.04 Explore community services that are provided by the government and other
agencies.Especially well demonstrated in chapter 7.
COMPETENCY GOAL 7: The learner will recognize how technology is used at home,
school, and in the community.
7.03 Use the computer and other technological tools to gather, organize, and display
data.Text offers a multitude of examples of how to display different kinds of data.
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Second Grade
(this grade's social studies effort emphasizes community life
in a variety of contexts with a major focus on all aspects of
geography) |
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COMPETENCY GOAL 3: The learner will analyze how individuals, families, and
communities are alike and different.
3.03 Compare similarities and differences among cultures in various communities.Chapter 4, especially, deals with geographic variations in cultural distributions.
COMPETENCY GOAL 4: The learner will exhibit an understanding of change in
communities over time.
4.01 Analyze the effects of change in communities and predict future changes.Chapters 4 and 6 deal comprehensively with community change in people's economic activities, while chapter 7 focuses on conditions and change in social and political activities.
4.02 Analyze environmental issues, past and present, and determine their impact on
different cultures.Environmental issues are dealt with most comprehensively in chapter 8, but more detailed treatment is given particular environmental problems in the regional chapters (10-13).
4.03 Describe human movement in the establishment of settlement patterns such as
rural, urban, and suburban.Chapter 4 deals with statewide characteristics of settlement patterns and changes in human mobility, while the regional chapters (10-13) provide more detail on historic evolution of settlement, and the character of cities, towns, and smaller settlements, plus the evolution of metropolitan regions and North Carolina's Main Street; chapter 12 deals particularly with the problems of urban sprawl; a great number of illustrations (photos, diagrams, and maps) support these studies.
COMPETENCY GOAL 5: The learner will understand the relationship between people
and geography in various communities.
5.01 Define geography and use geographic terms to describe landforms, bodies of
water, weather, and climate.This text provides comprehensive support (text and 100s of illustrations) to aid in defining various aspects of geography and its particular terminology; chapters 1-3 deal more comprehensively with features of the physical environment, while the regional chapters (10-13) provide additional detail of these environments in the state
5.02 Describe the role of a geographer and apply geographic tools, such as maps,
globes, compasses and photographs, in the understanding of locations and
characteristics of places and regions.The role of the geographer is well illustrated throughout this text with its many illustrations of the geographer's art and craft, from regional and systematic physical and cultural environment descriptions to comprehensive mapping utilizing a variety of Geographic Information Systems methods, to aerial and surface features photography, and imaginative renderings of physical environmental hazards, human activities, and technological processes.
5.03 Compare and contrast the physical features of communities and regions.This text provides comprehensive support (text and 100s of illustrations) to aid in defining various aspects of geography and its particular terminology; chapters 1-3 deal more comprehensively with features of the physical environment, while the regional chapters (10-13) provide additional detail of these environments in the state
5.04 Identify the absolute and relative location of communities.Chapter 1 especially focuses on aspects of locating places and communities.
5.05 Interpret maps, charts, and pictures of locations.The massive number of varied geographic illustrations offers many opportunities for map, chart, and photo interpretation.
5.06 Identify and describe the people, vegetation, and animal life specific to certain
regions and describe their interdependence.Four chapters (10-13) provide detailed opportunities for comparing and contrasting human and physical communities within the regions of the state; chapters 1-8 provide understanding of geographic distributions of a host of physical and human variables within a systematic framework (e.g. landforms, geology, climate conditions, soils, natural vegetation, animal life, population and demographic aspects, migration and commutation, economic development and activities); in all situations variables are discussed as strands of information and knowledge that function interdependently and jointly provide comprehensive understandings of land and life in North Carolina.
COMPETENCY GOAL 6: The learner will analyze how people depend on the physical
environment and use natural resources to meet basic needs.
6.01 Identify natural resources and cite ways people conserve and replenish natural
resources.Natural resources are discussed in terms of their primary locations in chapters 1-3, and dealt with from the perspectives of economic and social utilization and benefits in chapters 4-7; conservation issues are more comprehensively looked at in chapter 9.
6.02 Cite ways people modify the physical environment to meet their needs and
explain the consequences.General issues of physical environmental modification are looked at in chapter 9, while detailed evaluations of particular issues (e.g. coastal erosion, disappearance of wetlands, water shortages, urban sprawl, mountain ridge development, disappearing forests, air pollution, stream bank encroachment, stream and lake pollution and overuse, and noxious waste disposal) appear in relevant regional chapters.
6.03 Identify means and methods of human movement as they relate to the physical
environment.Transportation modes and human mobility as regards the limitations of the physical environments are considered in several chapters, especially 10-13, where these issues are framed in the context of the state's settlement history.
COMPETENCY GOAL 7: The learner will apply basic economic concepts and evaluate
the use of economic resources within communities.
7.02 Distinguish between goods produced and services provided in communities.Chapters 5 and 6 focus on goods produced while chapter 7 deals with the service economy.
7.03 Describe different types of employment and ways people earn an income.State-wide employment characteristics, how workers earn their income, and how this differentiates across the state is dealt with in chapter 7.
