Time, Continuity and Change
Unit description: In this unit, students will identify how continuities and changes over time can help people understand historical developments. Students will examine and interpret evidence such as maps, population charts, photographs, newspapers, biographies, artifacts, and other historical materials to look at changes over time in communities. In addition, students will investigate cause and effect relationships in their community.
Download the complete Grade 2 Social Studies – Time, Continuity and Change framework to customize for your own planning.
Standards
- Standard 1-U.S. & N.Y. History
- Standard 4-Economics
- Standard 5-Civics, Citizenship and Gov’t
Essential Questions and Big Ideas
Big Idea of the Unit: Studying historical developments through continuity and change help us see cause and effect relationships over time.
- How do we effectively document change over time?
- Maps, population charts, photographs, newspapers, biographies, artifacts, and other historical materials document change over time.
- Why is it important to see and document change over time?
- Identifying cause-and-effect relationships help us to understand the changes in communities to inform decisions based on successes and failures of the past.
Prerequisite Skills
Grade 2 “My Community and Other Communities” is organized into five units of study—Individual Development and Cultural Identity; Civic Ideals and Practices; Geography, Humans, and the Environment; Time, Continuity, and Change; and Economic Systems. These units represent five of the unifying themes of social studies, and may be presented in any order.