Our Street and the World
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on tracing everyday things back to the distant places and people they came from.
Our Street and the World is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Geo.11.K-2 — explain how what you buy links you to places far away. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Geo.11.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Geography
D2.Geo.11.K-2
Explain how the consumption of products connects people to distant places.
Objective
Students will be able to trace an item to its origin and name a job somebody did there.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the item and its origin.
- Names a job done there.
- Finds the place on a globe.
What you need
- Labels from real goods
- A globe and string
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — origins off the board
5 min- Read the greengrocer's board and the labels.
- Find two of the countries on the globe.
Teach — the people at the far end
13 min- Run string from Spain to here for the oranges.
- Ask who picked them, packed them, drove them.
- Say the Grade 1 addition: naming the jobs makes the connection about people rather than places.
- Do a second item with more steps.
- Count the strings on the globe at the end.
“Somebody picked those. They have a name we will never know, and we are holding their work.”
Guided practice — trace three
12 min- Pairs trace three items back to a country.
- They name two jobs done along the way.
- They add a string to the class globe.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the our-street-and-the-world page.
- Read each item aloud.
Close
2 min- Name the furthest string and the job at its end.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Names the country and no people.
Why: The label names a place.
Fix: Name a job. The connection is to people, not to a shape on a globe.
Thinks the label's country is where the shop is.
Why: Both are printed nearby.
Fix: Read the words: 'product of' names where it came from.
Thinks only food travels.
Why: Food labels are the familiar ones.
Fix: Check a shoe or a pencil.
If they are not there yet
- One item rather than three.
- Read the label for them.
If they finish early
- Trace something with parts from two countries.
- Say what the people at the far end might need from us.
- Say what a shorter journey would change.
Exit ticket
Name something in the shop, where it came from, and one job somebody did there.
What to look for: An item, a place and a job. A place with no job means the name-a-job step needs repeating.
Printable practice for D2.Geo.11.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Our Street and the WorldCircle the best answer.
Questions about Our Street and the World
How long does the Our Street and the World lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Our Street and the World teach?
D2.Geo.11.K-2 — D2.Geo.11.K-2, Geography for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Explain how the consumption of products connects people to distant places.” In plain terms, explain how what you buy links you to places far away.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Labels from real goods, a globe and string and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: names the country and no people; thinks the label's country is where the shop is and thinks only food travels. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Name something in the shop, where it came from, and one job somebody did there.” An item, a place and a job. A place with no job means the name-a-job step needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Our Street and the World?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Geo.11.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Our Street and the World free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Geo.11.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.