What does a student learn in StateCalifornia,GradePre-Kindergarten,SubjectSocial Studies?

Students notice people, places, and things around them and ask questions about what they see. This is the start of learning how the world works.

Students notice details about the people and places around them and ask "why" and "how" questions to learn more. They move beyond "what is that?" to "why does that happen?" or "how does that work?"

Students look through books or pictures with a grown-up to find answers to questions about people and places around them.

With a little help from an adult, students look through books, magazines, videos, and conversations with real people to find answers to questions about the world around them.

Students draw pictures, build simple models, or act out what they know about people and places around them. A teacher or grown-up helps guide the work.

Students draw pictures, build models, or act out stories to show what they know about people and places around them. A teacher or grown-up helps along the way.

Students begin to notice what makes them who they are: the language spoken at home, family traditions, whether they are a boy or a girl, and what their body can do.

Students begin to notice and talk about who they are, including their family background, the language they speak, and what makes them different from or similar to classmates.

Students recognize the groups they belong to, like their family and the friends they play with every day.

Students belong to more than one group at a time. They can name the different communities they're part of, like a sports team, a religious group, or relatives they see on holidays.

Students learn that different people in their lives have different jobs and roles. A parent takes care of them at home, a teacher helps them learn, and a doctor keeps them healthy.

Students learn that some helpers, like firefighters or mail carriers, do jobs they may never see up close. They start to understand the wider world of people and work beyond their home, school, and neighborhood.

Students notice the groups they belong to, like family traditions or the language spoken at home, and ask questions about how other families do things.

With help from a grown-up, students notice how families outside their own celebrate, speak, eat, or mark special days differently. They start to see that those differences are normal and worth knowing about.

Students notice ways people and families are alike and ways they are different, including how families look, what languages they speak, and how they are made up.

Students notice and name ways that people and families are alike or different, such as how they look, what languages they speak, or how their families are set up. A grown-up helps guide the conversation.

Students learn to notice who is in their class or group and make sure those kids are included when playing or working together.

Students name the kids in their class or group and make sure everyone gets included when playing or working together.

Students learn to spot when someone nearby needs help and do something about it, like picking up a dropped toy or holding a door. Small acts of care for people and shared spaces.

Students start noticing when someone nearby needs help and do something about it. They comfort a classmate, tidy up a shared space, or speak up for a friend.

Students notice that classmates need different things and try to help by offering what each person needs. They are still learning to accept when others get something different, and that can feel unfair.

Students learn that classmates have different needs and that rules can help make sure everyone gets what they need. They practice accepting those rules even when it feels unfair that someone else gets more time, materials, or help.

Students practice working with classmates and teachers to finish a shared task, like tidying up the classroom or building something together.

Students pitch in on group projects with classmates and adults, share their own ideas, and start to notice how their part helps the whole thing come together.

Students learn that groups have rules, and that getting along means sometimes putting the group's needs alongside their own. Adults help them practice this.

Students practice following classroom rules on their own, without waiting for a teacher to remind them. They also speak up when they notice a classmate breaking a rule.

With a teacher's help, students take part in simple group decisions, like voting on a class activity or sharing opinions during circle time.

Students take part in simple group decisions, like voting on a class choice, and practice saying whether they agree or disagree. A teacher helps guide the process.

Students practice working out small disagreements with classmates, like taking turns or sharing a toy. They try a simple trade or ask a grown-up for help when they get stuck.

When two kids want the same toy or can't agree on a plan, students practice working it out together, trading ideas and giving a little ground. They also speak up for a classmate who needs help in the middle of a disagreement.

Students practice coming up with simple ideas to fix small problems in their class or school. A teacher helps guide the conversation.

Students work with classmates and a teacher to spot a problem in their classroom or school and come up with a fix, then do something about it.

Students practice putting daily events in order by saying things like "before lunch" or "after nap," describing what happened first and what came next.

Students use words like "before," "after," and "tomorrow" to talk about when things happen. They practice putting events in order, saying what came first and what comes next.

Students talk about how they have changed since they were babies, like what they could not do then that they can do now.

Students notice how things change over time, like how they've grown taller or how their family added a new member, and tell short stories about things that happened recently.

Young children can remember and talk about things that happened to them, and they love hearing family stories. Sorting out which thing happened first or last still takes a grown-up's help.

Students talk about things that happened before, connecting one memory to another, like linking a birthday party to a later trip to the park. They can do this mostly on their own but sometimes need a little help from an adult.

Students name what makes familiar places different from each other. They can say what home looks like, what happens at school, and which things belong where.

Students name things they notice about where they live, like nearby hills or water, what the weather is usually like, and what people in the neighborhood do together.

Students use simple direction words like "under," "over," "inside," and "outside" to describe where things are. Think "the ball is under the chair" or "we go up the stairs."

Students describe where things are using words like near, far, beside, and behind, and begin talking about places beyond their immediate surroundings, like a grandparent's house or a nearby park.

Students begin to recognize that a drawing or map can stand in for a real place, like their classroom or neighborhood. They may not yet read map symbols accurately, but they're starting to make the connection.

Students draw simple maps and build models of places they know, like their classroom or neighborhood. With a little help from an adult, they use those maps to find where things are.

Students notice the living things and human-made structures around them, like trees, bugs, and buildings. With a little help from adults, they start to understand that people affect the natural world and can take care of it.

Students learn that people can help or harm nature, like forests and rivers, and that they can take steps to care for the environment. With a little guidance, students start to think about what they can do when nature is damaged by disasters like wildfires.

Community helpers like teachers, doctors, and store workers all help meet needs people share, such as a safe place to sleep or food to eat. Students learn that families meet those needs in different ways.

Kids have needs like food and a home. Students learn to spot the helpers and places in their neighborhood, like a grocery store or a fire station, that make sure people get what they need.

People work in many places and do many different jobs. Students begin to notice that some work happens at home, like cooking or cleaning, while other work happens out in the world, like driving a bus or building a house.

Students look at jobs people do at home and around town, like cooking, building, or caring for others, and learn why that work matters to the people nearby.

Students learn that people swap items they have for items they need, and that money is one way to do that swapping. Think trading toys on the playground or paying for a snack at a store.

Students learn that choosing one toy means not choosing another, that some things run out, and that money is how people trade for what they need.