2nd grade Social Studies
8 units matched to the Washington State Learning Standards. Kids see this subject as “Our World”.
Focus areas
- Community: near and far, now and then
- People who help and how communities work together
- Goods, services and trade
Units
Unit 1
Needs & Wants
Telling needs from wants and how communities help meet people's needs.
Learning standard: E1.2.1; E1.2.3 · community choices among goods and services, with their costs and benefits
Unit 2
Caring Citizens
Rights and responsibilities, community helpers, and how small local actions help the planet.
Learning standard: C4.2.1; C4.2.2; C4.2.3 · rights and responsibilities and ways to help the community
Unit 3
Then & Now
Generations in a family, using photos, interviews and timelines, and how technology and traditions change from the past to the present.
Learning standard: H1.2.2; H1.2.3; H3.2.2 · putting events in order and comparing life in the past with life today
Unit 4
Communities Compared
Comparing communities around the world: what they share (basic needs, school, play) and how they differ (size, climate, jobs, travel).
Learning standard: G2.2.1; G3.2.2 · comparing the characteristics of different kinds of communities
Unit 5
Our Community Changes
Practices how communities change over time: daily life long ago and today, changes made by people and by nature, finding out about the past from photos, museums and older people, and timelines. It follows the Grade 2 outcome on change in the community.
Learning standard: H1.2.1; H2.2.1 · how communities change over time and how people shape them
Unit 6
Who Runs Our Community?
Practices what local government does (order, safety, services such as roads and parks), the roles of mayors and councils, why laws exist, that Tribes make laws for their own communities, and the common good. Tribal content is light and in the present tense.
Learning standard: C1.2.1; C1.2.3; C1.2.4; C2.2.1; C2.2.2; C3.2.1; C3.2.2; E3.2.1; E3.2.2 · local and Tribal government, the purpose of laws, public services, taxes and the common good
Unit 7
Making & Trading
Practices scarcity and choices, costs and benefits, the skills workers need, local goods compared with goods from other communities, and why people trade, including how rivers and the coast shape where Northwest Tribes live and trade.
Learning standard: E1.2.1; E1.2.2; E2.2.1; E2.2.2; E4.2.1; G2.2.3 · scarcity and choices, skills for producing goods, local and distant goods, trade, and Northwest Tribal geography
Unit 8
Reading Maps
Practices map elements: title, key, compass rose with cardinal and in-between directions, grid squares and a simple scale, and telling physical features from human-made ones.
Learning standard: G1.2.1; G1.2.2; G1.2.3; G1.2.5; G2.2.4 · reading maps with keys, directions, grids and scale, and natural versus human-made features
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