Title: Social Studies Strands Grade 3 Communities
1Social Studies StrandsGrade 3 - Communities
2Table of Contents
- Strand One - American Heritage 3-7
- Strand Two - People in Societies
8-12 - Strand Three - World Interactions
13-17 - Strand Four - Decision Making Resources
18-21 - Strand Five - Democratic Processes
22-25 - Strand Six - Citizenship Rights
Responsibilities 26-29 - Strand Seven - Science Technology 30-34
3Strand One
4American HeritageActivities
- Students will read about the local history of
their community and create a timeline by plotting
important dates. - Students will read the Preamble to the U.S.
Constitution and discuss its meaning and
significance to our country. They will then
write an essay explaining how this document
affects their lives today.
5American HeritageActivities Continued
- After reading a 1950s newspaper the students
will create a chart to compare community life in
the 1950s to life today (Ex price of
groceries, mayor, local hotspots, etc.). - After visiting a local historical museum or park,
(Ex Carillon Park), the students will create a
Then and Now poster containing illustrations
of one aspect of community life in its beginning
and now.
6American HeritageActivities Continued
- The students will visit a local historical
cemetery. After picking a name from a gravestone,
they will write a story about this person
detailing what their life was like when they were
alive.
7American HeritageWebsites
- www.ohiokids.org/ohc/nature/geograph/intro
- www.pbs.org/teachersource/yourtown
- www.dayton.lib.oh.us/adult/ref/localhis.html
- www.activedayton.com/partners/ddn/epaper
- www.carillonpark.org
8Strand Two
9People in SocietiesActivities
- Students will take a field trip to Sunwatch
Indian Village to learn about local Native
American tribal cultures - On a map of Ohio, students will plot Native
American Settlements that were present at the
time of colonization.
10People in SocietiesActivities Continued
- Students will read Giving Thanks The 1621
Harvest Feast, by Kate Waters, and discuss what
life was like for the first pilgrims and the
Native Americans who helped them. - Students will call their local Chamber of
Commerce to find out the different cultural
groups living in their community and their
respective populations and construct a bar graph
illustrating the cultural diversity of their
community.
11People in SocietiesActivities Continued
- The students will recreate the first thanksgiving
by bringing in a piece of fruit to make a fruit
salad. The students and teacher will discuss how
their own sharing is similar to the pilgrims
sharing what they had with the Native Americans
who helped the survive in the new world.
12People in SocietiesWebsites
- www.kidscom.com
- www.sunwatch.org
- www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Native_Americans
- www.chamberofcommerce.com
- http//wilstar.com/holidays/thanksgv.htm
13Strand Three
14World InteractionsActivities
- On a map of the U.S.A., students will locate
their community and describe its location
relative to the following bodies of water
Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Great lakes, Ohio
River and Mississippi River. The class will
discuss the importance of a communitys location
to a major water source.
15World InteractionsActivities Continued
- Students will read Children Just Like Me by
Anabel and Barnabas Kindersly. As they read they
will locate on a globe the home of each child in
the book. - Students will choose a child from the book above
on which to write an essay in which they will
compare/contrast their lifestyle with that of
the child from the book.
16World InteractionsActivities Continued
- After a lesson on map reading, students will draw
a map of their neighborhood. This map will
include cardinal directions, a linear scale to
denote distances between places, and a basic key
to reference landmarks such as restaurants,
grocery stores, gas stations and the post office. - Students will utilize the CD-Rom Maptastic
Voyage Explore the World of Map Making and
Geography to reinforce their knowledge of left
and right, cardinal directions, how to follow
directions and map-reading skills.
17World InteractionsWebsites
- www.mapquest.com
- www.worldmapsonline.com
- www.usgs.gov/education/teacher/what-do-maps-show/i
ndex.html - www.smallworld.com
- Http//geosim.cs.vt.edu/
18Strand Four
- Decision Making and Resources
19Decision Making and ResourcesActivities
- Students will chart the amount of money they have
made by doing chores for one month. The class
will discuss what would happen if that money was
deposited into a savings account for one month
vs. sitting in their piggy bank. - A class store will be created, open once a month,
in which items can be bought by money earned for
good behavior.
20Decision Making and ResourcesActivities Continued
- Students create 5 criteria for a desirable city
and compare/contrast their own community to this
criteria. - Students create a brochure of their community and
its services for a realtor to use to advertise
the community.
21Decision Making and ResourcesWebsites
- http//www.lessonplanspage.com/SS23.htm
- http//pbskids.org/arthur/games/yougottobekidding/
index.html - http//www.janebluestein.com/cat_12.html
- http//www.kidsdomain.com/kids.html
- http//www.schoolexpress.com/
22Strand Five
23Democratic ProcessesActivities
- Students will play the game How does government
affect me? online at pbs.org where they can
click on various places in their community to
learn what role the government plays. - A police officer will come to the room and
discuss processes in the community that affect
children. - Students create a classroom bill of rights.
24Democratic ProcessesActivities Continued
- The students find five articles from a local
newspaper that directly relate to their lives. - The students role play a robbery and discuss what
should be done to the guilty party and what would
be done in our own justice system.
25Democratic ProcessesWebsites
- http//www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/mygovt/index.htm
l - http//www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/index.shtml
- http//community.oregonlive.com/cc/eastsidedemocra
ts - http//www.wisedemocracy.org/
- http//www.ohiodems.org/
26Strand Six
- Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities
27Citizenship RightsActivities
- Students create a bulletin board entitled
Citizenship City by decorating a house and
attaching a citizenship pledge explaining how
they will fulfill community responsibility. - Students will brainstorm ways that they can
improve their community, develop a plan of
action, and get to work! - Students will elect classmates to lead certain
activities biweekly.
28Citizenship RightsActivities Continued
- As a group students will survey members of their
community by asking what makes the community
special, how do they feel about it, and how has
it changed. They will then present their
findings to the class. - As a group, students will develop and illustrate
improvements for their school and present it to
the school principal.
29Citizenship RightsWebsites
- http//arts.deakin.edu.au/cchr/
- http//academic.udayton.edu/race/index.htm
- http//www.usnews.com/usnews/wash/citizen.htm
- www.bgcc.org
- http//www.school.discovery.com/teachers/
30Strand Seven
31Science and TechnologyActivities
- Students will research the history of an
invention of their choice and report their
findings in a class presentation. - Students will choose one invention and write an
essay explaining how this invention has changed
peoples lives.
32Science and TechnologyActivities Continued
- Students will create a chart that will list both
positive and negative effects that technology and
science have on peoples lives. - Students will take a field trip to the Wright
Brothers Museum and Bicycle Shop at Carillon
Park to learn about these legendary inventors.
33Science and TechnologyActivities Continued
- Students will take a field trip to their local
police station to learn how police officers and
dispatchers use computers and technology to keep
their community safe.
34Science and TechnologyWebsites
- www.nps.gov/daay/
- www.first-to-fly.com/information/links.htm
- www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/xwords/
- http//history1900s.about.com/cs/inventdiscover
- www.mpimedia.com/wpa/tank/timeline/1900