Our Curriculum › History & Social Studies › 2nd Grade
History 2
A second-grade tour of the Americas' geography and ancient India, China, Japan and Greece, then American history from the Constitution and War of 1812 through westward growth, slavery and the Civil War, immigration, and seven heroes of fairness.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
10 units
Each opens to its lessons
7 fairness heroes
Susan B. Anthony to Cesar Chavez
Standards
Core Knowledge Grade 2 history & geography
What's taught, unit by unit
The Americas and map skillsDays 1–20
North America's countries, states, rivers and mountains; Central and South America; map keys, scale and directions; a student map project; days 16-20 are an art and music week (lines, landscapes, melody, instrument families).
- 1 · Welcome to History 2: Map Skills Warm-Up
- 2 · North America’s Three Big Countries
- 3 · The United States Is Made of States
- 4 · Cold States, Warm States, Faraway States
- 5 · Rivers and Mountains of North America
- 6 · Central America: The Land Bridge
- 7 · South America: Rainforest and Mountains
- 8 · Countries of South America
- 9 · Comparing North, Central, and South America
- 10 · Review and Map Practice: The Americas
- 11 · Reading a Map’s Key
- 12 · Map Scale: How Far Is It Really?
- 13 · Finding Your Way: Keys, Scale, and Directions Together
- 14 · My Map Project, Part 1: Planning My Corner of the Americas
- 15 · My Map Project, Part 2, and Unit Review
- 16 · Lines and Patterns in Art
- 17 · Painting the Land: Landscapes in Art
- 18 · Melody: Music Moving Up and Down
- 19 · Instrument Families: Strings, Percussion, and Wind
- 20 · Arts Review: Share Your Landscape and Song
Ancient India, China and JapanDays 21–58
The Indus and Ganges, planned cities, Hinduism and Diwali, the Buddha and King Ashoka; China's rivers, silk, Confucius, the Great Wall, paper, characters and New Year; island Japan; days 54-58 are art and music (sculpture, architecture, Beethoven).
- 21 · Journey to Asia: Finding India on the Map
- 22 · The Indus and Ganges: Rivers That Started a Civilization
- 23 · The Indus Valley: Planned Cities of the Ancient World
- 24 · Daily Life in Ancient India: Farming, Crafts, and Trade
- 25 · Hinduism: An Ancient Faith of India, Part 1
- 26 · Diwali: The Festival of Lights, Part 2
- 27 · Prince Siddhartha: A Prince in a Palace, Part 1
- 28 · The Buddha: The Awakened One, Part 2
- 29 · King Ashoka: A King Who Chose Peace
- 30 · India’s Gifts: One More Look at an Amazing Civilization
- 31 · Looking back at India — rivers and cities
- 32 · Looking back at India — beliefs and a great ruler
- 33 · Journey east to China
- 34 · The Yellow River and the Yangtze River
- 35 · The secret of silk
- 36 · Confucius, the wise teacher — part 1
- 37 · Confucius, the wise teacher — part 2
- 38 · The Great Wall of China
- 39 · The invention of paper
- 40 · Chinese New Year
- 41 · China’s special writing — characters
- 42 · The art of calligraphy
- 43 · China’s gifts to the world
- 44 · China review — rivers, farming, silk, and Confucius
- 45 · China review — the Great Wall, paper, characters, and New Year
- 46 · Farewell to China, hello to the sea
- 47 · A country made of islands
- 48 · Mount Fuji and the land of Japan
- 49 · A day in modern Japan
- 50 · Cherry blossoms, origami, and kimonos
- 51 · Celebrations of Japan
- 52 · Japan Review
- 53 · Goodbye to Japan
- 54 · Shape and Balance in Sculpture
- 55 · Buildings as Art: Architecture
- 56 · Meet a Composer: Beethoven
- 57 · Rhythm Patterns: Clap and Answer
- 58 · Art and Music Review
Ancient GreeceDays 59–82
Greek city-states, Athens and democracy, Sparta, the ancient and modern Olympics, the Persian Wars, daily life, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Alexander the Great; the last four days are art and music (abstract art, Vivaldi, Bach).
- 59 · Journey to Greece
- 60 · Sailors, Traders, and City-States
- 61 · Athens: A City of Builders and Thinkers
- 62 · Athens and a Big New Idea: Democracy
- 63 · Sparta: The City of Soldiers
- 64 · Athens and Sparta: Two Different Neighbors
- 65 · The Olympic Games, Long Ago
- 66 · The Olympics Today: An Ancient Idea Continues
- 67 · The Persian Wars: The Run from Marathon
- 68 · The Persian Wars: Greece Teams Up
- 69 · A Day in Ancient Greek Life
- 70 · Greece So Far: A Review
- 71 · Socrates, the Teacher Who Asked Questions
- 72 · Plato and Aristotle: A Chain of Teachers
- 73 · A Young Prince and His Horse
- 74 · Alexander’s Great Journey
- 75 · What Greece Gave the World
- 76 · Greece Review, Part 1
- 77 · Greece Review, Part 2
- 78 · Farewell to Ancient Greece
- 79 · Art Made of Shapes and Feelings
- 80 · Meet the Composer Vivaldi
- 81 · Meet the Composer: Bach
- 82 · Arts and Music Review: Create and Celebrate
The Constitution and the War of 1812Days 83–100
Why groups need rules, the writing of the Constitution, "We the People" and James Madison; then the War of 1812, Fort McHenry, "The Star-Spangled Banner", the Battle of New Orleans, and a 100-day celebration.
