Sierra Leone Primary Class 2 Social Studies Syllabus

This syllabus outlines the Social Studies curriculum for Primary Class 2 in Sierra Leone, based on the National Curriculum Framework and Guidelines for Basic Education (revised May 2020). It is designed to help learners understand themselves, their school, their community, and their place in the world. The curriculum emphasizes a learner-centered approach and encourages active participation in learning.

General Learning Outcomes (Class 1-3)

By the end of the first stage of basic education (Classes 1-3), learners should be able to demonstrate:

• An understanding of personal identity, including family life, their immediate environment, simple rules at home, and living together with others.
• An awareness of the basic concept of time and change.
• A basic knowledge of road safety.
• An understanding of community and peaceful co-existence.
• Rudimentary knowledge of healthy living.
• Basic knowledge of community resources and how needs are met.
• Ability to identify and describe community and national events and celebrations.
• Rudimentary skills in computational thinking and civic-mindedness.

Specific Learning Outcomes (Class 2)

The specific learning outcomes for Class 2 are focused on the school and its surroundings. Learners should be able to:

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of road safety.
• Draw a simple plan of their school and classroom.
• Grasp the concept of time.
• Show the importance of peaceful co-existence and how to live peacefully with friends.

Outline Teaching Syllabus (Class 2)

The following units are suggested topics for Class 2 Social Studies:

Unit 1: From Home to School

• Different modes of transportation
• Using public transport
• Road safety rules
• Types of transportation used by children
• Observations made on the way to school
• Concept of time

Unit 2: Our School

• School environment
• Classroom objects
• Diagram of the classroom
• People who work in the school and their roles
• Importance of going to school
• Simple rules for classroom behavior

Unit 3: Living Together

• Rules for keeping the school and classroom clean
• Peaceful co-existence in the classroom and at home
• Basic understanding of consent
• Respecting personal space and possessions
• Creating rules for playing with peers
• Defining and addressing bullying

Unit 4: Looking After Our Health

• Keeping clean
• Private parts of the body and their care
• Body integrity and privacy
• Healthy and unhealthy foods
• Importance of exercise
• Hand washing
• Purpose of hospitals, doctors, and other health workers
• Use of medicines

Unit 5: Our Needs

• Differentiating between needs and wants
• Essential needs (shelter, clothes, food, love)
• Different kinds of houses
• Food grown in the neighborhood and elsewhere
• Food preparation
• Importance of food, water, clothes, and love
• Importance of respectful relationships

Unit 6: People in the Past

• How people in the past hunted for food
• How they collected and used roots, leaves, and fruit
• Tools used in the past
• Use of animal skins for clothing
• Comparing tools and houses of the past and present

Unit 7: Our Environment

• How living things change and grow
• Identifying and drawing things in the environment
• Differentiating between living and non-living things
• Plants and animals found in the wild
• Characteristics of the two seasons in Sierra Leone

Unit 8: Our School Neighbourhood

• Describing the school neighborhood
• Surveying jobs of people living near the school
• Local craft products
• Contributions of school neighbors to school development

Syllabus Implementation Guidelines

Teachers are encouraged to adapt the syllabus to their specific context and resources. It is recommended that teachers work together to create a pacing guide that outlines the sequence and duration of each topic within a school term. This collaborative approach ensures that the most important learning outcomes are achieved, even if not all topics are covered. The pacing guide should be reviewed and approved by school leadership.

This syllabus provides a framework for teaching Social Studies in Primary Class 2. Teachers are encouraged to use a variety of teaching methods and resources to engage learners and promote active learning.