Second graders investigate six social studies components in the course. The components covered in these units include map skills, geography, history, culture, economics, and civics. Within each unit, students explore various elements giving them a broad introduction to social studies knowledge and providing a base for future learning. Students learn mapping skills including parts, types, reading, and creating maps. An easy transition into geography follows, where students put their map skills to use exploring the features of communities, states, the country, and the world. In discovering the meaning of history, students investigate using sources to learn more about themselves and their communities. They also explore the lives of people who influenced history as leaders, inventors, and trailblazers. In the next unit students are off on an adventure to discover cultures around the world and in their own communities. In the remaining two units of the course, students learn the basic parts and operations of an economy and government.
