Grade 02: Social science

In this unit, 'What is a school', you learn to describe people, rules and places in a school and draw a school map. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Place it: find where and when 'What is a school' happens, on a map, a timeline or in a local example.
• Gather: read or listen to two short sources and note who is speaking and why.
• Use it: describe people, rules and places in a school and draw a school map. Give a reason and one piece of evidence for every point.
• Weigh it: say what another person might think, and why, before you decide.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, List the people and places in a school. People: principal, teachers, librarian, nurse, guard, cleaner, students. Places: classrooms, library, playground, canteen, office, clinic. Each person and place has a job that helps students learn and stay safe.
2. Step 2, Plan a simple map. Draw the main gate at the bottom of the page. Put the office to the right of the gate, the library straight ahead, the playground at the top, and Class 2B on the left. Number the places 1 to 4.
3. Step 3, Add a key. Square = classroom, star = library, tree = playground, triangle = office. A key explains the symbols so anyone can read the map. Without a key, a reader cannot tell a library from a canteen.
4. Step 4, Give directions from the gate. 'Walk straight to the library. Turn left and go past the library to reach Class 2B.' Use words like straight, left, right, near and far. Check by tracing the path with your finger.
5. Step 5, Explain two rules with reasons. 'We do not run on the stairs because we could fall.' 'We keep the library quiet so others can read.' A rule plus a reason makes a full answer.
6. Step 6, Your turn: tell how to go from the main gate to the playground on this map. Model answer: 'From the main gate, walk straight past the library to reach the playground at the top of the page.'

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Describe people, rules and places in a school and draw a school map: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Our neighbourhood and community', you learn to describe community helpers and public places. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Place it: find where and when 'Our neighbourhood and community' happens, on a map, a timeline or in a local example.
• Gather: read or listen to two short sources and note who is speaking and why.
• Use it: describe community helpers and public places. Give a reason and one piece of evidence for every point.
• Weigh it: say what another person might think, and why, before you decide.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, A community is a group of people who live near each other and share places and services. Our community has homes, shops, a park, a library and a clinic. People in a community depend on each other.
2. Step 2, Name community helpers and their tools. A nurse uses a thermometer, a police officer keeps roads safe, a bus driver drives children to school, and a street cleaner uses a broom and bin lorry. Write a line: 'A nurse helps sick people feel better.'
3. Step 3, Name public places and who may use them. The library lends books, the park is for play, the hospital treats the sick and the post office sends parcels. Public places belong to everyone, so we keep them clean and share them fairly.
4. Step 4, Think about a problem. What happens if the cleaner stops work for a week? Rubbish piles up, bad smells spread, flies come and people may get ill. This shows why every helper matters to the whole community.
5. Step 5, Write a model answer with a reason: 'The librarian helps us because she finds books and teaches us to take care of them. Without her, books would be lost and hard to find.'
6. Step 6, Your turn: choose one public place and say how to look after it. Model answer: 'In the park I put my rubbish in the bin and do not pick the flowers, so everyone can enjoy it.'

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Describe community helpers and public places: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'The UAE: emirates and landmarks', you learn to name the seven emirates and some landmarks. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Place it: find where and when 'The UAE: emirates and landmarks' happens, on a map, a timeline or in a local example.
• Gather: read or listen to two short sources and note who is speaking and why.
• Use it: name the seven emirates and some landmarks. Give a reason and one piece of evidence for every point.
• Weigh it: say what another person might think, and why, before you decide.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Name the seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Say them while clapping the syllables, then say them again with your eyes closed. Count them on your fingers: there are seven.
2. Step 2, Know two facts. Abu Dhabi is the capital and the largest emirate, with more land than the other six together. Ajman is the smallest emirate. Fujairah is on the east coast by the Gulf of Oman, and the other emirates lie mostly along the Arabian Gulf.
3. Step 3, Match landmarks to emirates. Burj Khalifa in Dubai is among the tallest buildings in the world, about 828 m high (check the current figure). Qasr Al Hosn is an old fort in Abu Dhabi city, and Al Jahili Fort is in Al Ain. Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah is the UAE's highest mountain, about 1,900 m (check the current figure). Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain each have an old fort too.
4. Step 4, Place the emirates on a map. Along the northern Gulf coast from west to east come Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah. Fujairah sits on the opposite, eastern coast. Colour each emirate a different colour and write its name.
5. Step 5, Play a matching game. Make seven cards with emirate names and seven cards with a landmark or a fact. Mix them and match: 'Burj Khalifa' goes with Dubai, 'highest mountain' with Ras Al Khaimah, 'capital city' with Abu Dhabi. Check your answers with a partner.
6. Step 6, Your turn: name the emirate with Burj Khalifa, and the emirate with Jebel Jais. How many emirates are there in all? Answer: Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and seven emirates in all.

