Centers for Second Grade Social Studies Curriculum
During this lesson students will be introduced to five different social studies centers. Each center will support an area of our second grade social studies curriculum. Each center will have tiered lessons and materials. Each student will have a social studies folder geared with appropriate tasks and learning styles. At the beginning of the year students were introduced to basic geography and mapping skills. Some students will be working on activities to review and practice skills while other will be drawing on what they know to implement geography skills. It will take 2-3 days for students to move through all centers and complete tasks.
2SS.1, .2, .3, .4 &5. Geography: locate continents, oceans, major rivers, countries and boarders of the United States and Canada. Students will be able to use cardinal directions to express locations. Students will be able to travel around the world and identify where they are on a map or globe.
Centers and Objectives
1. Traveling with a Map
Objective: Students will be able to use an atlas and globe to apply mapping skills.
2. Celebrations Around the World
Objective: Students will be able to use calendar skills and research to identify celebrations around the world.
3. Visit a Continent
Objective: Students will be able to read at various levels about individual continents to write a postcard
4. Get a Job
Objective: Students will be able to access prior knowledge about the community in which they live to determine needs and jobs in Holliston
5. Show me a land or water form
Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate and make a model of various landforms.
6. Extra Work: Social Studies Vocabulary Charades
Objective: Students will review Social Studies vocabulary words.
1. Whole class will gather for a short read aloud about Maps and globes.
2. Teacher will explain that like math and reading group centers today we are going to be introduced to social studies centers.
3. Expectations of each center and rules for working in a center will be reviewed.
4. Individual folders with a grouping chart (same chart we use for reading activities) for centers will be posted.
5. Teacher will explain that although each folder may have different activities, all students will have the opportunity to work in each center.
6. Students will work with partners that have similar skill levels. Groups will be homogeneous. Leaders will be assigned to help groups or ask the teacher questions as needed.
7. Directions will be given for each activity.
8. Students will move to centers.
1. Foundation Group- Observe students to see if they are able to complete tasks independently. Review of written work will show if mapping skills are solid and information given earlier in the year has been retained.
2. Observation of students working on leveled activities.
3. Student work and sharing when work in each center has been completed.
4. Student self evaluation of work.
Worksheets for each center:
1. Blank world map.
2. Mapping activity cards.
3. Continent postcard template.
4. Calendar template.
5. Jobs in a community booklet.
6. Landforms worksheet.