New Mexico Content Standards (K-4)
Hello, teachers!
Below are some suggestions on how to tie Whispers of the Wolf to New Mexico Content Standards for Social Studies. (Come back soon for Science Standards!) Whispers of the Wolf comes with end notes which provide further informational text for each illustration. When appropriate, these notes are repeated here for your convenience and additional information is included as well.
KINDERGARTEN
Strand – History
K-4 Benchmark I-A – New Mexico: Describe how contemporary and historical people and events have influenced New Mexico
communities and regions.
1. Identify the customs, celebrations, and holidays of various cultures in New Mexico.
Strand – Geography
K-4 Benchmark II-F: Describe how natural and man-made changes affect the meaning, use, distribution, and value of resources
1. Identify natural resources.
Strand – Civics and Government
K-4 Benchmark III-B: Identify and describe the symbols, icons, songs, traditions, and leaders of local, state, tribal, and national levels that exemplify ideals and provide continuity and a sense of community across time.
1c. [Recognize] tribal symbols and activities to include Feast Days, pottery, arts, storytelling.
Strand – Economics
K-4 Benchmark IV-A: Understand that individuals, households, businesses, governments, and societies make decisions that affect the distribution of resources and that these decisions are influenced by incentives (both economic and intrinsic).
1. Understand that basic human needs are met in many ways.
GRADE 1
Strand – Geography
K-4 Benchmark II-A: Understand the concept of location by using and constructing maps, globes, and other geographic tools to identify and derive information about people, places, and environments
1. Understand maps and globes as representations of places and phenomena.
2. Identify and use the four cardinal directions to locate places in community, state, and tribal districts.
K-4 Benchmark II-B: Distinguish between natural and human characteristics of places and use this knowledge to define regions, their
relationships with other regions, and patterns of change.
2. Identify how traditional tribal and local folklore attempt to explain weather, characteristics of places, and human origins and relationships.
K-4 Benchmark II-E: Describe how economic, political, cultural, and social processes interact to shape patterns of human populations, and their interdependence, cooperation, and conflict.
1. Identify characteristics of culture (e.g., language, customs, religion, shelter).
K-4 Benchmark II-F: Describe how natural and man-made changes affect the meaning, use, distribution, and value of resources
1. Describe the role of resources in daily life.
2. Describe ways that humans depend upon, adapt to, and affect the physical environment.
Strand – Civics and Government
K-4 Benchmark III-D: Understand rights and responsibilities of "good citizenship" as members of a family , school and community.
2. Explain and apply "good citizenship" traits within the school and community using the elements of fair play, good sportsmanship, the idea of treating others the way you want to be treated, and being trustworthy.
Strand – Economics
K-4 Benchmark IV-B: Understand that economic systems impact the way individuals, households, businesses, governments, and societies make decisions about goods and services.
1. Understand the value of work.
GRADE 2
Strand – History
K-4 Benchmark I-A – New Mexico: Describe how contemporary and historical people and events have influenced New Mexico Communities and regions
1. Describe how historical people, groups, and events have influenced the local community.
K-4 Benchmark I-C – World: Students will identify and describe similar historical characteristics of the United States and its neighboring countries
1. Describe and compare similarities of the history of peoples in North America through literature (e.g., story-telling, fables, folktales, fairy tales).
K-4 Benchmark I-D – Skills: Understand time passage and chronology
1. Correctly sequence historical events.
Strand – Geography
K-4 Benchmark II-A: Understand the concept of location by using and constructing maps, globes, and other geographic tools to identify and derive information about people, places, and environments
1. Use a variety of maps to locate specific places and regions.
K-4 Benchmark II-B: Distinguish between natural and human characteristics of places and use this knowledge to define regions, their relationships with other regions, and patterns of change.
1. Describe how climate, natural resources, and natural hazards affect activities and settlement patterns.
2. Explain how people depend on the environment and its resources to satisfy their basic needs.
K-4 Benchmark II-C: Be familiar with aspects of human behavior and man-made and natural environments in order to recognize their impact on the past and present.
1. Identify ways in which people depend on natural and man-made environments including natural resources to meet basic needs.
K-4 Benchmark II-E: Describe how economic, political, cultural, and social processes interact to shape patterns of human populations, and their interdependence, cooperation, and conflict.
1. Describe how characteristics of culture affect behaviors and lifestyles.
Strand – Civics and Government
K-4 Benchmark III-D: Understand rights and responsibilities of "good citizenship" as members of a family , school and community.
1. Understand characteristics of “good citizenship” as exemplified by historic and ordinary people.
2. Explain the responsibilities of being a member of various groups (e.g. family, school, community).
GRADE 3
Strand – Geography
K-4 Benchmark II-D: Understand how physical processes shape the Earth’s surface patterns and biosystems.
1. Identify the components of the Earth’s biosystems and their makeup (e.g., air, land, water, plants, and animals).
2. Describe how physical processes shape features on the Earth’s surface.
K-4 Benchmark II-E: Describe how economic, political, cultural, and social processes interact to shape patterns of human populations, and their interdependence, cooperation, and conflict.
1. Describe how cooperation and conflict affect neighborhoods and communities.
Strand – Civics and Government
K-4 Benchmark III-B: Identify and describe the symbols, icons, songs, traditions, and leaders of local, state, tribal, and national levels that exemplify ideals and provide continuity and a sense of community across time.
1. Explain how symbols, songs, icons, and traditions combine to reflect various cultures over time.
GRADE 4
Strand – History
K-4 Benchmark I-A – New Mexico: Describe how contemporary and historical people and events have influenced New Mexico Communities and regions
1. Identify important issues, events, and individuals from New Mexico pre-history to the present.
K-4 Benchmark I-C – World: Students will identify and describe similar historical characteristics of the United States and its neighboring countries
1. Explain how historical events, people, and culture influence present day Canada, Mexico, and the United States (e.g., food, art, shelter, language).
Strand – Geography
K-4 Benchmark II-B: Distinguish between natural and human characteristics of places and use this knowledge to define regions, their relationships with other regions, and patterns of change.
3. Identify ways in which different individuals and groups of people view and relate to places and regions.
K-4 Benchmark II-D: Understand how physical processes shape the Earth's surface patterns and biosystems
2. Describe the four provinces (plains, mountains, plateau, and basin and range) that make up New Mexico's land surface (geographic conditions).
Strand – Civics and Government
K-4 Benchmark III-B: Identify and describe the symbols, icons, songs, traditions, and leaders of local, state, tribal, and national levels that exemplify ideals and provide continuity and a sense of community across time.
1. Describe various cultures and the communities they represent, and explain how they have evolved over time.