Download Academic Vocabulary for Social Studies Grade 2

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 you have 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
how geography 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. civilization29. 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
III.
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. border16. 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. seasons23. weatherI.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
32.
V. We are a product of what happened before and what we value will influence the future.
(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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
timeline – a line or graph that shows the order of events
chronological order- listing by time; earliest to latest. (first, next, then, etc.)
landmarks- a feature that makes a location special
monument/memorial- something created by people to remember a person or an event
VI.
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.