LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Social Studies — Grade 2

Goal 5: The learner will understand the relationship between people and geography in various communities.

Objective 5.04. Identify the absolute and relative location of communities.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Geography centers
A geography unit in which students investigate and compare their hometowns and other cities. The unit incorporates nine centers: math, science, social studies, reading, writing, computers, puzzles and games, art, and listening. They all have activities that are integrated with the geography unit.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)
By Laurie Perry.

Resources on the web

Xpeditions express: City scavenger hunt
Students take a virtual trip on National Geographic's Xpeditions Express through Europe to the cities of London, Paris, Innsbruck, Venice, Budapest, and Istanbul. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Using maps to see regions
Students will use basic observation, data collecting, and mapmaking skills to explore their school grounds and create regional maps. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
A pirate's life
This lesson introduces students to some basics about pirates, including what they wore, where they worked, and how they lived. Students explore websites to examine pirate characteristics and lifestyles. They will then use what they've learned to design... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Social Studies)
Provided by: Xpeditions
Pacific salmon
Students learn about pacific salmon, including the salmon migration route and the fact that salmon are able to return to the streams where they were born after spending years swimming in the ocean. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Over the river and through the woods: Traveling by memory
This lesson introduces the concept of mental maps and their development. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Native American cultures across the U.S.
Students discuss the differences between five Native American tribes within the U.S. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities
The Middle East region: Flags and facts
Students will learn basic facts about the Middle East by exploring maps of the region. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Marco Polo takes a trip
In this lesson from EDSITEment, students learn about the travels of Venetian adventurer Marco Polo. They consult maps to locate Venice and follow the routes Marco took to Beijing and back. They learn about the challenges of traveling along the Silk Road,... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K and 2 Social Studies)
Provided by: EDSITEment
Mail time! An integrated postcard and geography study
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students write to friends and family asking them to send picture postcards. This activity provides motivation for writing and reading and provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about maps as students discover where... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Immigrating to America
In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students learn about what it was like for new immigrants to come through Ellis Island at the turn of the century. Through first-hand accounts, students discover where the immigrants were from, the reasons they fled their homelands,... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–4 Social Studies)
Provided by: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
How do you like a crowd?
Students consider what it's like to be in heavily and sparsely populated places. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Getting lost
This lesson has students practice their knowledge of the cardinal directions by having them describe the directions in their classroom. They will practice figuring out the relative directions of other places (such as another classroom or the office) in... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: Xpeditions
Geography skills and your town
In this Xpeditions lesson, students relate the five themes of geography (location, place, human/environment interaction, movement, and regions) to their own home town. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Geo-generations
In this Xpeditions activity, students create a Geo-Generations Scrapbook that charts where members of their family have lived and tells what those places were like. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: Xpeditions
Exploring physical and human characteristics of earth's spaces
Students travel around the world on a visual scavenger hunt. First select a handful of important natural and cultural characteristics of places. Then ask them to search through magazines such as National Geographic for photographs that illustrate the range... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Social Studies)
Provided by: Xpeditions
Designing a native plants garden
Students compare native vegetation in different parts of the United States. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic