Grade 3 Social Studies GSE Standards

Economic Understandings

Government/Civic Understandings

Geographic Understandings

Historical Understandings

Describe the elements of representative democracy/republic in the United States.

Describe the three branches of national government: executive (president), legislative (Congress), and judicial (Supreme Court of the United States).

Describe the three branches of state government: executive (governor), legislative (Georgia General Assembly), and judicial (Supreme Court of Georgia).

State the main responsibility of each branch: executive (enforcing laws), legislative (making laws), judicial (determining if laws are fair).

Explain the importance of Americans sharing certain central democratic beliefs and principles, both personal and civic.

Explain the necessity of respecting the rights of others and promoting the common good.

Explain the necessity of obeying reasonable laws/rules voluntarily, and explain why it is important for citizens in a democratic society to participate in public (civic) life (staying informed, voting, volunteering, and communicating with public officials).

Define and give examples of the four types of productive resources.<ul><li>Natural (land)</li><li>Human (labor)</li><li>Capital (capital goods)</li><li>Entrepreneurship (risk-taking and combining natural, human, and capital resources in an attempt to make a profit)</li></ul>

Explain that governments provide certain types of goods and services in a market economy (schools, libraries, roads, police/fire protection, and military) and pay for these through taxes.

Give examples of interdependence and trade and explain the benefits of voluntary exchange.

Describe the interdependence of consumers and producers.

Describe how goods and services are allocated by price in the marketplace.

Explain that some goods are made locally, some elsewhere in the country, and some in other countries.

Explain that most countries create their own currency for use as money.

Explain the concept of opportunity cost as it relates to making a saving or spending choice.

Locate major topographical features on a physical map of the United States.

Locate major rivers of the United States of America: Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, and St. Lawrence.

Locate major mountain ranges of the United States of America: Appalachian, Rocky.

Locate and describe the equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe.

Describe how physical systems affect human systems.

Explain why American Indian groups occupied the areas they did, with emphasis on why some developed permanent villages and others did not.

Describe how the early explorers adapted, or failed to adapt, to the various physical environments in which they traveled.

Explain how the physical geography of the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies helped determine economic activities.

Describe early American Indian cultures and their development in North America.

Locate the regions where American Indians settled in North America: Arctic, Northwest Southwest, Plains, Northeast, and Southeast.

Compare and contrast how American Indians in each region used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.

Discuss how American Indians continue to contribute to American life (e.g., arts, literature).

Describe European exploration in North America.

Describe the reasons for and obstacles to the exploration of North America.

Describe the accomplishments of: John Cabot (England), Vasco Núñez de Balboa (Spain), Hernando de Soto (Spain), Christopher Columbus (Spain), Henry Hudson (The Netherlands), and Jacques Cartier (France).

Describe examples of cooperation and conflict between European explorers and American Indians.

Explain the factors that shaped British Colonial America.

Identify key reasons why the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies were founded (religious freedom and profit).

Compare and contrast colonial life in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies (education, economy, and religion).

Describe colonial life in America from the perspectives of various people: large landowners, farmers, artisans, women, children, indentured servants, slaves, and American Indians.

The student will use maps to retrieve social studies information.

use a compass rose to identify cardinal directions

compare maps of the same place at different points in time and from different perspectives to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities

compare maps with data sets (charts, tables, graphs) and /or readings to draw conclusions and make generalizations

use geographic technology and software to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities

use intermediate directions

use a letter/number grid system to determine location

compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps

use graphic scales to determine distances on a map

use map key/legend to acquire information from historical, physical, political, resource, product, and economic maps

use a map to explain impact of geography on historical and current events

draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information from maps

use latitude and longitude to determine location