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2nd grade · Social Studies · Unit 5 of 10

Citizens & Leaders

Voting, leaders and solving problems

What your child practices

Who can vote, how communities choose leaders, and how groups and nations work out problems, from classmates to countries.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 2.1.4.1; 2.1.2.1 · levels of government, and how elections show democratic principles

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Leaders: a mayor runs a city, a principal leads a school.
  2. People choose many leaders by voting.
  3. Changemakers, like Cesar Chavez, work to make things fairer.

Example: Who leads a public school? A school has one main leader. That leader is the principal. Answer: the principal

Citizens & Leaders in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 5 of 10 in 2nd grade Social Studies, after Working Together Fairly and before Then & Now.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A city council…

    • makes rules and plans for a city
    • runs the whole country
    • teaches classes

  2. Question 2

    Who leads a public school?

    • the mayor
    • the governor
    • the principal

  3. Question 3

    Two countries disagree about fishing. A peaceful way to solve it is to…

    • ignore it forever
    • stop eating
    • talk and make an agreement
    • build a wall in the ocean

  4. Question 4

    Which is a way kids can help their community?

    • pick up litter at a park
    • break a swing
    • waste water

  5. Question 5

    How old must you be to vote in the United States?

    • 18
    • 10
    • 12
    • 30

  6. Question 6

    A mediator helps people…

    • build a house
    • win a race
    • solve a disagreement calmly

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