Unit Plan 18 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Midyear Inquiry Project—Our Place in the World

Focus: Combine mapmaking, environmental care, and civic responsibility into a class “World Wall” that shows our classroom, neighborhood, community, and world.

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Inquiry • Civics)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students bring together everything they’ve learned so far about maps, places, and caring for our environment. They ask questions about their classroom, neighborhood, and world, then use simple sources (maps, photos, short texts, and interviews) to find answers. Working in small groups, they create panels for a class “World Wall” that shows where we are and how we take care of our place—from our classroom to the entire Earth. The project ends with a mini “walk and talk” where students share their panels and explain one way to care for our shared world.

Essential Questions

• Where is our place in the world, and how can maps help us show it?
• How do land, water, weather, and human-made features shape how we live?
• How do people adapt to, use, and care for their environments?
• How can young citizens ask questions, use sources, and take action to help their community and world?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Ask and refine simple who/what/where/why questions about their classroom, neighborhood, and world.
2. Gather information from maps, photos, short texts, and interviews to learn about places and environments.
3. Sort pictures and information into categories (e.g., type of place, natural feature, human-made feature, care for environment) and decide which are helpful for answering their questions.
4. Create simple maps with symbols, a legend, and cardinal directions that show important places and features.
5. Work with a group to design a “World Wall” panel that labels places, shows at least one way people adapt to or care for their environment, and includes a short written or oral explanation.

Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (C3-based custom)

• 2.C3.Inq.1 — Ask and refine questions that can be investigated with sources.
  • Example: “How do rules in our town help people stay safe?”
• 2.C3.Inq.2 — Gather information from multiple simple sources (photos, maps, short texts, interviews).
  • Example: Use a children’s atlas, a local map, and a librarian interview to learn about services.
• 2.C3.Inq.3 — Evaluate information (relevance, basic reliability) and sort evidence.
  • Example: Decide which pictures actually show public services vs. private businesses.
• 2.C3.Inq.4 — Communicate conclusions with labeled visuals, sentences/paragraphs, and oral reports.
  • Example: Create a mini-report with a map, 3 facts, and a caption.
• 2.C3.Geo.1 — Identify and compare types of places (home, neighborhood, town/city, rural/suburban/urban).
  • Example: List features you see more in cities vs. rural areas.
• 2.C3.Geo.2 — Use and create simple maps with symbols, legends, and cardinal directions.
  • Example: Draw a neighborhood map; use N/E/S/W to describe routes.
• 2.C3.Geo.3 — Describe local physical features, weather/seasonal patterns, and how they affect life.
  • Example: Explain clothing and activities for each season in your area.
• 2.C3.Geo.4 — Identify human-made features (roads, bridges, buildings) and explain their purposes.
  • Example: Show how a bridge changes the route between two places.
• 2.C3.Geo.5 — Explain how people adapt to, use, and care for environments (resources, conservation).
  • Example: Give two ways the community reduces waste or protects water.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can ask questions about my classroom, neighborhood, and world that we can answer with maps and pictures.
• I can find helpful information from maps, photos, and short texts to learn about my place.
• I can sort pictures and facts into what is natural, what is human-made, and what shows people caring for the environment.
• I can help make a map with symbols, a legend, and N, S, E, W that shows important places.
• I can work with my group to make a World Wall panel and tell others about one way people care for our environment.