- 83 · Rules Everywhere
- 84 · A Young Country Needs Rules
- 85 · The Constitution: The Plan They Wrote
- 86 · We the People
- 87 · James Madison, Father of the Constitution
- 88 · Laws in Your Life
- 89 · Unit Review: American Government Basics
- 90 · Unit Celebration: A Plan for the People
- 91 · Trouble on the Seas
- 92 · A Young Country at War
- 93 · The Night at Fort McHenry
- 94 · The Star-Spangled Banner
- 95 · The Giant Flag
- 96 · The Battle of New Orleans
- 97 · Peace and Pride
- 98 · The Anthem Today
- 99 · Unit Review: The War of 1812
- 100 · Day 100 Celebration!
Heading westDays 101–114
Steamboats and the Erie Canal, wagon trails, the Plains peoples and buffalo, the Trail of Tears, the transcontinental railroad, the Pony Express and frontier towns, with reviews.
- 101 · Looking West
- 102 · The Steamboat
- 103 · The Erie Canal
- 104 · Wagons West
- 105 · The Plains Peoples and the Buffalo
- 106 · The Trail of Tears
- 107 · The Transcontinental Railroad, Part 1
- 108 · The Transcontinental Railroad, Part 2
- 109 · The Changing West
- 110 · Heading West: Mid-Unit Review
- 111 · The Pony Express
- 112 · Frontier Towns
- 113 · Unit Review: The Growing West
- 114 · Unit 8 Celebration
Slavery, the Civil War and freedomDays 115–133
Slavery, the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the war, freedom's first steps and the Constitution's amendments; days 129-133 are art and music.
- 115 · A Country Divided Over a Great Wrong
- 116 · The Underground Railroad
- 117 · Harriet Tubman
- 118 · Abraham Lincoln, Part 1: The Frontier Boy
- 119 · Abraham Lincoln, Part 2: A Country at War
- 120 · The Emancipation Proclamation
- 121 · The War Ends
- 122 · Freedom Written Into the Highest Law
- 123 · Lincoln Remembered
- 124 · Freedom’s First Steps
- 125 · Heroes of This Story
- 126 · Unit Review, Part 1: A Great Wrong and a Secret Path
- 127 · Unit Review, Part 2: A President and a Promise of Freedom
- 128 · Unit Closing: A Country Keeps Growing
- 129 · Art: Color Mixing and Feelings
- 130 · Music: Songs of Hope and Freedom
- 131 · Art — Lines That Move and Feel
- 132 · Music — Loud, Soft, Fast, and Slow Together
- 133 · Arts A4 Review and Create Day
Coming to America & being a citizenDays 134–143
Immigrants' voyages, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, new neighborhoods, gifts from many cultures, E Pluribus Unum, what a citizen is and how to be a good one.
- 134 · Ships of Hope
- 135 · The Statue of Liberty
- 136 · Ellis Island — America’s Front Door
- 137 · New Lives, New Neighborhoods
- 138 · Gifts from Everywhere
- 139 · E Pluribus Unum — Out of Many, One
- 140 · What Is a Citizen?
- 141 · Being a Good Citizen Today
- 142 · Unit Review: Coming to America
- 143 · Celebrating a Nation of Many
Fighting for fairnessDays 144–157
Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, what they shared, heroes in your own world, and review.
- 144 · What Does It Mean to Fight for a Cause?
- 145 · Susan B. Anthony: Why Not Women, Too?
- 146 · Eleanor Roosevelt: A Voice for the Forgotten
- 147 · Mary McLeod Bethune: A School Built on Faith
- 148 · Jackie Robinson: Breaking an Unfair Rule
- 149 · Rosa Parks: A Quiet, Firm No
- 150 · Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Part 1: A Dream of Fairness
- 151 · Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Part 2 — His Legacy
- 152 · Cesar Chavez — Peaceful Leader for Farm Workers
- 153 · What the Seven Heroes Shared
- 154 · Heroes in Your World
- 155 · Unit Review, Part 1 — Anthony, Roosevelt, Bethune
- 156 · Unit Review, Part 2 — Robinson, Parks, King, Chavez
- 157 · Unit Celebration — Fighting for a Cause
Americas map review and artsDays 158–168
Review of the fifty states and the Americas from north to south, a map treasure hunt and passport, then crafts, a story quilt square, story songs and rhythms of the Americas.
- 158 · Fifty States, One Country
- 159 · North to South Refresh
- 160 · My Americas Favorites
- 161 · Map Master: The Treasure Hunt
- 162 · The Grand Ride: Arctic to Andes
- 163 · Unit Celebration: My Americas Passport
- 164 · Art of the Americas: Craft Traditions
- 165 · My Story Quilt Square
- 166 · Songs That Tell Stories
- 167 · Rhythm of the Americas
- 168 · Arts Finale: On to the Grand Review!
Grand review & capstoneDays 169–180
Revisits India, China, Greece and Japan, the Constitution, the flag, the West, freedom, immigration and the seven heroes, then a capstone poster, an awards day and a closing celebration.
- 169 · The Ancient World Tour: India and China
- 170 · Greece and Japan Return
- 171 · The Rules of Our Country Return
- 172 · The Flag Was Still There
- 173 · Westward Once More
- 174 · Freedom’s Story Returns
- 175 · The Golden Door Returns
- 176 · The Seven Heroes Return
- 177 · My American Story Capstone, Part 1
- 178 · My American Story Capstone, Part 2
- 179 · History Awards Day
- 180 · You Know the Whole Story!
By the end of the year, your child can
- Read a map using its key, scale bar and compass rose
- Tell what ancient India, China and Greece gave the world
- Explain what a democracy is and how Athens and Sparta differed
- Describe why the Constitution was written and what "We the People" means
- Tell the story of slavery, the Underground Railroad and Abraham Lincoln
- Name leaders such as Rosa Parks and Dr. King who worked peacefully for fairness
Other 2nd Grade subjects: Math 2 · Reading 2 · Writing 2 · Science 2