Social Studies Foundation: 3 - Geography

Topic: SS3.1 - Demonstrate awareness of the world in spatial terms

Awareness of spatial terms allows a person to understand the arrangement of items and apply a spatial perspective to life. This is a skill that is developed throughout a person’s entire lifespan and one that adults often practice daily unknowingly.

The development of awareness of spatial terms leads to:
*Understanding the physical relationships between natural and man-made objects and places
*Navigation and map reading skills

Looking Ahead to Kindergarten Family Engagement Special Populations
In kindergarten, students will be expected to use words related to location, direction and distance, including here/there, over/under, left/right, above/below, forward/backward and between (K.3.1). They will also be asked to identify maps and globes as ways of representing Earth and understand the basic difference between a map and globe (K.3.2). Encourage families to:

*Talk about their world in terms of directions (e.g. “We go to the right, or this way, when we go to see Nana!”).
*Talk to their child about certain directions or routes to places they frequent (e.g. friend’s houses, grocery stores, etc.).
*Use directional words (e.g. here/there, over/under, left/right, above/below, forward/backward and between).

Educators can:

*Provide ways to incorporate kinesthetic opportunities to learn (e.g. walking through a path before/after discussing it, creating visuals to demonstrate self in relation to city, state, continent, etc.).
*Ensure each and every student has the opportunity to use tools to understand concepts (i.e. considering blind/low vision, deaf or hard of hearing and mobility of each child).
*For DLL, learn and use terms in native language when possible.

Powerful Practices
Across all developmental stages, educators can:

*Provide an environment with a variety of materials that include age appropriate, open-ended loose parts that children can use to represent other objects (e.g. toddler uses a block as a car, container lids as a wheel, or tree cookies in dramatic play, etc.).
*Use specific and simple location terms (e.g. here/there, over/under, left/right, etc.) throughout the day and to describe what is in the environment (e.g. infant using a climber or setting up an obstacle course in the indoor/outdoor environment, and intentionally using location terms).

Infant

Create environments that support exploration and curiosity (i.e. limit the use of “baby containers” or equipment that restricts an infant’s movement such as bouncy seats, swings, etc.)
Younger Toddler
Model the use of simple location terms (e.g. educator says, “Can you put the ball under your chair?”)
Older Toddler
Encourage the use of simple location terms (e.g. educator says, “Can you put the ball under your chair. Where’s the ball?” Child responds, “Under the chair!”)
Younger Preschool
Use opportunities throughout the day for children to verbalize terms related to location, directionality, and spatial relationships (e.g. next to, in front of, inside/outside, above/below, etc.)

Encourage and support the use of various materials where items represent another (e.g. children use blocks to create a house, etc.)

Older Preschool
Encourage and support the use of various materials where one item represents another item or place (e.g. children use blocks to create a city where a block represents a market, airport, library, home, etc.)

Introduce maps and globes and encourage children to create simple maps of familiar places (home centers in the environment, etc.)