7.05 Analyze the changing uses of a community’s economic resources and predict
future changes.Aspects of changes in the use of community economic resources are considered in chapters dealing with economic activities and social capital (5-7).
COMPETENCY GOAL 8: The learner will recognize how technology is used at home,
school, and in the community.
8.02 Explain how technology has affected the world in which we live.Examples of the influence of technology in our communities are found in chapters 5 (changes in agriculture and forestry, and in agricultural productivity), 6 (changing manufacturing structure from labor to capital intensive), and 7 (changing services - education, health, criminal justice, recreation and leisure).
8.03 Interpret data on charts and graphs and make predictions.All chapters offer many opportunities to interpret charts and maps.
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Competency
Goal Third Grade, emphasis is on citizenship, people making
a difference |
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COMPETENCY GOAL 2: The learner will analyze the multiple roles that individuals
perform in families, workplaces, and communities.
2.03 Describe similarities and differences among communities in different times and in
different places.Differences among North Carolina communities are provided by 13 geographic regions in chapters 9-13, and may be identified in great detail by the student through the analysis of several hundred county maps.
COMPETENCY GOAL 3: The learner will examine how individuals can initiate change in
families, neighborhoods, and communities.
3.01 Analyze changes, which have occurred in communities past and present.Community change over time is particularly well covered in the population chapter (4).
COMPETENCY GOAL 4: The learner will explain geographic concepts and the
relationship between people and geography in real life situations.
4.01 Distinguish between various types of maps and globes.A large number of different kinds of maps are found in the text; they are all carefully explained and may give rise to comparison and contrast evaluations.
4.02 Use appropriate source maps to locate communities.Location maps of North Carolina and its regions exist at four scales with increasing information provided with scale increase (f.ex. Guilford is found in the world, in the United States, and in the state's Piedmont Primary Region (p. 61), in the Piedmont Triad State Geographic Region (p. 314), and in much greater detail (p. 434 and p. 497).
4.03 Use geographic terminology to describe and explain variations in the physicalGeographic terminology relating to the physical environment, with accompanying maps, graphs and photos, is well covered in chapters 1-3; while ecologic communities unique to the state's different primary regions are demonstrated with appropriate illustrations in the regional chapters (10-13).
environment as communities.
4.04 Compare how people in different communities adapt to or modify the physical
environment to meet their needs.Discussions of human-physical environment modification is especially detailed in chapters 10-13, but also is dealt with in the economic development chapters (5 and 6), as well as in the environmental problems chapter (8).
COMPETENCY GOAL 5: The learner will apply basic economic principles to the study of
communities.
5.03 Apply concepts of specialization and division of labor to the local community.The concept of specialization and the division of labor in its application to local communities is dealt with in chapter 7.
5.05 Distinguish and analyze the economic resources within communities.Economic resources differentiation by community is covered in chapters 5-7.
5.06 Recognize and explain reasons for economic interdependence of communities.Economic interdependencies is a recurring theme throughout the text; comparing for example the location of natural resource extraction (e.g. food products), their value added through manufacturing, and their service delivery in densely populated consumer regions will demonstrate the intricate economic linkage of communities through the state.
5.07 Identify historic figures and leaders who have influenced the economies of
communities and evaluate the effectiveness of their contributions.Economic interdependencies is a recurring theme throughout the text; comparing for example the location of natural resource extraction (e.g. food products), their value added through manufacturing, and their service delivery in densely populated consumer regions will demonstrate the intricate economic linkage of communities through the state.
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Fourth Grade,
emphasis is on North Carolina's Geography and History |
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COMPETENCY GOAL 1: The learner will apply the five themes of geography to North
Carolina and its people.
1.01 Locate, in absolute and relative terms, major landforms, bodies of water and
natural resources in North Carolina.Chapter 1 and 3 provides detailed information on the state's location, landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources.
1.02 Describe and compare physical and cultural characteristics of the regions.Chapters 10-13 provide detailed and comprehensively illustrated comparisons and contrasts of the state's primary regions, as well as their more numerous geographic regions.
1.03 Suggest some influences that location has on life in North Carolina such as major
cities, recreation areas, industry, and farms. The regional chapters 10-13 have especially evocative elaborations on the influence of location on the character of North Carolina communities, economic activity and leisure areas.
1.04 Evaluate ways the people of North Carolina used, modified, and adapted to the
physical environment, past and present.Environmental modification is particularly focused on in the economic activity chapters (5&6), the environmental problem chapter (8), with detailed evaluations of coastal and wetland issues in the Tidewater chapter, water and land resource contamination in the Coastal Plain chapter, urban sprawl and air pollution in the Piedmont chapter, and issues of slope and floodplain development, and national forest use in the Mountain chapter.
1.05 Assess human movement as it relates to the physical environment.The evolution of transportation mode and subsequent transportation system are developed in the context of the history of human settlement in the regional chapters (10-13).
COMPETENCY GOAL 2: The learner will examine the importance of the role of ethnic
groups and examine the multiple roles they have played in the development of North
Carolina.
