We were a Core Knowledge school several years back. We don't really use the curriculum anymore, but it is still our only SS curriculum. Core Knowledge is pretty much a history program that teaches things the kids don't need to know and things I didn't know until I took World History in high school. We are supposed to get a new SS program... within the next 5 years. The school I student taught in had an actual SS program, but they honestly didn't really teach SS in the lower grades to make room for "more important" subjects. I would go to the standards, but the standards for SS are confusing and lumped together for grades K-4 so I can't pick out what a 2nd grader needs to know from that. So, I don't have much to go on and I am trying to see what 2nd graders should know for SS. I was going to do neighborhoods and communities. Maybe some history of our city. I was also going to do maps and map skills. But then I don't know what else to do. What do your 2nd grade programs look like?
These are the topic headings in my te... America, our home- flag, freedoms, patriotic holidays, songs The People Who built america-the separatists, america's indians, the colonists, pioneers, cowboys, the new americans (immigrants) tomorrow's america-what will you be (community helpers) we also cover map skills, all 50 states, our neighbors- canada, mexico...and we learn the seven continents and 4 major oceans and several facts about each continent and they have a poem they learn by reciting it everyday to help them remember the continents and oceans...
OMGoodness...I just copied and pasted our state objectives for 2nd grade Social Studies and the list is unbelievable- especially since we only teach SS 30 minutes a week! I'd be happy if I could get them to understand the difference between continents, countries, states, and cities!! What we taught this year was basically good citizenship; respect for US symbols, events, and people; using map skills; communities and roles within them; basic supply and demand; geography of the US by regions and characteristics; the three branches of government; use of timelines, graphs, charts, etc. We also studied our state somewhat. Plus several topics overlapped with Science... Our state objectives- Students will • characterize and model good citizenship by building social networks of reciprocity and trustworthiness (Civic Dispositions). • model a respect for symbols, ideas and concepts of the United States and analyze the roles of significant individuals (Respect For People, Events, and Symbols). • develop and employ the civic skills necessary for effective citizenship by using criteria to make judgments, arrive at and defend positions and evaluate the validity of the positions or data (Evaluation Skills). • develop the participatory skills of interacting, monitoring and influencing that are essential for informed, effective and responsible citizenship, including participation in civic life to shape public policy (Participatory Skills). • recognize and communicate the responsibilities, privileges and rights of United States citizens (Civic Life). Students will • examine and analyze the purposes and basic principles of the United States government (Purposes of Government). • outline and evaluate and analyze the origins and meaning of the principles, ideals and core democratic values expressed in the foundational documents of the United States (Ideals of United States Democracy). • examine and distinguish the structure. function and responsibilities of governments and the allocation of power at the local, state and national levels (United States Government and Politics). • analyze how the world is organized politically and compare the role and relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs (United States Government and World Affairs). Students will • analyze the role of economic choices in scarcity, supply and demand, resource allocation, decision-making, voluntary exchange and trade-offs (Choices). • research, critique and evaluate the roles of private and public institutions in the economy (Institutions). • compare and contrast various economic systems and analyze their impact on individual citizens (Economic Systems). • illustrate how the factors of production impact the United States economic system (Factors of Production). • analyze the elements of competition and how they impact the economy (Competition). • examine and evaluate the interdependence of global economies (Global Economies). Students will • interpret and choose maps, globes and other geographic tools to categorize and organize information about personal directions, people, places, and environments (The World in Spatial Terms). • examine the physical and human characteristics of place and explain how the lives of people are rooted in places and regions (Places and Regions). • analyze physical processes that shape the earth’s surface and create, sustain and modify the cultural and natural environment (Physical Systems). • analyze and illustrate how the earth is shaped by the movement of people and their activities (Human Systems). • analyze the interaction of society with the environment (Environment and Society). • point out geographic perspective and the tools and assess techniques available for geographic study (Uses of Geography Students will • organize, analyze and compare historical events, distinguish cause-effect relationships, theorize alternative actions and outcomes, and anticipate future application (Chronology). • use the processes and resources of historical inquiry to develop appropriate questions, gather and examine evidence, compare, analyze and interpret historical data (Skills and Application). • examine, analyze and synthesize historical knowledge of major events, individuals, cultures and the humanities in West Virginia, the United States and the world (Culture and Humanities). • use historical knowledge to analyze local, state, national and global interdependence (Interpretation and Evaluation). • examine political institutions and theories that have developed and changed over time; and research and cite reasons for development and change (Political Institutions). Students will • use the five reading components (phonemic awareness, phonics, background knowledge/vocabulary, high frequency word/fluency, comprehension, and writing) in their acquisition of social studies knowledge insuring a foundation of college readiness in this genre. • recognize main ideas and supporting details to locate basic facts (e.g., names, dates, events). • distinguish relationships among people, ideas, and events. • recognize cause-effect relationships in content passages. • outline sequences of events. • summarize events and ideas. Infer main ideas or purpose of content. draw generalizations and conclusions about people and events. • write and edit organized texts of various genres to insure that information is clearly understood
Here in New Brunswick, they combine K-2 Social Studies, Science, Health and Personal Development into one subject called "You and Your World". Each subject has one unit associated with it. The overarching theme is "Change" during grade two... the main Social Studies unit deals with technology, and how it changes over the years.
Good gosh, queenie!!! We teach our community in 2nd SS (and urban, suburban, rural). They learn what it used to be like, what it's like now, how it's changed, how change affects things (cutting down trees to make room for buildings, brings in people...). Goods and services (builds on needs and wants from 1st), economics, rules and laws, we do an assembly line project, they compare and contrast our community with one in another country, ummmmmm that's all I can remember right now.
Yeah, that is pretty much my problem, too. Except we don't have "Social Studies" standards we have separate Civics, Economics, History, and Geography standards and they are all about that same length. That's why I appreciate the information on what everyone else teaches.
beckysue, here's a link to the curriculum document. http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/ss/YouandYourWorld.pdf
Ours here in NC is pretty similar if I remember correctly from when my daughter was in 2nd. Not so sure on the map skills, but I know they did the other stuff
Communities We discuss different types of communities and what people do in each kind of community. We also teach about goods and services. Students learn a lot about occupations and how we all depend on many different specialists to function as a community. Students are exposed to foods, languages, and products from other countries.
oh i forgot we also make a timeline in the spring from calculator tape with 20 or so "boxes" that tell the history of the usa...i write the fact and the dates on the board and we discuss what we know about that event and they copy and illustrate the fact
Go here and scroll down to "Elementary Social Studies Curriculum" http://www.d11.org/DOI/socialstudies/index.htm
Wow, thanks Missy! I would never have thought to look at another district's website. They have the entire thing lined out. Thank you to everyone else who replied. I have a better idea of what I want to do now.
IN has "core standards" that condense/combine the standards for each grade; they might be helpful for you. A link to the pdf file is below. http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/Acad...-Core/2008-06-09-CoreStandards-SocStudies.pdf
