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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year students start to see themselves as part of a bigger world. With help from an adult, students look at simple sources like photos, tools, clothing, and works of art to learn about people and places. Students ask questions, find answers, and share what they learn through drawings or pictures. By spring, they can study an object or image and tell a small group what it shows about how people live.

Illustration of what students learn in Kindergarten Social Studies
  • Asking questions
  • Photos and pictures
  • Tools and artifacts
  • Sharing findings
  • People and cultures
Source: Missouri Missouri Learning Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Starting to ask questions

    Students learn that social studies starts with curiosity. They ask simple questions about people, places, and how things work, and they get help finding answers.

  2. 2

    Looking at real objects

    Students explore artifacts like old tools, clothes, pottery, and musical instruments. They notice what these objects show about how people lived and what they made.

  3. 3

    Reading pictures and maps

    Students use pictures, simple maps, and drawings to take in information. They also start using pictures of their own to show an idea to someone else.

  4. 4

    Sharing what they found

    Students pull together what they learned and share it with the class. A parent might see a drawing, a show-and-tell object, or a few sentences about a topic students chose.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Kindergarten.
Identify, select, analyze and evaluate resources to create a product of social science inquiry

  • Label and analyze different social studies sources with guidance and support…

    K.TS.7.A.a

    With a teacher's help, students look at maps, photos, or books about people and places and put a name to what kind of source each one is.

  • Use artifacts (building structures and materials, works of art…

    K.TS.7.A.b

    Students use real objects like tools, clothing, or works of art to learn about how people lived and then share what they found out.

Use visual tools to communicate information and ideas

  • Use visual tools to communicate information

    K.TS.7.B.a

    Students draw pictures, make simple maps, or create charts to share what they know about a topic. The goal is showing information visually, not just saying it out loud or writing it down.

Conducting and Presenting Research with Appropriate Resources

  • Share findings about a topic

    K.TS.7.D.a

    Students pick a topic, learn about it, and then tell classmates what they found out, in words or pictures.

Developing a research plan and identifying resources

  • Ask questions and find answers about a topic, with assistance

    K.TS.7.E.a

    Students pick a question they want to answer, then look for the answer in books, photos, or other sources with a teacher's help.

No state assessments at this grade
Students take their next one in Grade 3.
Alternate assessment

MAP-Alternate

Alternate assessment for eligible students with significant cognitive disabilities, covering the state-tested grade-level and end-of-course subjects.

When given:
fall and spring windows
Frequency:
annual
Official source
Common Questions
  • What does social studies look like this year?

    Students start learning how to ask questions about the world around them and find simple answers. They look at pictures, tools, clothing, and other objects to learn about people and places. Most work happens through talking, drawing, and sharing what they notice.

  • How can I help my child build curiosity at home?

    When students wonder about something, take five minutes to look it up together in a book or online. Ask what they noticed and what they still want to know. The goal is the habit of asking and looking, not a perfect answer.

  • What counts as a social studies source for students this young?

    A source can be a photo, a picture book, a song, a piece of clothing, a toy, or a tool from another time or place. Students look at these objects and talk about what they show. Real items work better than worksheets at this age.

  • How should I sequence inquiry skills across the year?

    Start with noticing and describing objects in the fall, then move to asking simple questions about them. By winter, students can sort sources and share what they learned through drawings. By spring, they can plan a short investigation with adult support.

  • What are visual tools and why do students use them?

    Visual tools are drawings, charts, maps, and labeled pictures students make to show what they learned. At this age, a labeled picture or a simple chart counts. Visual tools matter because most students can draw an idea before they can write it.

  • What can we do at home to practice sharing findings?

    After a museum visit, library trip, or family story, ask students to draw one thing they learned and tell about it. Listen without correcting too much. Practicing how to share an idea out loud is the main skill this year.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Asking a real question, rather than making a statement, is the hardest part for most students. Sorting sources by what they show, instead of by color or size, also takes practice. Plan short, repeated practice with both skills across units.

  • How do I know students are ready for first grade social studies?

    By the end of the year, students should be able to look at an object or picture, ask a question about it, and share one thing they learned through a drawing or short talk. They should also know that different objects can teach us about different people.