Grade 3

Social Studies Practice

Geography

Economics

Early American and Tennessee History

Maps and Globes

World Geography

United States and Tennessee Geography

Indigenous Peoples through European Exploration (prior to 1585)

Early North American Settlements (1585-1600s)

Gather information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including: Printed materials (e.g., literary texts, newspapers, political cartoons, autobiographies, speeches, letters, personal journals), Graphic representations (e.g., maps, timelines, charts, artwork), Artifacts, Media and technology sources

Critically examine a primary or secondary source in order to: Summarize significant ideas and relevant information, Distinguish between fact and opinion, Draw inferences and conclusions, Recognize author’s purpose, point of view, and reliability

Organize data from a variety of sources in order to: Compare and contrast multiple sources, Recognize differences between multiple accounts, Frame appropriate questions for further investigation

Construct and communicate arguments supported by evidence to: Demonstrate and defend an understanding of ideas, Compare and contrast viewpoints, Illustrate cause and effect, Predict likely outcomes, Devise new outcomes or solutions 

Develop historical awareness by: Recognizing how and why historical accounts change over time, Recognizing how past events and issues might have been experienced by the people of that time, with historical context and empathy rather than present-mindedness, Identify patterns of continuity and change over time, making connections to the present 

Develop geographic awareness by: Determining relationships among people, resources, and ideas based on geographic location (local, national, global), Determining the use of diverse types of maps based on the purpose, Analyzing the spatial relationships between people, circumstances, and resources, Analyzing interaction between humans and the physical environment, Examining how geographic regions and perceptions of the regions change over time 

Analyze maps and globes using common terms, including: Country, North Pole, Equator, Prime meridian, Hemisphere, Region, Latitude, South Pole, Longitude, Time zones

Use cardinal directions, intermediate directions, map scales, legends, and grids to locate major cities in Tennessee and the U.S. 

Examine major physical features on globes and maps, including: Basin, Desert, Ocean, Sea, Bay, Gulf, Peninsula, Strait, Canal, Island, Plain, Stream, Canyon, Isthmus, Plateau, Valley, Delta, Mountain, River

Examine major political features on globes and maps, including: boundaries, cities, highways, railroads, and roads. 

Use different types of maps (e.g., political, physical, population, resource, and climate), graphs, and charts to interpret geographic information. 

Identify and locate the major continents and oceans using maps and globes: Africa, Europe, Atlantic Ocean, Antarctica, North America, Indian Ocean, Asia, South America, Pacific Ocean, Australia, Arctic Ocean, Southern Ocean 

Identify and locate major countries, including: India, Brazil, Italy, China, Japan, Egypt, Russia, France, Spain, Great Britain

Identify major physical features of the world, including: Rivers—Amazon, Nil, Mountains and Ranges—Alps, Andes, Himalayas, Deserts— Gobi, Sahara, Bodies of Water—Mediterranean Sea, Straits of Magellan, Landforms—Great Barrier Reef, Niagara Falls 

Identify and locate the fifty states of the U.S. 

Identify and locate major cities in the U.S., including: Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Washington, D.C.

Identify major physical features of the U.S., including: Rivers—Colorado, Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Mountains—Alaska Range, Appalachian, Rockies, Bodies of Water—Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Desert— Great Basin, Landforms—Grand Canyon, Great Plains 

Locate the following cities and physical features in Tennessee: Cities—Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, Rivers—Cumberland, Mississippi, Tennessee, Mountain Range—Great Smoky Mountains 

Explain how geographic challenges are met with: Bridges, Irrigation systems, Canals, Landfills, Dams, Tunnels, Freshwater supply

Compare natural resources within the three grand divisions of Tennessee, and trace the development of a product from natural resource to a finished product. 

Interpret a chart, graph, or resource map of major imports and exports in Tennessee. 

Describe how scarcity, supply, and demand affect the prices of products. 

Compare and contrast how goods and services are exchanged on local and regional levels. 

Analyze how people interact with their environment to satisfy basic needs and wants, including: housing, industry, transportation, and communication.

Compare and contrast the geographic locations and customs (i.e., housing and clothing) of the Northeast, Southeast, and Plains North American Indians. 

Describe the conflicts between American Indian nations, including the competing claims for the control of land. 

Identify the routes and contributions of early explorers of the Americas, including: Christopher Columbus, Hernando de Soto, Ferdinand Magellan, and Amerigo Vespucci.  

Examine how American Indian cultures changed as a result of contact with European cultures, including: decreased population, spread of disease (smallpox), increased conflict, loss of territory, and increase in trade. 

Describe the failure of the lost colony of Roanoke and the theories associated with it. 

Explain the significance of the settlement of Jamestown and the role it played in the founding of the U.S. 

Explain the significance of the settlements of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth and the role they played in the settling of our country.

Examine how the regional (i.e., New England, Middle, and Southern) geographic features of the Thirteen Colonies influenced their development. 

Identify the economic, political, and religious reasons for founding the Thirteen Colonies and the role of indentured servitude and slavery in their settlement. 

Identify representative assemblies and town meetings as early democratic practices during the colonial period. 

Explain the cooperation that existed between colonists and American Indians during the 1600s and 1700s, including: fur trade, military alliances, treaties, and cultural exchanges.  

Examine how long hunters (e.g., Daniel Boone and William Bean) created interest in land west of the Appalachian Mountains. 

Describe life on the Tennessee frontier and reasons why settlers moved west.