Curriculum Map

2nd Grade Social Studies

Dylan Arrowood
 Themes

People, Places, and Environment

Civic Ideals and Practices
Individuals, groups, and Institutions
 Essential Questions

What makes a community?

To what extent can we make a difference in our

community?

To what extent is communities alike and different from

one another?
GLE & Concepts to be Targeted
Geography

3.1.2 Understands the physical characteristics of places in the community.

Civics

1.4.1 Understands that citizenship and civic involvement in the neighborhood and community are the rights
and responsibilities of individuals

Social Studies

5.3.1 Engages in discussions to learn about different points of view on issues.

Learning Targets
I will understand the basics elements of a map and know how to read the elements.

I will know the physical characteristics of my community.

I will understand citizens have the right to live in a safe community.

I will recognize that citizens have responsibilities to take care of the community.

I will understand that citizens have responsibilities to obey the law.

I will recognize that people have different viewpoints on same subjects.

I will recognize that citizens can get along when having different viewpoints.
Success Criteria
I can understand the basics elements of a map by navigating through a map.

I can explain the key on a map.

I can describe the physical characteristics of my community.

I can explain how citizens can take care of the community

I can describe what a safe community is and looks like.

I can explain what laws are and why they are in place.

I can tell you what happens if we don’t follow laws.

I can explain why people have different viewpoints

I can respect an opposite viewpoint from my own.

I can respectfully disagree and get along with someone with a opposing viewpoint from my own.
Strategies and Best
Practices
 Strategy 1: Drawing and
Displaying your community
(Mapping)
GLE
Geography 3.1.1 Understands and applies basic mapping elements such as compass rose, labels, and a key to read and
construct maps that display information about neighborhoods or local communities.
Geography 3.1.2 Understands the physical characteristics of places in the community.
Level: 1 (Draw)
What/why: Drawing is a level 1 depth of knowledge because it only asks students to think about what a
idea and transfer what they have in their head to paper. Drawing helps students process and organize their
knowledge. Many visual learners draw to better picture and understand concepts. There is no right or
wrong way to draw a concept which makes it low stakes for students to explore.
How to: In 2nd grade when students learn about a community, students can think about what do they see
in a community or even take a field trip downtown to look for common things. As a class, students will draw
one or more components they see and together place them to build a community. They can have a
discussion of what it means to be a community along with why every community has common traits. As a
class we can take a field trip or bus ride downtown and look at places we see to add to our map. As well as
have maps in the classroom when constructing our map to notice the basic elements of what a map needs
while learning how to read it. They can be a class discussion on what is a community and how
communities can be small or large based on what we share together.
Modifications
More Support: Stencils, coloring in pictures, and cutting out pictures can help students access the drawing
portion with classmates.
Extension: While drawing a community place, students can explain why the place is important to have in a
neighborhood and who it serves.
Formative Assessment:

To formatively assess this activity take notes on how the students interacted during class discussion or field
trip; were they actively engaging and participating in subject appropriate topic in the community
assignment. Interviewing or taking notes during presentation on why they chose to create the location in the
community map; why does that place belong in the community; who it serves.
 Strategy 2: Interview other
teachers and school staff
GLE Geography 3.2.1 Understands that people in communities affect the environment as they meet their needs and wants
Level: 3 Investigate
What/why: Students will be asked to come up with questions on what teachers and staff appreciate about our
school community culture and what they want to see different, as well as class we will write down what we
think is going well in our school community and what we want to see change as well. After the class interviews
a set number of teachers and staff we can come together to put all our information together, from there see
what we can do as a class to make a change or difference in our community.
How to: Before we go out to interview teachers, groups will come up with interview questions that asks “What
do you like seeing in our school community” and “What would you want to change or see different”. After
interviews are done and answers are displayed for the class. We have a class discussion about what happens
in our community when citizens see a need for change (vote, protest, volunteer).
Modifications
More Support: Students can choose a roll to either come up with questions, ask teachers, or report answers.
Pairing can be beneficial to pair students who can support each others learning and understanding of the
concept.
Extension: Students can interview their parents, families, or close ones to see what changes they want to see
in our living community. Seeing what people want a change from our living community and compare that to
what our school staff wants to see from our school community.
 Strategy 3: Comparing
communities
GLE Geography 3.1.2 Understand the physical characteristics of places in the community
Level: 3 Compare
What/why: Comparing asks students to think about what they experience everyday in their community and
think logically that there are similarities and differences in everyone's community. Comparing is necessary
for students’ interaction with their environment. Finding differences or similarities helps students organize
both new and known information about what the world is like around them and away from them.
How to: Using Dollar Street, students can look at what households, streets, and communities look like in
different parts of the world compared to where we live. Google earth is easy to use for younger students and
teachers can give students locations (New York, Alabama, California, Montana, etc.) in the U.S to look up
and compare those communities to ours. And lastly, starting a pen pal project where each student is paired
up with a student across the city or county to compare asking them to describe their community, while telling
them about ours.
Modifications
More Support: For students who might need help exploring places; instead of sending them free to
research, give them set locations to look up while filling in already set questions about comparing locations.
Paired work on computers let’s students take turns on the role of searcher and note taker. Printing pictures
showing the differences of the locations instead of writing out.
Extension: Comparing two communities within close range of each other, or comparing their family to their
extended family living somewhere else.
Formative assessment:

To formatively assess the comparing communities assignment the teacher need to collect notes and assignment on the
research for Dollar Street and Google Maps. The students information should be relevant to comparing the location to ours
and/or details about the community. Notes should be taken on each location they researched. Students writing to pen pals
should ask and answer questions appropriately and use writing skills learned in class.
 Strategy 4: Class debate

