Honoring Our Community History - Unit 1

Honoring Our Community History - Unit 1

During this social studies unit we will learn about...

• using sources to study the past

• how people in the past shaped communities

• how communities use celebrations and landmarks to honor the past

• maps

Vocabulary

history

a study of how people and events in the past changed communities

community

a group of people who share a common bond of working, living, or interacting together

chronology

placing events in order by time

inventiveness

using your skills and imagination to create things that help solve problems

symbol

an object that represents something else

Historians look at many sources to study about communities in the past.

• timelines

• documents

• pictures

• interviews

timeline

A timeline is a tool that organizes information. It is used to describe the order in which events happened. Timelines can also help show how events in history are related. Timelines all include dates to show when each event happened.

documents

 Historical documents, like birth certificates, military records, and other government documents, are primary sources because they are original records. The Constitution of the United States of America is a great example of a primary source because it was written and signed by our country's founding fathers.

pictures and photos

These help us to see what life was like in the past.

interviews

These help us learn information directly from a person by asking them questions.

People have shaped communities in the past and today.

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• Local people and events influence the community of Buda, Texas.

• City Manager Kenneth Williams is shown here with Officers on our First National Night Out. National Night Out is an excellent opportunity to meet your neighbors and local first responders as well as strengthen community ties. 

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Irma Rangel

was the first Mexican-American woman elected to the Texas Legislature, champoined rights for minorities along with access to higher education, professional schools, and educational grants.

Thurgood Marshall

was the first African American Justice (judge) appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967. He won a court case that desegregated public schools.

Theodore Roosevelt

was the 26th president of the United States. He was an advocate of environmental conservation and designated thousands of acres of land for the development of national parks.

Communities honor the past by participating in celebrations.

Veterans Day

honors military veterans who have served in the military. At Elm Grove Elementary school the kindergartners put on a performance for Veterans Day each year. It is on Nov. 11.

Memorial Day

is a day that we honor and remember soldiers who dies in war. It is always on the last Monday in May.

Independence Day

commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Thanksgiving

is a national holiday for giving thanks. The holiday is celebrated with family and feasts. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

There are many landmarks, such as monuments and government buildings that honor our past.

community monuments

• statues

• parks

• bridges

• cemeteries

• historic locations

state monuments

Monuments like the San Jacinto monument and The Alamo help us remember important battles that Texas fought for independence from Mexico.

national monuments

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The sculpture's 60-ft.-high granite faces depict U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. 

government buildings

This is the Texas capitol building in Austin, Texas.

map

A map is a flat picture showing information about an area, such as the roads, water, cities, and countries.

Globe

A globe is a 3-dimensional model (or small copy) of Earth.

title

Each map has a title that tells what the map represents. For example, a map of the United States might simply be titled 'The United States of America. ' Titles give us an idea of what we're looking at and what we may use the map for.

cardinal directions

Cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main directions or points of the compass: north, east, south and west.

map legend

A map legend is sometimes also called a key. Legends or map keys use symbols, colors, or lines to represent important places or landmarks on a map. They are usually located at the bottom left or right of a map.