Academic Vocabulary for Social Studies Grade 2.

Teachers created the basic vocabulary list for the five basic concepts (themes) necessary at a specific grade level.

1.People have unlimited wants and only limited resources. (Economics)Basic Concept: Scarcity

Power Standard: Students will analyze the choices that societies make in how they use limited resources to satisfy wants by determining the impact of scarcity in a given historical setting:

  1. wants- things that people want to have but do not need to stay alive.
  2. needs- things you need to survive – food, water, shelter, clothes
  3. service- an activity that someone does to help another person
  4. trade- exchanging items or services
  5. consumer- a person who buys and uses goods and services
  6. producer- a person who grows, makes, or sells products
  7. products- items that are valued and sold
  8. limited resources- having only a certain amount of something
  9. natural resources/raw materials- materials used to make a product; trees
  10. human resources- people that work in factories and make things
  11. capital resources- all of the tools used to make a good
  12. occupation-a job a person works at to earn money
  13. income- money that people earn
  14. business- a place owned by a person that provides goods or services
  15. free enterprise- the freedom to start and run a business to make money
  16. budget- a plan that shows how much money youhave to spend
  17. bank- a business that keeps money safe
  18. benefits- something that promotes well-being
  19. personal savings- money that you have saved
  20. items- a thing you can see or touch; can be used to buy, sell, or trade
  21. scarce- not having enough of something
  22. source- where something comes from
  23. conservation- saving resources to make them last longer
  24. fuel- a resource that can be burned for heat or energy
  25. environment-all of the things that people find around them
  26. technology-the use of new objects and ideas in everyday life
  27. cost- amount of money, items, or labor to buy or make something; a price
  28. opportunity cost- the choice that you do not choose
  29. money/currency- what we use to buy things, such as items or services
  30. goods- things that can be bought or sold
  31. factory- a building in which people use tools to make goods
  32. marketplace- where goods and services are bought and sold

33. barter- to exchange things without using money

34. tax- money people pay to the government

II . People move from place to place for geographic, economic, political and social reasons.

(Geography/History/Economics)

Big Concept: Movement

Power Standard: Students will analyze reasons for movement of peoples by determining howgeography and economics influence where people go.

  1. push reason- the negative reason why people moved away from an area (i.e. famine, natural disasters, conflict, etc.)
  2. pull reason- the positive reason why people moved into an area (i.e. job opportunities, housing, climate, food, etc.)
  3. past- time before now
  4. present- right now
  5. future- time yet to come
  6. history- the study of things in the past
  7. immigrant- someone who comes from another place to live in a country
  8. ancestor- a relative who lived in the past
  9. freedom – being able to make your own choices
  10. independence – the freedom of people to choose their own government
  11. archaeological research – the gathering of information based on artifacts from the past
  12. artifacts- an object produced or shaped by humans
  13. Native American- the first people to live in North America
  14. Thirteen Colonies- British colonies that later became the thirteen original states
  15. colony- a place that is ruled by another country
  16. Revolutionary War- fighting between the British and the thirteen colonies
  17. Declaration of Independence- document stating that the thirteen colonies declared freedom from the British
  18. British rule- having to follow the rules and laws of the British
  19. culture- the way of life and beliefs of a group of people,
  20. settlers- people traveling across the ocean to make new homes in North America
  21. economic freedom- the rights to produce, trade, and consume any goods or services without the use of force
  22. political freedom- the rights to practice and obey a government
  23. religious freedom- the rights to practice a religion or choice
  24. unclaimed land- land that is not the property of any person or group
  25. Westward expansion-the history of people moving towards the west
  26. transportation- the way one travels (horse, train, plane, automobile,etc.)
  27. communication- the sharing of ideas and information
  28. civilization-
  29. invention-a new product that has not been made before
  30. territories-area of land; region
  31. change- what happens when something becomes different
  32. unclaimed land- land that does not belong to a group of people
  1. Where we are affects who we are.

(Geography)

Big Concept: Location/ Region

Power Standard: Students will analyze the impact of geography on areas by describing where people live and how they use the land.

