2nd grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 2nd grade social studies in the New York State Learning Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- My community and other United States communities
- Urban, suburban and rural communities in New York and beyond
- Leaders, laws, voting and community service
- Community jobs, money, taxes and change over time
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
Communities Compared
Comparing communities around the world: what they share (basic needs, school, play) and how they differ (size, climate, jobs, travel).
Climate & Ways of Life
How people dress, build, farm and work to suit their weather and land, and reading photos and maps for clues about climate.
Talking and Deciding Together
Democratic habits start small: listening to every idea, waiting for a turn, giving reasons, disagreeing kindly and voting fairly. These help children take part in class and community decisions.
Working Together Fairly
Cooperating, resolving conflicts peacefully, listening actively, using respectful language, leading with care, and valuing contributions to the community.
Citizens & Leaders
Who can vote, how communities choose leaders, and how groups and nations work out problems, from classmates to countries.
Then & Now
Generations in a family, using photos, interviews and timelines, and how technology and traditions change from the past to the present.
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.
Needs & Wants
Telling needs from wants and how communities help meet people's needs.
Work and Prices
Introduces why prices go up or down when something is hard to find or easy to find, and how jobs and work have changed over time.
Work, Saving & Resources
Producers and consumers, wants and needs, saving, and how limited resources affect what people make and buy.
City, Suburb & Country
How urban, suburban and rural communities differ in population and land use, with New York examples such as New York City, Long Island suburbs, the Finger Lakes and the Adirondacks, and what every community shares.
Community Jobs & Taxes
Goods and services, community workers such as teachers, firefighters, sanitation workers and police officers, how taxes pay for community services, and how neighboring communities share resources.
Reading Maps
Map titles, keys, compass directions, grids and scale, physical and human-made features, and finding New York places on a map.
Who Runs Our Community?
Mayors, city councils, judges and the governor of New York, why communities have laws, voting in elections, and services paid for by taxes.
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 New York 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 New York State Learning Standards 2nd grade social studies units include Communities Compared, Climate & Ways of Life, Talking and Deciding Together, Working Together Fairly, Citizens & Leaders, Then & Now.
Free printable 2nd grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.