Virginia Social Studies Preview
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1st grade Social Studies preview
Civics
The student will apply history and social science skills to describe the symbols and traditions that honor and foster patriotism in the United States by
c.) identifying the Virginia flag, state capitol building, the cardinal as the state bird, and the dogwood as the state flower; and
History
The student will apply history and social science skills to describe contributions of Virginia’s diverse people and the stories of changemakers in the history of Virginia and their contributions to our Commonwealth, including, but not limited to
d.) Barrier Breakers: John Mercer Langston, Booker T. Washington, Maggie L. Walker, Barbara Johns, Arthur R. Ashe, Jr., and L. Douglas Wilder.
2nd grade Social Studies preview
Civics
2.3 The student will apply history and social science skills to explain how communities honor local and national traditions and recognize designated Virginia holidays, including but not limited to
a.) Labor Day; b.) Columbus Day (Yorktown Victory Day); c.) Election Day; d.) Veterans Day; e.) Thanksgiving Day; f.) Christmas Day; g.) New Year’s Day; h.) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; i.) George Washington Day (commonly known as Presidents’ Day); j.) Memorial Day; k.) Juneteenth; and l.) Independence Day.
2.4 The student will apply history and social science skills to recognize state and national symbols, including, but not limited to
b.) learning about the meaning of the American flag and the words chosen in the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem.
History
2.7 The student will apply history and social science skills to describe the revolutionaries who fought for America’s freedom (1764–1781), including, but not limited to
b.) Benjamin Franklin;
2.8 The student will apply history and social science skills to understand the principles of American democracy and relate them to the founding of the nation by
c.) identifying key components of the Declaration of Independence.
3rd grade Social Studies preview
Geography
3.2 The student will apply history and social science skills to locate and describe major geographic features of Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America by
a.) locating and describing the seven continents and the five oceans; and
b.) locating and describing the equator, the Prime Meridian, and the four hemispheres.
3.3 The student will apply history and social science skills to describe major geographic features of ancient societies on a world map by
a.) identifying and locating major bodies of water;
History
3.5 The student will apply history and social science skills to describe the geographic, political, economic, and social structures and innovations of ancient China by
a.) locating ancient China on a map of the world;
Virginia Studies preview
1607 through the American RevolutionVS.3 The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the causes and effects of events associated with the first permanent English settlement in North America by
a.) explaining the reasons for English colonization;
b.) describing the economic and geographic influences on the decision to settle at Jamestown;
c.) describing the importance of the Virginia Company of London Charter (April 10, 1606) in establishing the Jamestown colony;
d.) describing the interactions between the English colonists and the Indigenous Peoples, including the role of the Powhatan in the survival of the colonists;
e.) describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival, including, but not limited to trade with the Powhatan, the leadership of Captain John Smith, land ownership, and the successful commercial cultivation of tobacco;
Political Growth and Western Expansion: 1775 to the Mid-1800sVS.6 The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the establishment and growth of the new American nation with emphasis on the role of Virginians and events in Virginia during the 18th and 19th centuries by
a.) explaining the roles of George Washington (“Father of Our Country”), James Madison (“Father of the Constitution”), and Patrick Henry (“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech);
b.) explaining the development of founding Virginia documents, including the Virginia Declaration of Rights (George Mason) and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (Thomas Jefferson);
VS.8 The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the reconstruction of Virginia following the Civil War by
f.) analyzing the effects of segregation and “Jim Crow” laws on life in Virginia.
United States History to 1865 preview
Geography of North AmericaUSI.1 The student will apply history and social science skills to understand the geography of North America by
a.) locating North America in relation to the other continents and the oceans;
Early Cultures of North AmericaUSI.2 The student will apply history and social science skills to describe how early cultures developed throughout North America by
a.) describing how archaeologists have recovered artifacts from ancient settlements, including, but not limited, to Cactus Hill in Virginia; and
USI.4 The student will apply history and social science skills to understand how the Western Hemisphere, including the United States, impacted West Africa by
a.) identifying the location and characteristics of West African societies of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai before European exploration;
Colonial America and the American RevolutionUSI.5 The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the social, political, religious, economic, and geographic factors that shaped colonial America by
a.) describing the characteristics and differences among the New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Southern colonies;