GLEs
Social Studies Skills 5.1.1 Understands multiple points of view on issues in the community.
Social studies skills 5.3.1 Engages in discussions to learn about different points of view on issues.
Level: 4 (Critique)
Why: Students who critique have to fully understand a concept and see flaws that they would want to
change. They cannot just disagree with but must state why they disagree with it and state what they would
do different. Critiquing is extending thinking by complex reasoning and connecting how situations should be
solved.
How to: A class debate about taking sides of a law such as gun control, separation of church and state,
human rights, or topics such as how we teach about Christopher Columbus. The teacher can assign people
to each side and let them find research to back their thinking and critique the other sides points. Students
will analyzing multiple texts to find what’s important to one side and how to critique the other sides opinions.
For a 2nd grade classroom, we might start with a more simple topic such as Disney vs. Nickelodeon,
Cafeteria vs. In class lunch, Soccer vs. Basketball, and grow more into social studies grade related topics.
Modifications
More Support: Giving roles to students who may not want to be the vocal leader but instead come up with
notes, or researcher. Students can present their finding to the teacher who can print out notes for the class
to follow. Students may also do an online discussion if they aren't comfortable discussing in class.
Extension: Students can be responsible for finding pros and cons for both sides of the debate.
Formative assessment:

To formatively assess the class debate, the teacher needs to be actively listening to students and taking notes on what
students are participating. Recording the class debate will help to grade later if teacher needs to facilitate the debate and
try to engage every student into talking. Notes from students will be collected after to see if students came prepared with
points to engage in debate.
 Strategy 5: 2nd grade store
GLE Economics 2.2.1 Understands the basic elements of a community’s economic system, including producers,
distributors, and consumers of goods and services.
Economics 2.2.1 Understands that members of the community make choices among products and services that have
costs and benefits.
Level: 2 Collect and Display
Why: Part of the community is the economic system. Everyone is a consumer of goods and services and
communities need producers and distributors. Students will learn that business sell goods that meet the
needs and wants of their community and for those goods citizens pay. Also with business are services
such as police officers, banks, and ect. services that need to be present in the community.
How to: Students will learn about local business/services in the community and how they produce
goods/services to citizens. Each student will then be choose from a list of business or services to role play
as for a day. Students will need to learn what that business or service sells or does and create a way to
display that. Half the class one week will create a list of needs and wants one week for the
business/services to attend to and switch jobs the following week.
Modifications
More Support: Students will be able to choose from interests to what kind of job they want. Since the
opportunities are endless the students will have a chance to role play in potential career field.
Extension: Create a list of what kind of good the business or service does, who it serves. Being able to
ask local business questions will give them a better idea on how to run a business in a community.
Summative assessment
 Write a letter asking for
change
GLE
Civics 1.4.1 Understands that citizenship and civic involvement in the neighborhood and community are the rights and
responsibilities of individuals
Civics 1.1.2 Applies the key ideal of the public or common good to uphold rights and responsibilities within the context of
the community
Level: 4 Applying concepts
Why: Writing a letter asking for change, is teaching students what it means to be a citizen in
a community and how to make a difference in where we live. Gathering community support
to sign our letter brings the community together on a common goal. One standard for 2nd
grade is for students to learn to what extent can they make a difference in the community.
How to: Students will pick an issue within their community, such as needing a lampost on a
certain street or a crosswalk around the school, and write a letter to the mayor about the
issue, why it is an important issue to solve, and how it would benefit the community to solve
this issue.
Modifications
More Support: A fill in the blanks type letter where most of the writing is done for them but
they have to fill in the blanks on what the issue is and how it would make a difference in the
community. Typing up the letter instead of writing it. Group letter writing. Template for
students to go off of.
Extension: Getting the staff to support their letter (strategy 2), and interview other students
from older and younger grades to see what they would change.
Addressing the learning targets
I will understand the basics elements of a map and know In the letter I will address the change that needs to
how to read the elements. happen for my community. I will be able to describe
where the change will be taking place in my community
I will know the physical characteristics of my and show them on a map.
community.

I will understand citizens have the right to live in a safe

I am writing a letter because I understand that as a
community.
community of citizens, we have a right to be safe in our
I will recognize that citizens have responsibilities to take community and we have the responsibility to take care
care of the community. of the community we live in

I will understand that citizens have responsibilities to

obey the law.

I will recognize that people have different viewpoints on

When writing my letter, I will cite other citizens who
same subjects.
expressed the same problem with difference voices and
I will recognize that citizens can get along when having viewpoints but come together to ask for a change.
different viewpoints.
What students will be able to do
and turn in
● A rough draft of their letter with edits made
● A final draft of their letter to send to local
government
● A list of problems they came up with and the final
problems they decided to write about
● A list of local citizens (teachers, staff, parents,
etc.) that supports their letter for change.
● List of why this change is important to our
community
● A map of where the change is taking place
● Debrief discussion of what they learn from this
project
Resources
 Websites Standards
- DollarStreet.com - https://www.k12.wa.u
- Google Maps s/sites/default/files/pu
blic/socialstudies/outli
nes/unitoutlinessecon

Books dgrade.pdf

- Plains Communities Past and Present Ideas

by Megan O’Hara - Pinterest
- Arctic Communities Past and Present by - TeachersPayTeachers
Cindy Jenson-Elliott
- Look Where We Live by Scott Richie
- Better Together by Nikki Tate
- When You Look Out the Window by
Gayle E Pitman
- Can We Help? By George Anacona