2nd grade · History
What a 2nd grade student learns in History
Grade 2 history centers on how communities form and change over time, the lives and contributions of diverse historical figures who shaped local and national life, and the meaning of American symbols, holidays, and basic citizenship. Students use timelines, maps, and biographies to connect the past to the present at a concrete, story-based level.
The skills for the year
- 1Distinguish events of long ago from yesterday and today using simple timelines
- 2Compare daily life (homes, school, work, transportation) long ago with life today
- 3Explain why people form communities and how communities change over time
- 4Locate their community, state, and country on maps and globes
- 5Describe absolute and relative location of places using cardinal directions and map keys
- 6Identify major landforms and bodies of water of the local area and United States
- 7Recognize American symbols (flag, bald eagle, Statue of Liberty, White House, Pledge) and explain their meanings
- 8Identify origins and significance of major national holidays (Independence Day, Presidents’ Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
- 9Describe contributions of key historical figures (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez)
- 10Learn about Native American groups of the local region or nation and their lasting contributions
- 11Explain how individual character and actions of people from the past have made a difference
- 12Identify roles of local, state, and national leaders (mayor, governor, president) past and present
- 13State basic rights and responsibilities of citizens in a community and the United States
- 14Distinguish needs from wants and goods from services in past and present communities
- 15Describe how people produce, buy, sell, and trade goods and services over time
- 16Recognize cultural diversity in communities and ways different groups have contributed to American life
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