MN.2. Grade 2: Foundations of Social Studies

2.1. Citizenship and Government

2.1.1. Civic Skills

2.1.1.1. Democratic government depends on informed and engaged citizens who exhibit civic skills and values, practice civic discourse, vote and participate in elections, apply inquiry and analysis skills and take action to solve problems and shape public policy.

2.1.1.1.1. Demonstrate voting skills, identify rules that keep a voting process fair, and explain why voting is important.

2.1.2. Civic Values and Principles of Democracy

2.1.2.2. The civic identity of the United States is shaped by historical figures, places and events and by key foundational documents and other symbolically important artifacts.

2.1.2.2.1. Explain the importance of constitutions.

2.2. Economics

2.2.1. Economic Reasoning Skills

2.2.1.1. People make informed economic choices by identifying their goals, interpreting and applying data, considering the short- and long-run costs and benefits of alternative choices and revising their goals based on their analysis.

2.2.1.1.1. Given a goal and several alternative choices to reach that goal, select the best choice and explain why.

2.2.3. Fundamental Concepts

2.2.3.3. Because of scarcity individuals, organizations and governments must evaluate trade-offs, make choices and incur opportunity costs.

2.2.3.3.1. Describe the trade-offs of a decision; describe the opportunity cost of a choice as the next best alternative which was not chosen.

2.2.3.5. Individuals, businesses and governments interact and exchange goods, services and resources in different ways and for different reasons; interactions between buyers and sellers in a market determines the price and quantity exchanged of a good, service or resource.

2.2.3.5.1. Classify materials that come from nature as natural resources (or raw materials); tools, equipment and factories as capital resources; and workers as human resources.

2.3. Geography

2.3.1. Geospatial Skills—The World in Spatial Terms

2.3.1.1. People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to acquire, process and report information within a spatial context.

2.3.1.1.2. Locate key features on a map or globe; use cardinal directions to describe the relationship between two or more features.

2.3.1.1.4. Use maps, photos, or other geographic tools to answer basic questions about where people are located.

2.3.4. Human Environment Interaction

2.3.4.9. The environment influences human actions; and humans both adapt to, and change, the environment.

2.3.4.9.1. Identify causes and consequences of human impact on the environment and ways that the environment influences people.