Social Studies: Grade 3

Civics and Government 

Geography

History and Culture: 

Economics: 

The intellectual skills noted below are to be learned through, and applied to, the content standards for grade three. They are to be assessed only in conjunction with these content standards. Students demonstrate the following intellectual, reasoning, reflection, and research skills: 

Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives and the basic structure of the U.S. government. 

Students describe the physical and human geography about people, places, and environments in a spatial context. 

Students draw from historical and community resources to describe how the events and the environment influence the growth and change of communities. Discuss reasons why communities are established, how individuals and families contribute to the development of the community, and how communities change over time.

Students demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills and an understanding of the economy of the local region.

Use geographic tools (map key, compass rose, scale). 

Observe, interpret, and construct visual data. 

Recognize and apply social studies terms. 

Follow set rules to complete an assigned task, individually or within a group. 

Use title page, table of contents, and glossary to locate information. 

Use technology to gather information and communicate learning. 

Describe the reasons governments are needed and identify specific services that governments provide. 

Describe the reasons for rules, laws, and the U.S. Constitution; the role of citizenship in the promotion of rules and laws; and the need for consequences for people who violate rules and laws. 

Name and describe the three branches of government, and explain how citizens in the local community participate in each. 

Describe the role of citizens, including how to participate in a classroom, in the community, and in civic life. 

Identify neighboring or host nation countries and compare their system of government to that of the U.S. 

Explain the histories of important local and national landmarks, symbols, and essential documents that create a sense of community among citizens. 

Locate and distinguish among varying geographical features in the local region and identify changes over time. Examples: deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans, and lakes 

Examine how people have used the environment to meet their needs and wants and how this has changed over time 

Trace and describe the ways people use natural resources and the affect this has on the economy and lifestyle of the local region. 

Identify the four hemispheres (north, south, east, and west) and the Equator and Prime Meridian on a globe and map.

Describe ways in which language, food, crafts, customs, architecture, and the performing and visual arts serve as expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in the community. 

Examine the economies established by early European settlers. 

Discuss the contributions of American heroes who took risks to secure our freedoms. Examples: Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King Jr. 

Describe examples of goods and services provided in the local community and explain how they meet the needs and wants of the people. 

Explain why some goods are made locally, some in the United States, and some abroad. 

Describe the relationship of price to supply and demand and explain the division of labor. 

Explain how individual economic choices involve trade-offs and the evaluation of benefits and costs. 

Identify factors that contribute to personal human capital. Examples: school work, volunteering, and participating in community organizations