Social Studies - 2nd Grade (2024)
Lesson Plans

Strand 2: Geography

Students develop an understanding of the relationship between people and their physical environment using geographic tools, technology, and map skills.

Compelling Questions:

• Why do people use maps?
• How is learning to read a map similar to and different from learning to read a story?
• What are different ways our natural environment helps meet human needs of living, working, and playing?
• What relationships do you, your family, and your community have with the vegetation, animal life, and physical features of your region?

Standard 2.2.4

Describe how location, climate, and physical features affect where people live and work, and how communities modify the environment to meet their needs over time (for example, irrigation, dams, reservoirs, roads, buildings, bridges).

• Legend of the Sleeping Ute: A Ute Mountain Ute Tale
  Our earth has so many different intersting facts about land formations and the impact of those landforms on our communities. Students will practice identifying different landforms and focus on one landform through a Native American story - "The Legend of the Sleeping Ute: A Ute Mountain Ute Tale"The Ute Mountain Ute people are one of three Ute tribes living in southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. The Ute Mountain Ute tribal headquarters are located at Towaoc, Colorado.
• Symbols, Geographic Features, and Community: A Digital Storytelling Project
  This lesson meets the 2nd Grade Utah Core Social Studies Standard 3, Objective1: Identify common symbols and physical features of a community, and explain how they affect people's activities in that areaStudents will learn about things that affect their community like traffic signs and symbols, topographical features and manmade features like roads and homes. They will create a digital story to tell their classmates what they enjoy doing in their community and local environment. It is about 45-60 minutes, probably best broken up over several days, and should be completed during class. 
• Why Do We Need Maps?
  This resource is a Private i History Detectives unit from iCivics, consisting of four lessons. It is from iCivics, Grade 2, Unit 2. Description: This inquiry-based unit puts kids on the map! Key vocabulary and primary source information allow kids to study different map projections and learn how maps have changed over time. The 1904 World?s Fair Map will be the guide to practice their newly acquired map skills.

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http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Robert  Austin and see the Social Studies website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.