Social Studies Strands Grade 3 Communities

1
Social Studies StrandsGrade 3 - Communities

• Sara Wagner
• Kris Rone

2
Table 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

3
Strand One

• American Heritage

4
American 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.

5
American 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.

6
American 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.

7
American 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

8
Strand Two

• People in Societies

9
People 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.

10
People 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.

11
People 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.

12
People in SocietiesWebsites

• www.kidscom.com
• www.sunwatch.org
• www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Native_Americans
• www.chamberofcommerce.com
• http//wilstar.com/holidays/thanksgv.htm

13
Strand Three

• World Interactions

14
World 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.

15
World 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.

16
World 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.

17
World 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/

18
Strand Four

• Decision Making and Resources

19
Decision 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.

20
Decision 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.

21
Decision 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/

22
Strand Five

• Democratic Processes

23
Democratic 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.

24
Democratic 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.

25
Democratic 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/

26
Strand Six

• Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

27
Citizenship 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.

28
Citizenship 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.

29
Citizenship 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/

30
Strand Seven

• Science and Technology

31
Science 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.

32
Science 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.

33
Science 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.

34
Science 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