Grade 3 Social Studies Course Outline
This class is aligned with Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for 3rd grade social studies. It focuses on the United States, its geography and its people. The students will first learn how to read a globe and a map in order to understand the maps shown throughout the course. Next the students will learn about North America as a whole, including the countries of Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. The students then learn about Native Americans and the first European settlers. They will then learn about the US constitution and how the nation is run. The rest of the course will be spent focusing on each region of the United Stated: the Northeast, Southeast, North Central, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, and Pacific Regions. The students will first learn about the geography of these regions, including the climate and any important landforms. Next, the students will learn about the people of these regions, including any important historical facts, where most of the people live in these regions, and what the people in these regions do for work.
Course Outline
Introduction
- Welcome
- Pretest
- Assignment: Pretest
The World
- The Globe
- Parts of a Globe
- Handout: Parts of a Globe
- Assignment: Parts of a Globe
- Continents
- Handout: Continents
- Assignment: Continents
- Oceans
- Handout: Oceans
- Assignment: Oceans
- North and South Pole
- Equator and Prime Meridian
- Quiz: The World
Maps
- Parts of a Map
- Map Skills
- Assignment: Map Activity
- Types of Maps
- Worksheet: Types of Maps
- Distortion in Maps
- Assignment: Map Distortion
North America Continent
- Countries in North America
- Canada
- Quiz: Canada
- Mexico
- Quiz: Mexico
- The Caribbean
- Quiz: The Caribbean
A Large and Varied Land
- Introduction
- Where is the United States?
- Regions of the United States
- Land of the United States
- Climate of the United States
- Quiz: A Large and Varied Land
Who Is An American?
- Introduction
- The First Americans
- New Americans
- New Americans Meet the First Americans
- More New Americans Arrive
- Americans Living Together
- Puerto Rico
- Worksheet: Who is an American?
How Do Americans Live Together?
- Introduction
- Our Nation’s Leaders
- The Constitution
- Building a Nation
- Our Natural Resources
- Midtest
- Assignment: Midtest
- Essay: How Do Americans Live Together?
- Worksheet: How Do Americans Live Together?
Geography of the Northeast Region
- Introduction
- States and Cities
- Land and Water
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Quiz: Geography of the Northeast Region
People of the Northeast Region
- Introduction
- Long Ago: The Pilgrims
- Where do People Live in the Northeast Region?
- Working in the Northeast Region
- Worksheet: People of the Northeast Region
- Assignment: People of the Northeast Region
Geography of the Southeast Region
- Introduction
- Where is the Southeast Region?
- What is the Land Like?
- Quiz: Geography of the Southeast Region
People of the Southeast Region
- Introduction
- Long Ago: Old Virginia in 1774
- Who Lives in the Southeast Today?
- Where do People Live in the Region?
- Working in the Southest Region
- Rosa Parks
- Worksheet: People of the Southeast Region
- Assignment: People of the Southeast Region
Geography of the North Central Region
- Introduction
- States, Cities and Transportation
- The Land of the Great Lakes
- Quiz: Geography of the North Central Region
People of the North Central Region
- Introduction
- Long Ago: The Treeless Plains
- How Many People Live in the Region Today?
- Where do People Live in the Region?
- Working in the North Central Region
- Abraham Lincoln
- Worksheet: People of the North Central Region
- Assignment: People of the North Central Region
Geography of the Rocky Mountain Region
- Introduction
- Mountains, Canyons, Basins
- Quiz: Geography of the Rocky Mountain Region
People of the Rocky Mountain Region
- Introduction
- Long Ago in the Rockies: The Mountain Men
- American Indians in the Region
- Where do People Live in the Region?
- Working in the Rocky Mountain Region
- Assignment: People of the Rocky Mountain Region
- Essay: People of the Rocky Mountain Region
Geography of the Southwest Region
- Introduction
- States and Cities in the Southwest
- Land, Rivers and Climate
- Quiz: Geography of the Southwest Region
People of the Southwest Region
- Introduction
- Long Ago: The Commanche
- Who Are the People of the Region?
- Where do People Live in the Region?
- Traveling in the Southwest Region
- Working in the Southwest Region
- Worksheet: People of the Southwest Region
- Assignment: People of the Southwest Region
Geography of the Pacific Region
- Introduction
- The Pacific Region: Non-Continuous
- Geography
- Water and Climate
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Worksheet: Geography of the Pacific Region
People of the Pacific Region
- Introduction
- Long Ago: The Hawaiian Islands
- Where do People Live in the Pacific Region?
- Working in the Pacific Region
- Post-test
- Assignment: Post-test
- Worksheet: People of the Pacific Region?
Course Evaluation
- Handout: Course Evalulation
- Assignment: Course Evaluation
