Social studies, grades 3 to 5

Units

1. 1

   Maps, globes and geography skills

   3 lessons

   1. Globes, maps and map keysTell a globe from a flat map, and use a map's title, key and compass rose to say what the map shows and where things are.
   2. Finding places: directions, grids and hemispheresUse north, south, east and west, a map grid and the equator and prime meridian to say exactly where a place is and which hemispheres it is in.
   3. Continents and oceansName and locate the seven continents and the five oceans, and say which continent and ocean are the largest and where your own country lies.
2. 2

   Earth's regions and how people live

   3 lessons

   1. Landforms and climateDescribe landforms such as mountains, plains and deserts, name the main climate zones, and say how they differ across the world.
   2. How people use and change their environmentExplain how people adapt to their surroundings, use natural resources for homes, food and work, and change the land in ways that help and ways that harm.
   3. Regions of the worldDescribe what makes a region, by climate, landforms, language and culture, and compare two regions.
3. 3

   Communities and cultures around the world

   3 lessons

   1. Urban, suburban and rural communitiesCompare urban, suburban and rural communities by size, buildings, jobs and way of life, and explain how they depend on each other.
   2. Cultures: food, language, celebrations and customsDescribe what makes up a culture, such as food, language, celebrations and customs, and compare traditions in communities around the world.
   3. Daily life in different placesCompare how families in different places around the world live, work, learn and play, and tell what is alike everywhere.
4. 4

   Learning about the past: timelines, artifacts and sources

   3 lessons

   1. Timelines and timeBuild a timeline and use the words decade, century, before, after and ago to put events in order and say how far apart they are.
   2. Artifacts and primary sourcesUse artifacts, photographs and letters as evidence about the past, and tell a primary source from a secondary source.
   3. Telling history from different points of viewExplain how different people can tell the same event differently, and why we check the evidence from more than one point of view.
5. 5

   Indigenous peoples and early societies

   3 lessons

   1. The first peoples of the AmericasDescribe how the earliest peoples came to the Americas, how they lived and moved, and how they used their environment.
   2. Native nations and their ways of lifeCompare the homes, food, tools and beliefs of several Native nations in different regions of North America.
   3. Early societies: farming, villages and citiesExplain how farming led to villages, cities and the first civilizations, using Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as the example.
6. 6

   Exploration, trade and meeting new cultures

   3 lessons

   1. Why people exploredExplain the reasons that explorers set out in the 1400s and 1500s: trade, wealth, religion and curiosity, and name the tools that made long voyages possible.
   2. Explorers and what they foundFollow the routes of Columbus, Cabot, da Gama and Magellan on a map and describe what each found and whom each met.
   3. Trade and the meeting of culturesDescribe how trade brought together peoples, goods and ideas after the voyages, and what changed for Native peoples, Europeans and Africans.
7. 7

   Rules, government and being a citizen

   3 lessons

   1. Why we have rules and lawsExplain why communities need rules and laws, tell what makes a rule fair, and say what happens when laws are fair or unfair.
   2. Who makes the rules: local, state and national governmentName the main jobs of local, state and national government in the United States and who leads each, and tell how a bill becomes a law.
   3. Rights and responsibilities of citizensDescribe the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the United States, including voting, serving on a jury, obeying laws and helping the community.
8. 8

   Work, money and trade

   3 lessons

   1. Needs, wants and scarcityTell needs from wants and explain why people must make choices because resources are limited.
   2. Producers, consumers and jobsExplain how producers make goods and services, how consumers buy them, and how workers earn income from jobs.
   3. Money, trade and savingDescribe how money works as a way to trade, how people save, and why countries and communities trade with other places.
9. 9

   Migration and changing communities

   3 lessons

   1. Why people moveExplain the push and pull reasons that people migrate, such as jobs, safety, family and opportunity, and give examples from history.
   2. Immigration and the people who cameDescribe the groups who came to the United States, where from and what they brought, and tell that some came by choice and some by force.
   3. How communities changeExplain how a community changes over time with new people, buildings, jobs and ideas, and tell what causes the changes.
10. 10

    The history of your country

    3 lessons

    1. Early history and founding of your countryTell in order the key events and people that formed the United States, from the first colonies to the Constitution, using a timeline and a map.
    2. National symbols, holidays and heroesExplain the meaning of national symbols and holidays of the United States and why some people are honored as heroes.
    3. Your country todayDescribe the government, regions, peoples and challenges of the United States today.