  1. compass rose- a map symbol that shows direction on a map
  2. cardinal directions- the main directions of north, south, east, and west
  3. intermediate directions- between the cardinal directions; northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest
  4. map key/legend- part of the map that explains the symbols and colors on the map
  5. region- areas of land that share the same features that make it different from other areas
  6. symbol- a marking or drawing that stands for something
  7. political map- a map showing states along with the capital cities
  8. physical map- a map that shows landmark such as mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, etc.
  9. physical features- Earth’s surface that includes landforms, bodies of water, climate, natural vegetation and soil
  10. common features-physical features that is similar in varies parts of the world
  11. relative location- tells what a place is near
  12. absolute location- the exact location
  13. map grid- a set of lines that divide a map into columns and rows of squares
  14. location- the place where something is
  15. border-
  16. landform- physical features such as a mountain, valley, plain on Earth’s surface
  17. island- land that is totally surrounded by water
  18. peninsula- land that has water on three sides of it.
  19. climate- weather patterns over time
  20. gulf- a large body of water that is partial surround by land
  21. equator- an imaginary line that divides the Earth into northern and southern halves
  22. seasons-
  23. weather-

I.V. Laws are made to keep order. (Civics/Government)

Big Concept:

Power Standards: Students will evaluate how the government makes laws by recommending how people should be affected by laws and the consequences for breaking laws.

  1. law- a rule that all people must follow
  2. government- people who work together to make laws and decisions for a country
  3. branches of government- the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch
  4. president- a leader of our country
  5. congress- members of a branch of government that were elected to make laws
  6. judge- a person in a court of law who solves problems and decides if things are fair
  7. Supreme Court- decides on laws for the whole country
  8. governor- leader of a state
  9. local leaders- mayor, governor, city council
  10. mayor- a person who leads a city or town
  11. capital- a city in which a state’s or country’s government meets and works
  12. council- a group of people chosen by citizens to make choices for them
  13. Constitution- a written set of rules that the government must follow
  14. Bill of Rights-The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
  15. conflict- a disagreement
  16. consequence- what happens after you make a choice, positive or negative
  17. values/principles- fairness
  18. problem- something that makes things difficult
  19. solution- a way to solve or fix a problem
  20. legislature- a group of elected citizens who makes decisions for the state
  21. elect- to select our government leaders by voting
  22. vote- a choice that gets counted
  23. ballot- a list of all of the choices
  24. democracy- a government by the people
  25. responsibility- something you should take care of or do
  26. national holidays- dates that are celebrated nationwide (July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.)
  27. national symbols- something that represents the United Sates
  28. heritage- the traditions and values passed on by the people who lived before us
  29. customs- a group’s way of doing things
  30. traditions- something that is passed on from older family members to children
  31. culture- a group’s way of life

V.We are a product of what happened before and what we value will influence thefuture.

(History)

Big Concept:

Power Standard: Students will analyze historical symbols by explaining why the United States uses certain symbols to represent our country.

Power Standard: Students will analyze historical events by creating a timeline depicting the chronological order of significant historical events.

  1. timeline – a line or graph that shows the order of events
  2. chronological order- listing by time; earliest to latest. (first, next, then, etc.)
  3. landmarks- a feature that makes a location special
  4. monument/memorial- something created by people to remember a person or an event
  1. Social Studies Skills for 2nd Grade: Students will demonstrate social studies skills by using the following skills on maps, charts, and timelines.

1.Recognize different types of maps (i.e. political, physical, thematic) serve different purposes.

2.Use a compass rose, map key, symbols, alpha numeric grids, and titles.

3.Construct a map of a familiar place (i.e. school, home, neighborhood,

or fictional place) that includes a title, compass rose, symbols, and key.

4. Construct tally charts and pictographs to display geographic

information (i.e. birth place, city, or state).

5. Recognize characteristics of human (i.e. equator, Northern and

Southern Hemispheres, North and South Poles) and physical features

(i.e. ocean, continent, river, lake, mountain range, coast, sea, and

desert)

6. Locate physical and human features using maps, illustrations,

images, or globes.

7. Identify through images of content studied (i.e. Japan, China,

United States) how places have distinct characteristics.

8. Discuss human features (i.e. cities, parks, railroad tracks, hospitals, shops, and schools) in the world.
9. Discuss physical features (i.e. mountains, rivers, deserts) in the world.

10. Discuss the ways places change over time.