Grades 1-3   Faith, Values and Community
by Jason Caldwell

Look at issues that arise out of your daily family devotion and discussion. Apply these issues to your community asking open questions that promote thinking around social issues.

A key question in Social Studies is:
“Why do people think, feel and act the way they do, across changes in time, age, gender, culture, socio-economic class and technology?”

Key learning strands for younger students (Grade 1-4 students) are:

• looking at the importance of God’s plan for our lives and how much he loves us
• examining the different roles and responsibilities of various individuals in our family and community
• the importance of following rules and instructions
• the importance of manners and politeness
• the importance of education and the opportunities education can provide for God to use us
• examining “cause and effect” or the consequences of following God’s way in everyday life and across a life time.

Students who are working through these processes need to keep a Project Journal book of topics covered, questions, learning and discoveries… 

Great Social Studies Project for Grades 4-10 around families

Topic: “My Family and I”

Task 1. Draw up a clear diagram showing your family tree. Research and collect information so that you are able to display key information on each person. This could be published on an A3 page or a large piece of card.

Task 2. Draw up a Timeline that shows the sequence of important events in your family’s history and in your own life so far. You may have 20 or more events dated with a brief description of places along this timeline. Choose 10 events and illustrate 4 or 5 events from before your birth and 4 or 5 from your own.

Task 3. Interview a senior member of your family, asking:

• What was life like when they were your age and what has changed?
• What were their future hopes for the family and future generations?
• How has technology changed their life?
• And two or three questions of your own…