2nd grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 2nd grade social studies in the Arizona Academic Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Maps, continents and world regions
- Cultures and communities around the world
- Goods, jobs and trade in a global economy
Easy ways to practice social studies at home
- Look at a map of your community and find places you visit.
- Ask an older relative or neighbor what the area was like when they were young.
- Read stories from many communities, including Indigenous authors, and talk about what is the same and different.
- Talk about how rules and jobs help a community work.
What each unit covers
Needs & Wants
Telling needs from wants and how communities help meet people's needs.
Globes & World Maps
Continents and oceans, the equator, prime meridian and hemispheres, map tools such as the title, key, compass rose, grid and scale, and finding world communities on a map or globe.
Communities Around the World
Communities in countries such as Japan, Brazil, Kenya, Egypt, India, Mexico and Peru: where people settle and why, how they adapt to and change their environment, languages, festivals, folktales and families.
Culture & Traditions
What culture is, cultural universals such as food, shelter and language, traditions, diversity, and how foods, games and ideas spread between communities.
Trade Around the World
Natural and human resources, the three economic questions, surplus and scarcity, how communities earn a living, money in other countries, and how ships, planes and the internet help communities trade.
Communities Compared
Comparing communities around the world: what they share (basic needs, school, play) and how they differ (size, climate, jobs, travel).
Work, Saving & Resources
Producers and consumers, wants and needs, saving, and how limited resources affect what people make and buy.
Citizens & Leaders
Who can vote, how communities choose leaders, and how groups and nations work out problems, from classmates to countries.
Continents & Oceans
Finding the United States, the seven continents and the main oceans on maps and globes, and using simple map tools to compare places near and far.
People Who Made a Difference
People from long ago and the recent past whose courage, ideas and hard work made life better, including Arizonans such as Sandra Day O'Connor, César Chávez and the Navajo Code Talkers.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Arizona report card guide.
Common questions
Look at a map of your community and find places you visit. Ask an older relative or neighbor what the area was like when they were young. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Arizona Academic Standards 2nd grade social studies units include Needs & Wants, Globes & World Maps, Communities Around the World, Culture & Traditions, Trade Around the World, Communities Compared.
Free printable 2nd grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.