Teaching Geography and Land Use in 2nd Grade Social Studies
Sorting out our local environmentsMost second graders view the world strictly through the windshield of their family car. If they live in an apartment, everything else is just somewhere else. If they live on a farm, the city is a noisy, confusing mystery. When we... read more
Teaching Economic Reasoning in 2nd Grade Social Studies
When we look at the California history-social science standards, we see a requirement that Students understand basic economic concepts and their individual roles in the economy and demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills. That is exactly what the... read more
Teaching Map Skills with 2nd Grade Social Studies Grids
The California social studies standard CA.HSS-2.2.1 asks that students “Locate on a simple letter-number grid system the specific locations and geographic features in their neighborhood or community (e.g., map of the classroom, the school).” In my years in... read more
Teaching Geography Skills in 2nd Grade Social Studies
Mapping begins with the classroom itself.When we look at 2nd grade social studies, we find that understanding how to translate a physical environment into a symbolic map is one of the most practical skills a student learns all year. The Finding Places on a Map lesson... read more