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Name the seven emirates and some landmarks: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Needs and wants', you learn to sort needs from wants. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Place it: find where and when 'Needs and wants' happens, on a map, a timeline or in a local example.
• Gather: read or listen to two short sources and note who is speaking and why.
• Use it: sort needs from wants. Give a reason and one piece of evidence for every point.
• Weigh it: say what another person might think, and why, before you decide.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Learn the two words. A need is something we must have to live and stay healthy: food, water, clothes, a home and medicine. A want is something nice to have but we can live without it: a toy, a game, a sweet.
2. Step 2, Sort eight items: rice, water bottle, toy car, winter jacket in a cold place, video game, medicine, ice cream, bicycle. Needs: rice, water bottle, jacket, medicine. Wants: toy car, video game, ice cream, bicycle.
3. Step 3, Check a tricky case. A school bag is a need because we carry books. A bag with a cartoon picture and lights is a want. So one thing can include both a need and a want. Ask, 'Could I live and learn without this part?'
4. Step 4, Make a choice. A family can buy only one thing this week: a new football or healthy food for dinner. Food is a need, so it comes first. Wants can wait or be saved for.
5. Step 5, Write a model answer: 'Water is a need because our body cannot live without it. A tablet is a want because I can still learn and play without it.' Always give a reason.
6. Step 6, Your turn: is a coat a need or want in winter, and a toy robot? Model answer: 'A coat is a need because it keeps me warm. A toy robot is a want because I can live without it.'

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Sort needs from wants: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Community helpers

Notes: Name three community helpers and say what each does. Notes: use pictures of a nurse, a bus driver and a shopkeeper; learners match each helper to a tool and say one way they help the neighbourhood.

This course: Grade 02 Social science is at this level. Its units include What is a school; Our neighbourhood and community; The UAE: emirates and landmarks; Needs and wants.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Needs, wants and rules

Notes: Tell needs from wants and say why rules help a group. Notes: sort ten picture cards into needs and wants, then vote on one class rule and count the hands: 14 for and 6 against, so 20 voters took part.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Government and markets

Notes: Describe local, regional and national government and how a simple market works. Notes: follow one pencil from maker to shop; if it costs 4 to make and sells for 6, the margin is 2, which is 50 per cent of cost. Learners name one service each level provides.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Rights, duties and prices

Notes: Explain how supply and demand affect price and why rights come with duties. Notes: if a bad season cuts mangoes from 100 to 60 crates while buyers stay the same, price tends to rise; learners draw the two lines and predict direction before stating a duty tied to a right.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Reading social data

Notes: Interpret a table of census or survey data and compare how two institutions work. Notes: a population rising from 2.4 to 2.7 million in ten years grew by 12.5 per cent; learners give two possible reasons and one limit of the data.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Theory and research methods

Notes: Apply core social science theories and methods to a social problem. Notes: compare a survey with interviews for one question. Practice: an economy of 600 billion with 50 million people is 12,000 per person, and learners explain what an average hides, such as unequal shares.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Causal research design

Notes: Design and critique a causal study with ethics, consent and clear limits. Notes: in a before-and-after comparison, the treated group rises 8 points and the comparison group 3, so the estimated effect is 5 points if trends would have run parallel. Learners test that assumption.