Third Grade Social Studies presents a study of the broader community and introduces the state, nation and world. There is an emphasis on geography, mapping skills, and interpreting charts and graphs. Students explain changes due to technology, human interaction with the environment and the movement of people in the context of Native American settlement and world exploration. Students practice citizenship and democratic values in the community and study the necessity of government, as well as the various levels of government in both West Virginia and the nation. Students will conduct research, formulate responses and present their findings on these topics. The basic economic concepts of scarcity, supply and demand, marketing, and budgeting within the context of the community will be introduced.
Lesson
Miscellaneous
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SS.3.1
Identify and explain the following commonly-held American democratic values, principles and beliefs:
- Diversity
- Rule of Law
- Family Values
- Community Service
- Justice
- Liberty
SS.3.2
Determine the need for government and compare and contrast the following forms: tribal, monarchy, and democracy.
SS.3.3
Investigate significant cultural contributions of various groups creating our multicultural society.
SS.3.4
Examine historical conflicts and their resolutions (e.g., The Boston Tea Party, the conflict between Native Americans and explorers).
SS.3.5
Examine how rights and responsibilities of citizens are reflected in patriotic symbols, songs and holidays of the United States (e.g., the meaning of our flag’s colors, the Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning of the words, the National Anthem, Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day).
SS.3.6
Participate in a local service project to discover the importance of working together and how participation leads to improvement in the lives of individuals, as well as communities.
West Virginia State Museum Education
The West Virginia Encyclopedia
West Virginia Library Commission
West Virginia Archives & History
Library of Congress
Public Broadcasting
SS.3.7
Study bank services including checking accounts, savings accounts, and borrowing, and create a mock budget.
SS.3.8
Construct and interpret graphs that illustrate the basic concept of the exchange of goods and services as related to supply and demand and show the impact of scarcity of resources.
SS.3.9
Sequence the path of a product from the raw material to the final product.
SS.3.10
Use charts, maps and other data sources to correlate occupations with the economy and the available resources of a region (e.g., West Virginia has coal mining; Pennsylvania has steel mills; etc.).
SS.3.11
Explore West Virginia’s SMART 529 program and other college saving plans.
West Virginia State Museum Education
The West Virginia Encyclopedia
West Virginia Library Commission
West Virginia Archives & History
Library of Congress
Public Broadcasting
SS.3.12
Use geographic information systems to compare and contrast various types of maps (e.g., climate, resource, physical, political, road, etc.).
SS.3.13
Distinguish between a continent, country, state and capital.
SS.3.14
Label maps to demonstrate knowledge of map skills (e.g., label cardinal directions, intermediate directions, borders, continents, oceans, Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, North Pole, South Pole and Prime Meridian).
SS.3.15
Using a grid system, locate specific points on a map and explain the use of lines of latitude and longitude.
SS.3.16
Explain the reason time zones were developed, identify the time zones of North America and calculate the variance in time from one zone to another.
SS.3.17
Use a map scale to determine the distance between two given points.
SS.3.18
Recognize, define and illustrate world geographic features (e.g., peninsulas, islands, mountains, canyons, plateaus, mesas, harbors, gulfs, rivers, deserts, forests, valleys and plains).
SS.3.19
Compare and contrast regions of the United States in regard to plant and animal life, landforms, climate and human interactions with the environment.
SS.3.20
Create a legend to identify the path of major explorers and chart those journeys on a world map (e.g., Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Hernando Cortes and Sir Walter Raleigh).
West Virginia State Museum Education
The West Virginia Encyclopedia
West Virginia Library Commission
West Virginia Archives & History
Library of Congress
Public Broadcasting
SS.3.21
Examine the settlement of North America by Native Americans.
- Illustrate the spread of the Native American population into the various regions of North America.
- Determine settlement patterns based on natural resources.
- Explain how Native American groups adapted to geographic factors of a given region.
- Compare and contrast the cultures of the different Native American groups (e.g., source of food, clothing, shelter and products used).
- Make historical inferences by analyzing artifacts and illustrations.
- Analyze the Native American interactions with others (e.g., other Native American groups, explorers and settlers).
SS.3.22
Determine the causes and effects of European exploration.
- Chronologically organize major explorers and determine the reasons for their journeys (e.g., Marco Polo, Amerigo Vespucci, Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Hernando Cortes, Balboa, Ponce de Leon, Sir Walter Raleigh, etc.).
- Investigate the motives for exploration by the various European nations (e.g., England, Spain, France, Portugal, etc.).
- Determine the information the explorers gained from their journeys.
- Explain the impact of the explorers’ travels on Native Americans and the world.
West Virginia State Museum Education
The West Virginia Encyclopedia
West Virginia Library Commission
West Virginia Archives & History
Library of Congress
Public Broadcasting
SS.3.23
Locate counties, county seats and bordering states on a West Virginia map.
SS.3.24
Identify the four physical geographic regions of West Virginia, the major communities and the natural resources found within each region.
SS.3.25
Investigate the nine tourist regions of West Virginia.
West Virginia State Museum Education
The West Virginia Encyclopedia
West Virginia Library Commission
West Virginia Archives & History
Library of Congress
Public Broadcasting