Social Studies Vocabulary
Chapter 1
Family - a group of people who live together and experience the world together
Community - a place where people live, work, and play together
Immigrant - a person who moves from one country to another country
Citizen - a person who belongs to a country
Tradition - something that is passed down over time
History - the story of the past
Ancestor - a relative who lived long before your grandparents
Culture - a way of life
Artifact - an object made and used by people a long time ago
Family tree - a drawing or diagram that shows how different family members are related to each ther
Chapter 2
Legend a box that identifies different symbols found on a map; also called a map key
Compass rose - a symbol that shows directions on a map
Landform - the shape of Earth’s land
Ocean - a large body of salt water
Continent - a large land area on Earth
Migrate - to move from one place to another
Environment - the air, land, water, and life around us
Urban - describing a large community made up of a city and the places around it
Suburb - a community that is near a city
Rural - describing an environment made up of small towns and farms
Chapter 3
Law - a rule we follow in our community, state, and country
Court - a place where people decide if someone has broken a law
Government - a group of people who work together to run a city
Constitution - a plan for government that tells about a country’s laws
Congress - the part of government that writes and votes on laws
Vote -to make a choice that can be counted
Tax - money that collected by government from its citizens
Colony - a place that is ruled by a country far away
Freedom - the right to choose what we do and say
Trade - to buy, sell, or exchange goods and services
Chapter 4
Needs - something that we must have to live every day
Wants - something that we would like to have but do not need to live
Barter - to trade one thing or service for another
Producers - a person who makes or grows the things that other people need and want
Goods - things that we need or want that producers make or grow
Consumers - a person who buys and uses goods and services
Services - work done to help others
Weather - what happens in the air at a certain place and time
Drought - a long period of time when there is not enough rain
Climate - the usual weather over a long time in one place
hapter 5
Trait - something special about a person
Courage - bravery
Risk - the chance that something bad might happen
Sacrifice - something you give up to help someone else
Inspire - to move people to think or do something
Civil War - a war fought between the states in the United States
Reservation - an area of land set aside for Native Americans
Civil Rights - rights that give equal treatment to everyone under the law
Protest - to speak strongly against something
Invention - an original device
Chapter 6
Language - words that people use to communicate
Heritage - a person’s history and culture
Unique - being the only one of something
Parade - a march to celebrate a special event
Fact - something that can be proven
Fiction - something that is not true
Folk tale - a story that tells about a real person
Honor - to celebrate someone
Veteran - a person who has served in the armed forces
Monument - something that is built to honor an important person or event in history