SOCIAL STUDIES PACING GUIDE

GRADE 3 SOCIAL STUDIES:

CONTINUITY AND CHANGE
Amanda Lockwood
EDUC 385
February 23, 2014

UNIT 1: MAPS AND NATURAL RESOURCES

(SEPTEMBER OCTOBER)
Standard:
3.1.1 Identify geographical features in their local region (e.g., deserts, mountains, valleys,
hills, coastal areas, oceans, lakes).
Sample Activity:
Students will create maps of California, identifying the various features/resources using a
variety of artistic materials. Students will be given the choice to use things such as paper,
card stock, crayons, markers, macaroni, cotton balls, wooden sticks, straws, and glue.
Standard:
3.1.2 Trace the ways in which people have used the resources of the local region and
modified the physical environment (e.g., a dam constructed upstream changed a river or
coastline).
Sample Activity:
In small groups of 3-4, students will investigate region with California and create a
presentation showing how its resources have been used over time and modified its
environment. Students will speak for a few minutes to provide information and present a
poster reflecting the information they want to convey.

UNIT 2: AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS

(NOVEMBER DECEMBER)
Standard:
3.2.1 Describe national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various forklore traditions
Sample Activity:
Students will create a fictional story using what theyve learning of a specific American Indian
nation. Each story should include some portion of their religious beliefs, customs, and forklore
traditions.
Standard:
3.2.2 Discuss the ways in which physical geography, including climate, influenced how the local
Indian nations adapted to their natural environment (e.g., how they obtained food, clothing,
tools)
Sample Activity:
Students will create a packing list as if they were part of an Indian tribe and what they would
need to take for clothing, snacks, and finding new food and water while on their excursion.
Students will provide an explanation of why each of their items are important. This will repeated
for both warm and cool climates.

UNIT 3: LOCAL SETTLER HISTORY

(JANUARY FEBRUARY)
Standard:
3.3.1 Research the explorers who visited here, the newcomers who settled here, and the
people who continue to come to the region including their cultural and religious traditions
and contributions.
3.3.3 Trace why their community was established, how individuals and families contributed
to its founding and development, and how the community has changed over time, drawing
on maps, photographs, oral histories, letters, newspapers, and other primary resources.
Sample Activity:
The class will create a wall of history of their region. In small groups of 3-4, they will
contribute based on their chosen time period. They will post visual representations of what
the cultural and religious traditions are, figures that were important to the time and why, a
map from that time period, and several other representations showing the importance of
the contributions of the people that lived in their area during that time period. At
completion, students will see a full history of their region along a wall that can remain
posted for the rest of the school year.

UNIT 4: RULES, LAWS, AND THE BASIC

STRUCTURE OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
(MARCH APRIL)
Standard:
3.4.1 Determine the reasons for rules, laws, and the U.S. Constitution; the role of
citizenship in the promotion of rules and laws; the consequences for people who
violate rules and laws.
3.4.2 Discuss the importance of public virtue and the role of citizens, including how to
participate in a classroom, in the community, and in civic life.
Sample Activity:
Allow students to create a list of reasons that rules and laws are important. Create a
journal entry of what could happen if there were no laws and how they benefit today
from the enforcement of such laws.
Standard:
3.4.4 Understand the three branches of government, with an emphasis on local
government.
Sample Activity:
Students will play bingo in which the answers on the cards relate to the branches of the
government.

UNIT 5: LOCAL ECONOMICS

(MAY - JUNE)
Standard:
3.5.1 Describe the ways in which local producers have used and are using natural resources,
human resources, and capital resources to produce goods and services in the past and the
present.
3.5.2 Understand that some goods are made locally, some elsewhere in the United States, and
some abroad.
Sample Activity:
Students will categorize a list of items according to them being produced within California,
outside of California but within the United States, and outside of the U.S. Students will write a
journal entry providing insight as to why they believe some of these items are produced where
they are.
Standard:
3.5.3 Understand that individual economic choices involve trade-offs and the evaluation of
benefits and costs.
Sample Activity:
Students will discuss the weekly grocery shopping choices with their caregivers. They will write a
paragraph discussing why items are purchased when they are or not. Students should note
whether the most important factors are budget, food preferences, or something else. Students
will share their paragraphs in groups of 5-6 and discuss the differences and similarities between
families. Students can repeat this exercise by discussing how this was similar or different than
when their caregivers were young or by discussing this with a grandparent or elderly person.