2nd grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 2nd grade social studies in the Washington State Learning Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Community: near and far, now and then
- People who help and how communities work together
- Goods, services and trade
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.
Caring Citizens
Rights and responsibilities, community helpers, and how small local actions help the planet.
Then & Now
Generations in a family, using photos, interviews and timelines, and how technology and traditions change from the past to the present.
Communities Compared
Comparing communities around the world: what they share (basic needs, school, play) and how they differ (size, climate, jobs, travel).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Washington 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 Washington State Learning Standards 2nd grade social studies units include Needs & Wants, Caring Citizens, Then & Now, Communities Compared, Our Community Changes, Who Runs Our Community?.
Free printable 2nd grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.