Grade 2 Social Studies Louisiana standards Standards

Geography

Civics

History

Grade 2: Life in Our Great Country: The United States of America

Skills and Practices

Create and use a chronological sequence of events using appropriate vocabulary.

Identify and describe principles of American democracy and relate them to the founding of the nation.

Identify reasons for the settlement of the thirteen colonies and the founding of the United States, including the search for freedom and a new life.

Identify and describe basic principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, including equality under the law and fair treatment for all.

Explain the purpose of rules and laws in the United States. ● 2.12 Define governmental systems, including democracy and monarchy.

Describe civic virtues including voting, running for office, serving on committees, and volunteering.

Describe how hard work, good habits, consistent attendance in school, and planning for the future can help you achieve your goals, including attending college, learning a trade, and having a successful career.

Compare local, state, and national elected officials and explain their roles and responsibilities, including the president, governor, mayor, and representatives. ECONOMICS ● 2.16 Describe the United States in economic terms, including free enterprise, private property, producers and consumers, profit and loss, costs and benefits, and imports and exports. a. Describe how people are both producers and consumers. b. Explain why free enterprise and private property are important concepts and how they are beneficial to individuals and to the United States. c. Identify examples of an economic cost or benefit of a decision or event.

Explain why and how people specialize in the production of goods and services.

Explain how scarcity of resources and opportunity costs require people to make choices to satisfy wants and needs.

Identify how people use natural (renewable and non-renewable), human, and capital resources to provide goods and services.

Differentiate between primary and secondary sources. For example:

Primary sources: letters, diaries, autobiographies, speeches, interviews

Secondary sources: magazine articles, textbooks, encyclopedia entries, biographies

Create and use maps and models with a key, scale, and compass with intermediate directions.

Describe geographic features and physical characteristics of places in the United States and the world, including mountains, hills, plains, deserts, coasts, islands, peninsulas, lakes, oceans, and rivers.

Identify and locate the four hemispheres, equator, and prime meridian.

Describe the relative location of the United States.

Compare and contrast basic land use and economic activities in urban, suburban, and rural environments.

Identify natural disasters such as blizzards, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods and explain their effects on people and the environment.

Explain how and why people, goods, and ideas move from place to place.

Describe how and why people from various cultures immigrate to the United States.

Select and use appropriate evidence from primary and secondary sources to support claims.

Construct and express claims that are supported with relevant evidence from primary and secondary sources with clear reasoning.

Compare life in the United States in the past to life today.

Describe the significance of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

Identify and describe national historical figures, celebrations, symbols, and places.

Identify and describe the Founding Fathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, John Adams, John Hancock, and James Madison.

Identify and describe historical female figures, including Abigail Adams, Anne Hutchinson, Dolley Madison, Betsy Ross, and Phillis Wheatley.

Describe the significance of state and nationally designated holidays, including New Year's Day, the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inauguration Day, Washington's Birthday, Mardi Gras, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

Describe the history of American symbols, including the Liberty Bell, United States flag (etiquette, customs pertaining to the display and use of the flag), bald eagle, national anthem, Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, The Pledge of Allegiance, and the national motto "In God We Trust."

Identify and describe man-made American monuments and landmarks including the Gateway Arch, the Golden Gate Bridge, Jefferson Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, Pearl Harbor Museum, September 11 Memorial and Museum, Statue of Liberty, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, and the White House.

Identify and describe natural American landmarks, including the Grand Canyon, Mississippi River, Monument Valley, Niagara Falls, Rocky Mountains, Smoky Mountains, and Yellowstone National Park.

Interpret legends, stories, and songs that contributed to the development of the cultural history of the United States, including Native American legends, African American history, tall tales, and stories of folk heroes.

Describe the structure and responsibilities of each of the three branches of the U.S. government (legislative, executive, judicial).

Describe differences between primary and secondary sources.

Select and use appropriate evidence from primary and secondary sources to support claims.

Construct and express claims that are supported with relevant evidence from primary and/or secondary sources, content knowledge, and clear reasoning.