Grade 2 Social Studies

Grade 2 social studies vocabulary: 146 terms

Every term from the flashcards above, written out and grouped by strand. Use it to revise without clicking through the cards, to search the page for a word, or to print the list.

Civics & Government

accountable

responsible for decisions and expected to follow rules

ballot

the paper or electronic form used to record a vote

candidate

a person seeking to be chosen for an office

citizen

a legal member of a country with rights and responsibilities under its laws

citizenship

the legal relationship between a citizen and a country

civic participation

taking part in the public life and decisions of a community

election

a formal process in which eligible voters choose leaders or decide certain public questions

eligible

meeting the rules to take part

fairness

using just rules and considering people’s rights and needs

government

the people and institutions that make and carry out public decisions

government service

work a government organizes for the public

law

a rule made and enforced by government

leader

a person trusted or chosen to guide decisions and carry out responsibilities

local government

government for a city, town, county, parish, borough, or similar local area

national government

the federal government of the United States

naturalization

the legal process through which an eligible noncitizen becomes a citizen

power

the legal authority to make or carry out a public decision

public need

something people in a community need together

resident

a person who lives in a place

responsibility

a duty or action a person is expected to carry out

right

a freedom or protection recognized by law

state government

the government of one of the fifty states

tribal government

the government of a sovereign Tribal Nation

voice

a way to express ideas, needs, or choices

Culture & Society

assumption

an idea accepted without enough evidence

belief

an idea or conviction a person or community holds to be meaningful or true

belonging

feeling accepted, connected, and included

celebration

a way people mark an important event, time, person, or idea

community

a group of people connected by place, interest, experience, or responsibility

culture

shared and changing ways of living, communicating, creating, and making meaning

identity

the many parts of who a person is and how the person understands themself

immigrant

a person who moves to another country to live there

language

a system people use to communicate, including spoken and signed languages

migrant

a person who moves away from a usual home to live in another place

migration

movement away from a usual home to live in another place for a time or for a long period

refugee

a person outside their country who needs international protection because returning would be unsafe for reasons covered by refugee law

religion

a way people or communities understand meaning, values, and what they consider sacred, often expressed through beliefs and practices

respect

care for people’s dignity and right to their beliefs and practices

secular

not religious in purpose

tradition

a practice, story, or custom shared and passed on over time

Economics & Personal Finance

alternative

one possible option

budget

a plan for receiving and spending money

buyer

a person or organization seeking to receive a good or service in an exchange

choice

a decision among alternatives

division of labor

separating a job into tasks that different people perform

earn

to receive income for work

expense

money spent for a good, service, bill, or other purpose

goal

a result a person or household works toward

income

money received, often from work and sometimes from other sources

interdependence

a condition in which people and places depend on one another

interdependent

depending on one another

market

a setting where buyers and sellers exchange goods or services

opportunity cost

the next-best alternative given up when a choice is made

price

the amount of money asked or paid for a good or service

produce

to make a good or provide a service

productivity

how much can be produced with given time and resources

public good

a good or benefit organized for people to share, such as street lighting

public service

work organized for the public, such as firefighting or library service

quality

how well a good or service meets its purpose

resource

something useful for meeting needs or producing goods and services

revenue

money a government receives

save

to set aside money for later

scarcity

the condition of having limited resources compared with all the ways people want to use them

seller

a person or organization offering a good or service in an exchange

specialization

focusing work on a particular task, skill, good, or service

tax

a required payment to government under law

trade

the exchange of goods or services

trade-off

what is gained and given up in a choice

Geography & Spatial Thinking

access

the ability to reach, enter, or use something

adapt

to adjust actions or designs to conditions

boundary

a line or zone marking the edge of an area

climate

the usual weather patterns of a place over a long time

compass rose

a map tool showing directions

conserve

to use and care for resources thoughtfully so they remain available

continent

a very large land division; this lesson uses a common seven-continent model

country

a political territory with its own government

density

how closely people or things are grouped in an area

depend

to need or rely on

distance

the amount of space between places

environment

the living and nonliving surroundings of a place

grid

crossing rows and columns used to organize locations

hemisphere

half of Earth

human characteristic

a feature shaped by people, such as a building, road, language pattern, or land use

infrastructure

shared systems and structures such as roads, water lines, bridges, and power networks

land use

how people use land, such as for homes, farms, parks, shops, or roads

landform

a natural shape of Earth’s surface

landscape

the visible features of an area, including natural and human-shaped parts

map

a model that represents places and spatial information

map key

a guide explaining symbols and colors on a map

modify

to change something

natural resource

something from Earth that people use, such as water, soil, sunlight, plants, wind, or minerals

ocean

one of the named divisions of Earth’s connected saltwater

physical characteristic

a natural feature or condition, such as landform, water, climate, soil, or vegetation

place

a location with physical and human characteristics

population

the people living in a place

region

an area grouped by one or more shared features

rural

describing places with fewer people spread across a larger area, often including farms, forests, or small towns

scale

a map rule showing how a map measurement represents real distance

settlement

a place where people establish homes and a community

stewardship

responsible care for a place or resource

suburban

describing communities near or around a city, often with homes, businesses, and roads

transportation

the movement of people and goods

urban

describing cities and other densely settled places with many people and buildings

Indigenous Histories

consent

freely given permission that can be limited or withdrawn

context

information about the time, place, and conditions surrounding a source

government-to-government

a relationship in which governments deal with one another as political governments

Indigenous

describing peoples whose communities and histories are rooted in a land from before later colonization

interview

a conversation in which one person asks prepared questions and listens to answers

local history

the study of change, continuity, people, and events in a particular community or place

memory

what a person remembers about an experience

oral history

a planned, recorded interview that preserves a person’s account of past experiences

sovereignty

a nation’s authority to govern itself

treaty

a formal agreement between sovereign nations

Tribal Nation

a distinct Indigenous political nation with its own people, government, history, and relationships

Inquiry & Evidence

account

a spoken or written telling of an event

artifact

an object made or used by people

cause

something that helps make an event or change happen

change

something becoming different over time

chronology

the order in which events happened

claim

an answer or idea that a person says is true

communicate

to share information and ideas clearly

community inquiry

a careful investigation of a question affecting a group or place

conclusion

an answer reached after looking at evidence

continuity

something that continues or stays similar over time

effect

something that happens because of a cause

evidence

information from a source that helps answer a question

fact

a statement that can be checked with evidence

headline

the title of a news report, written to summarize and attract attention

informed action

a safe step chosen after learning about an issue and possible effects

inquiry

a careful search for an answer to a question

news

reported information about recent or important events

opinion

a belief, preference, or judgment

perspective

a person’s way of seeing or understanding something

photograph

an image made with a camera

primary source

a source made during the time being studied or by someone who took part

proposal

a specific plan offered for consideration

question

something we want to understand or find out

reason

an explanation of why evidence supports an idea

record

to write, draw, or tell what you noticed

reflect

to think carefully about learning, actions, and next steps

secondary source

a source made later to explain or interpret the past

source

something that gives information, such as a map, photograph, object, book, or interview

stakeholder

a person or group affected by or interested in a decision

timeline

a line that places events in time order

trustworthy

deserving confidence because information is careful, transparent, and supported

verify

to check whether information is accurate