2.01 Locate and describe American Indians in North Carolina, past and present.Present distribution of American Indians is discussed in chapter 4, with further focus on individual tribes (Tuscarora, Cherokee, Coharie, Haliwa-Saponi, Iroquian, Lumbee, Meherin, Ocaneechi, Siouan, and Waccamaw-Siouan) in the regional chapters, 10-13.
2.02 Trace the growth and development of immigration to North Carolina, over time
from Europe, Asia, and Latin America.The historic settlement of foreigners in North Carolina is dealt with in the regional chapters (10-13), with detail on more recent migration (including the Hispanic) covered in chapter 4.
2.03 Describe the similarities and differences among people of North Carolina, past
and present.Chapter 4, 'A Mosaic of People' describes the similarities and differences among North Carolina's people, past and present.
2.04 Describe how different ethnic groups have influenced culture, customs and
history of North Carolina.The influence of different ethnic groups can be gleaned from various chapters in the text, most importantly the regional chapters, 10-13.
COMPETENCY GOAL 3: The learner will trace the history of colonization in North
Carolina and evaluate its significance for diverse people’s ideas.
3.01 Assess changes in ways of living over time and determine whether the changes
are primarily political, economic, or social.Changes in living in North Carolina may be interpreted through an assessment of changes in economic activity dependencies in chapters 5 and 6; and the shift from a rural to an urban society in chapter 7.
3.03 Examine the Lost Colony and explain its importance in the settlement of North
Carolina.Early English settlement of the Carolinas is covered in chapter 10.
3.04 Compare and contrast ways in which people, goods, and ideas moved in the past
with their movement today.Regional chapters (10-13) deal with the evolution of settlements over time, including the transportation systems.
COMPETENCY GOAL 4: The learner will analyze social and political institutions in
North Carolina such as government, education, religion, and family and how they structure
society, influence behavior, and response to human needs.
4.01 Assess and evaluate the importance of regional diversity on the development of
economic, social, and political institutions in North Carolina.Regional diversity in North Carolina is dealt with initially as a physical geography condition in chapters 1-3, then as a historic settlement process in chapters 10-13, and finally as a current condition in chapters 4-7, including assessments of their implications for individuals and communities.
4.03 Explain the importance of responsible citizenship and identify ways North
Carolinians can participate in civic affairs.A foundation for understanding current conditions of livability and quality of life differences across the state, leading to conclusions about responsible citizenship, is established in chapter 7.
COMPETENCY GOAL 5: The learner will examine the impact of various cultural groups
on North Carolina.
5.03 Describe and compare the cultural characteristics of regions within North
Carolina and evaluate their significance.Cultural differences from region to region and from county to county may be seen in several chapters, particularly 4, 7, and the regional chapters, 10-13.
COMPETENCY GOAL 6: The learner will evaluate how North Carolinians apply basic
economic principles within the community, state, and nation.
6.03 Categorize the state’s resources as natural, human, or capital.An evaluation of materials provided in chapters 4-7 will help understand the differences existing among natural, human and cultural resources.
6.04 Assess how the state’s natural resources are being used.The text is quite thorough in its treatment of the use of its natural resources, systematic (identifying particular resources in chapters 1-60 and regionally (chapters 10-13).
6.06 Analyze the relationship between government services and taxes.Chapter seven has a particularly relevant evaluation, replete with many maps on the county level, in differentiating national, state and local taxation in the K-12 school system, comparing and contrasting the relationship between services and taxes.
6.07 Describe the ways North Carolina specializes in economic activity and the
relationship between specialization and interdependence.Economic specialization in the state, from traditional agriculture (tobacco, cotton) to labor intensive manufacturing (textiles, apparel, tobacco, furniture) to the new emphases on greenhouse and nursery products and new corporate agriculture (hogs, turkeys and chickens), on capital intensive manufacturing (automotive parts, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics), and on the financial sector in the service industry), is dealt with in detail in chapters 5 and 6; specialization and interdependence foci have shifted but are easily identified in their new forms.
6.08 Cite examples of interdependence in North Carolina’s economy and evaluate the
significance of economic relationships with other states and nations.Interdependency in the state's economy is clearly developed in chapters 5 and 6, with chapter 7 additionally dealing with the evolving global interconnectivities.
COMPETENCY GOAL 7: The learner will recognize how technology influences change
within North Carolina.
7.01 Cite examples from North Carolina’s history of the impact of technology.Many examples of North Carolina's history of the impact of new technology may be gleaned from chapters 5-6.
7.02 Analyze the effect of technology on North Carolina’s citizens, past and present.
7.03 Explain how technology changed and influenced the movement of people, goods,
and ideas over time.
7.04 Analyze the effect of technology on North Carolina citizens today.
7.05 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the lives of North
Carolinians.The effects of technology on the lives of North Carolinian's is writ in the shifts in economic activities, investment strategies pursued by private enterprise and by governments at all levels, and social behaviors, and the concordant shifts in populations from rural to more urban locations where jobs and amenities are increasingly concentrated, and the related influx of foreign workers; all of this is well covered especially in chapters 4-7, with some of the contradictory impacts explored in chapter 7.
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