Standard Course of Study :: Social Studies — Grade 3

LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Goal 4

The learner will explain geographic concepts and the relationship between people and geography in real life situations.

Objective 4.02

Use appropriate source maps to locate communities.

Resources aligned to this objective

The Earth rotates through days
The students will be a part of a model showing how the Earth's rotation creates what we see as a sunrise and sunset every twenty-four hours.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies and Science)
By Christine Shatto.
Greece: Part 1
This lesson is one of three created as an interdisciplinary unit on the connection between the art and artifacts of a culture and the values and beliefs of the members of that culture. This unit begins with a class-wide investigation of Ancient Greece and concludes with a visit to the Ackland Art Museum. During the visit, students will have the opportunity to assess their predictions about the Ancient Greeks. In addition, students will look at works of art from other cultures and compare and contrast the visual information provided about those cultures with visual information provided about Greek culture.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies)
By Winn Wheeler.
Soil composition: Then and now
Students will identify the location of the school from the 1926 digitized Soil Sample map using landforms that remain the same and distance scale, determine the type of soil identified during that time, and compare with the types of soil currently found near the school. The comparison should allow the children to determine if the soil content has changed extensively. This plan was developed for use in Nash County, but it is expandable to any county.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies and Science)
By Nancy Bruner.
Tour the United States via HyperStudio Stacks
Students will combine classroom, library and computer lab time to research and construct knowledge about the 49 states. Students do not do their home state which is why only 49 states are used. Students will use their new research knowledge and the resources provided to construct a HyperStudio stack on their assigned state.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies and Computer Technology Skills)
By Karl Schaefer.

Lesson plans on the web

Ancient worlds workshop: Egypt
In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students explore the ancient civilization of Egypt. They learn about Egypt's geography and read about daily life in ancient Egypt. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies and English Language Arts)
Provider: National Geographic
Boundary ballads
Students identify the boundaries that are “singing” odd geographical songs. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–7 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Crack the code
Students use latitude and longitude to crack the code to find out where thieves are taking the loot. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Expedition to the poles
Students pretend they've just returned from a year in the Arctic or Antarctic and look at web sites about these regions and expeditions. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Genealogical atlases
This Xpeditions lesson asks students to interview their parents or other relatives about what it was like where they grew up. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Geotourism: Friendly destinations
In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about a partnership between the government of Honduras and the National Geographic Society to highlight the concept of geotourism and its benefits. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Get oriented
Students learn about the four cardinal directions—north, south, east, west. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
The great migration
Students learn about the migration of African Americans to Harlem, beginning with the original migration of blacks to North America. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–3 Social Studies)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Human migration: The story of a community's culture
In this Xpeditions lesson, students come to understand key concepts of human migration through the examination of maps and migration patterns. Students research and document the impact of migration on a region's cultural landscape. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Immigrating to America
Students learn about what it was like for new immigrants to come through Ellis Island at the turn of the century. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–4 Social Studies)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Introduction to Latitude and Longitude
This Xpeditions lesson introduces students to latitude and longitude. They look at lines of latitude and longitude on a United States map and discuss the reasons why these lines are helpful. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Lewis and Clark: Building a Lasting Legacy
Students discuss the significant contributions made by Native Americans and other team members during the Lewis and Clark expedition. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Lewis and Clark: Same Place, Different Perspectives
Students write about several encounters between the Lewis and Clark expedition and various Native American groups from the viewpoint of an expedition member or one of the Native Americans. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Lewis and Clark: Facing challenges—real and imagined
Students consider how they perceive geographic features and obstacles and how the Lewis and Clark expedition members might have done so. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Marketplaces of Asia
In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore kinds of marketplaces and view goods as a reflection of the characteristics of a region. This lesson is one in a series developed in collaboration with The Asia Society, with support from the Freeman Foundation. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
A Nepalese village and your town: What's the difference?
This lesson, from Xpeditions, introduces students to some of the cultural customs of rural Nepal and asks them to consider the differences between Nepalese culture and their own. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies and English Language Arts)
Provider: National Geographic