Changing Family and Community Traditions

Heritage and Identity

Grade 2 Ontario Social Studies

The 14 lessons help students gain an understanding of today's families and our community and family traditions and celebrations. The following unit of study supports teachers and students as they work through the Social Studies Inquiry Process.

This resource focuses on the big ideas in the Social Studies curriculum and has a mix of concrete and open-ended lessons so that the teacher has flexibility in planning.

The inquiry process has been scaffolded for teachers and/or students new to the process. There are also extensions and cross-curricular activities included.

Goals and Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of traditions and celebrations within families, school and community

• Compare some traditions and celebrations among diverse cultural groups and of different times

• Discuss some ways in which traditions are developed by community groups

• Use the Social Studies inquiry process to investigate some past and present traditions and celebrations

This resource focuses on the big ideas in the Social Studies curriculum and has a mix of concrete and open-ended lessons so that the teacher has flexibility in planning. The inquiry process has been scaffolded for teachers and/or students new to the process. There are also extensions and cross-curricular activities included.

Section One:

The first section of this resource is setting the foundational skills for student research. There is a heavy focus on the use of infographics during the Foundation Setting. These are designed to assist students in building the knowledge needed with the use of graphics and text that contains key information.

Setting the Foundation:

Lesson 1: Our Heritage and Identity

Lesson 2: Moving to Canada

Family Traditions Box Lessons

Lesson 1: Families Around the World

Lesson 2: Family Interview and Family Tree

Lesson 3: Traditions and Celebrations

Lesson 4: Traditions and Celebrations in the Community - Community Traditions Web Organizer

Lesson 5: Traditions and Celebrations in the Community - Favourite Traditions

Lesson 6: Traditions and Celebrations in the Community - Peer Response Page

Extension Activities

A) Math:

• Data Management: Graphing - 2 activities

• Geometry and Spatial Sense: Co-ordinates - 5 activities

B) Language Arts Extensions

• Writing: Genre and 4 Media Literacy Activities

C) Physical Education Extension

D) The Arts

• Visual Arts - 2 activities

• Drama - 2 activities

• Music

Section 2: Heritage and Identity: Changing Family & Community Traditions

The five lessons in this section cover investigating and comparing the past and present traditions and celebrations within families. The next section of our focus involves a teacher scaffolded Social Studies Inquiry format.

Lesson One: Past and Present

Opening lesson using the Ontario Past & Present booklet to start the inquiry process.

Lesson Two: Past and Present 

In this section, students will be working to formulate questions. If students are unfamiliar with the inquiry process, it would be recommended that the process is outlined in detail. Each student can be assigned a role within his/her small group in order to facilitate the inquiry. Roles may include: recorder, time keeper, team leader and positive reinforcer (i.e., cheerleader). This way all students are involved in the process and feel a part of the team. These roles should be rotated continuously through the process.

Lesson Three: Past and Present

This lesson enters the exploring phase of the inquiry process. During this time, students will be gathering information. Teachers are encouraged to help students connect this information to previous learning and clarify student thinking.

Lesson Four: Past and Present

This lesson enters the analyzing phase of the inquiry process. During this time, students will be compare and interpret information to find the data that best supports their inquiry questions. Teachers are encouraged to help students describe their learning.

Lesson Five: Past and Present

This lesson concludes the analyzing phase of the inquiry process. During this time, students will talk about their learning and show understanding of the concept.

Past and Present Extension Activities

A) Story teller vest instructions

B) Math:

• Data Management: Graphing - 2 activities

C) Language Arts

• Writing Genres - 2 activities

D) Science Extensions

• Life Systems - 2 activities

• Structures and Mechanisms - 1 activity

E) Multiple Intelligence Choice Chart

F) The Art Extension Activities

• Visual Arts - 2 activities

• Drama

• Music - 2 activities

Global Community

Heritage and Identity

Grade 2 Ontario Social Studies

In this resource, students will learn about Global Communities. The resource covers the overall expectations of the Ontario Social Studies curriculum. Lesson topics cover the continents, oceans and other bodies of water, countries, equators, the environment, and daily life around the world. This resource includes detailed lesson plans with vocabulary, teacher talk to get kids thinking and activate their prior knowledge, during the lesson teacher talking prompts and wrap up lesson dialog and ideas.

Section One: Setting the Foundation:

The first section of this resource is setting the foundational skills for student research. There is a heavy focus on the use of infographics during the Foundation Setting. These are designed to assist students in building the knowledge needed with the use of graphics and text that contains key information.

Becoming Explorers Lessons:

Lesson One: Explorer’s Map Observations

Lesson Two: An Introduction to Global Communities & Global Communities

Lesson Three: The Continents

Lesson Four: Bodies of Water & Basic Human Needs

Lesson Five: Equator and the Environment; Hemispheres and the Poles

Extension Activities

A) Math:

• Number Sense - #1 Fractions and Percent and #2 Ordinal Numbers

• Measurement: Temperature

• Geometry and Spatial Sense: Data Management #1 Graphing

B) Language Arts Extensions

• Writing: Genre and Media Literacy Activities

C) Physical Education Extension

D) The Arts Extensions

• Visual Arts

• Drama

• Music

G) Science: Life Systems

Second Section: World Explorers

The second section focuses on the inquiry process. Some of the benefits of a student inquiry are that the students take ownership of their own learning which should increase engagement and interest. It also sets a solid basis for research skills for the future. This resource focuses on the big ideas in the Social Studies curriculum and has a mix of concrete and open-ended lessons so that the teacher has flexibility in planning. The inquiry process has been scaffolded for teachers and/or students new to the process. There are also extensions and cross-curricular activities included.

Six lessons covering these learning objectives:

• Compare selected communities from around the world, including their own community, in terms of the lifestyle in those communities.

• Describe some of the ways in which two or more communities have adapted to their location, climate and physical features.

• Formulate questions to guide investigations into some aspects of the interrelationship between the natural environment of selected communities and the ways in which people live.

• Gather and organize information and data about some communities’ locations, climate, and physical features, and the ways of life of peoples in these communities.

• Interpret and analyze information to their investigations.

• Communicate the results of the inquiries using the appropriate vocabulary.

World Explorers Lessons:

Lesson One

Lesson Two

Lesson Three

Lesson Four

Lesson Five

Lesson Six

World Explorer Extensions Activities:

A) Math: Measurement and Data Management

B) Language Arts Extension Activities:

• Writing Genres

• Media Literacy

C) The Arts – Visual Arts

D) Physical Education

E) Multiple Intelligence Choice Chart Activities

Goals of this resource include:

• Identify and locate various physical features around the world 

• Demonstrate that there are a variety of countries, continents, physical features and bodies of water around the world 

• Identify cardinal directions on a map and use these directions when locating selected communities, countries and/or continents 

• Identify the location of selected countries around the world 

• Identify continents, significant bodies of water, the equator, poles and hemispheres 

• Identify basic human needs 

• Compare selected communities from around the world, including their own community, in terms of the lifestyle in those communities 

• Describe some of the ways in which two or more communities have adapted to their location, climate and physical features 

• Formulate questions to guide investigations into some aspects of the interrelationship 

• between the natural environment of selected communities and the ways in which people live 

• Gather and organize information and data about some communities’ locations, climate, and physical features, and the ways of life of peoples in these communities 

• Interpret and analyze information to their investigations 

• Communicate the results of the inquiries using the appropriate vocabulary. 

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