First Grade Social Vocabulary: First Grade Social
A comprehensive vocabulary reference guide defining essential terms across civics, geography, economics, history, culture, and environmental stewardship for young scholars.
How to Use This Glossary
This glossary gathers the important vocabulary terms you have discovered throughout this book into one easy-to-use reference guide. Words are organized by category and explained in clear, student-friendly language with example sentences illustrating how each word is used in daily life.
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| GLOSSARY CATEGORIES |
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| Civics & Gov. | Citizens, rules, voting, and leaders |
| Geography | Maps, globes, landforms, and directions |
| Economics | Needs, wants, goods, services, & money |
| History & Time | Past, present, timelines, and artifacts |
| Culture & Earth | Traditions, diversity, and resources |
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Civics and Government Vocabulary
Civics terms describe how human beings live together in communities, create fair rules, and elect leaders.
Citizen and Citizenship
A citizen is an active member of a community, state, or nation who enjoys legal rights and protections while fulfilling helpful responsibilities toward others. Citizenship is the status, practice, and character of being a responsible citizen.
Example: Maria showed good citizenship by helping clean up paper scraps on the playground after recess.
Law and Rule
A rule is an agreed-upon guideline that tells people what they should or should not do within a specific place like a classroom or home. A law is an official rule made by a government that all citizens in a town, state, or nation must obey.
Example: Stopping at a red traffic light is a law that protects drivers and pedestrians.
Voting, Ballot, and Majority
Voting is a fair method groups use to make choices where each person expresses their preference. A ballot is a paper or electronic tool used to cast a vote. A majority is more than half of the total votes cast.
Example: Our reading group held a vote with paper ballots, and the majority chose a book about ocean dolphins.
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| CIVICS TERM | DEFINITION |
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| Leader | A person chosen to guide and help a |
| | community accomplish goals |
| Mayor | The elected leader of a city or town |
| Governor | The elected leader of an entire state |
| President | The elected leader of the entire U.S. |
| Responsibility | A duty or task someone is expected to |
| | fulfill to support others |
| Right | A fundamental freedom or protection |
| | that belongs to every person |
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Geography and Spatial Skills Vocabulary
Geography terms describe physical spaces, Earth models, landforms, and mapping tools.
Cardinal Directions and Compass Rose
Cardinal directions are the four main navigation headings: North, South, East, and West. A compass rose is a printed symbol on a map with pointed arrows indicating cardinal directions.
Example: The compass rose on our town map showed that the public library is located North of the school.
Map, Globe, and Landmark
A map is a flat drawing of a real place seen from an overhead bird's-eye view. A globe is a round, three-dimensional sphere model of planet Earth. A landmark is an easily recognized building, monument, or natural feature used as a navigation guidepost.
Example: The clock tower on Main Street is our neighborhood's most famous landmark.
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| GEOGRAPHY TERM | DEFINITION |
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| Continent | One of Earth's seven vast landmasses |
| Ocean | One of Earth's five huge salty bodies |
| | of water |
| Landform | A natural physical feature on Earth's |
| | surface, like a mountain or plain |
| Mountain | A very tall landform with steep slopes|
| | and a snowy peak |
| Plain | A broad, flat expanse of grassy land |
| River | A large ribbon of moving freshwater |
| | that flows toward an ocean or lake |
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Economics and Work Vocabulary
Economics terms describe how people make choices, earn income, and buy goods and services.
Needs and Wants
A need is something essential that a human being must have to survive, such as nutritious food, clean water, safe shelter, and warm clothing. A want is something enjoyable that a person desires but does not need to survive, such as a video game or toy car.
Example: Bread and milk are household needs, while a chocolate candy bar is a want.
Goods, Services, Producers, and Consumers
A good is a tangible physical object that you can touch, hold, and buy. A service is a helpful task or job that someone performs for another person. A producer is a person or business that makes goods or provides services. A consumer is a person who buys or uses goods and services.
Example: The baker is a producer who bakes delicious goods like bread, while hungry consumers purchase loaves to eat.
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| ECONOMICS TERM | DEFINITION |
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| Income | Money earned in exchange for work, |
| | labor, or selling goods |
| Saving | Keeping money in a safe place for |
| | future goals instead of spending now |
| Barter | Trading goods or services directly |
| | without using any money |
| Currency | The official money (coins and bills) |
| | used in a country |
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History, Time, and Culture Vocabulary
History and culture terms describe the passage of time, ancestral customs, and diversity.
Past, Present, Future, and Timeline
The past is all time that has already occurred. The present is what is happening right now at this exact moment. The future is time that has not happened yet. A timeline is a diagram that displays events in chronological order from earliest to most recent.
Example: Looking at his personal timeline, Leo saw that he learned to walk in the past when he was one year old.
Primary Source and Artifact
A primary source is an original document, photograph, recording, or object created during the exact historical period being studied by someone who lived through it. An artifact is an object made or used by humans in the past.
Example: The dusty black-and-white photograph of great-grandmother's wedding is a precious primary source.
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| HISTORY/CULTURE | DEFINITION |
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| Tradition | A custom or activity passed down from |
| | older generations to children |
| Heritage | The history, traditions, and culture |
| | inherited from ancestors |
| Diversity | Variety and differences within a group|
| | of people, including languages & food |
| Milestone | An important event marking a stage of |
| | growth in life or history |
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Environmental Stewardship Vocabulary
Environmental terms explain natural treasures and conservation actions that protect our planet.
Natural Resource and Conservation
A natural resource is a useful material provided by nature, such as clean water, fertile soil, fresh air, and forest trees. Conservation is the careful protection and wise use of natural resources to prevent waste and damage.
Example: Turning off the water faucet while brushing your teeth is a daily act of water conservation.
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| ENVIRONMENT TERM | DEFINITION |
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| Reduce | Creating less trash by using fewer |
| | disposable items and less packaging |
| Reuse | Using an object again in a creative or|
| | practical new way instead of dumping |
| Recycle | Collecting and reprocessing materials |
| | into brand new usable items |
| Habitat | The natural home of an animal or plant|
| | providing food, water, and shelter |
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Exercises and Review
Exercise 1: Choose one word from civics, one word from economics, and one word from geography in this glossary, and write one complete sentence defining each word in your own words.
Exercise 1 Solution: From civics, a citizen is a person who belongs to a community and helps make it safe and fair. From economics, a service is work or a helpful action that someone performs for another person, such as a doctor checking your health. From geography, a continent is one of the seven gigantic landmasses on Earth where countries and people live.
Exercise 2: What is the difference between a primary source and an artifact?
Exercise 2 Solution: A primary source is any original first-hand evidence created at the time an event happened, including letters, diary entries, and photographs. An artifact is a physical object made, used, or shaped by human beings in the past, such as an ancient stone bowl or a carved wooden toy, which also serves as a type of primary source.