|
Grade 3 Social Studies - Unit I Overview
|
Learning About
Communities
| Teachers
will begin the study of social studies by examining the
classroom and school community. Students will get
acquainted with one another by playing "getting to know
you" games, conducting personal interviews, and sharing
introductions.
Some optional activities include taking a tour of the
building to get acclimated to the school (this is
especially helpful to new students) and inviting special
guests to the classroom -- Principal, Assistant
Principal, School Nurse, and others from around the
building. Teachers will utilize this unit to set
expectations for such things as daily procedures,
schedules, class routines and homework guidelines.
With input from students, class rules will be set.
Discussions will be centered on the need for rules and
order in a community. School issues should be included,
especially rules for behavior in the halls, the
cafeteria and on the playground. Be sure to stress to
students that rules are necessary to protect property,
insure order, and keep us safe. Teachers may decide to
hold class elections. The election of class officers
will allow students to see the democratic process in
action in a more personal way.
The Social Studies unit begins with an overview of
people and communities. It looks at reasons people live
in a community, what communities have in common, and
services provided by communities. Students are made
aware that communities are made up of different ethnic
groups with different customs and cultures. Community
governments are formed to help people get along and each
member of the community (citizen) needs to be
responsible for keeping the community safe and peaceful
as well. There are many types of communities and they
found all over the world, consequently maps and globes
help us locate them. Finally, the student is given a
short historical introduction about how communities
begin, change and grow.
CRITICAL QUESTIONS:
- What are the characteristics of communities?
- How are groups that make up a community different
from one another?
- How do people work together to provide a safe
community?
- What tools help locate communities around the
world?
- What kinds of communities are there?
- How do communities begin, change and grow?
Suggested Time Frame: 6 weeks |
|
|
|
Student Performance Expectations |
|
Key
Information in the brackets that is not in bold (8.2A) is the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill (TEKS) that this objective is
aligned to.
Information in the
brackets that is in bold
(8.2.11B) (8.2.12A)
(11.2US10A)
is the specific Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS-
test) objective this objective is aligned to.
|
|
Identify reasons people have
formed communities, including a need for security, law, and
material well-being. (3.2A); (T8); (8.3.13A)
|
|
Express ideas orally based on
knowledge and experiences.(3.17A) |
|
Describe how individuals,
events, and ideas have changed communities over time. (3.1A) |
|
Explain the significance of
selected ethnic and/or cultural celebrations. (3.12A)
|
|
Create and interpret
timelines. (3.3B); (T8); (T10); (T11); (8.5.30C) (11.5.WH26C)
(10.5.WG21C) |
|
Sequence and categorize
information. (3.16B); (T8); (T10); (T11); (8.5.30B)
(10.5.WH25C) (11.5.US24B) |
Give examples of community
changes that result from individual or group decisions. (3.11A);
(T8); (T11); (8.3.24D,E) (8.3.25A,B) (11.3.US24B)
(11.3.US21A,D) (11.4.US4A) (11.4.US7A,C)
(Tech. 3.7B, 3.8A, 3.10A, 3.11B) Use presentation software to
communicate. |
|
Use a decision-making process
to identify a situation that requires a decision,
gather information, identify options, predict
consequences, and take action to implement a decision
(3.18B) |
|
Identify and explain
the importance of acts of civic responsibility, including
obeying laws and voting. (3.10C) |
|
Identify examples of actions
individuals and groups take to improve the community. (3.11B)
|
|
Use a problem-solving process
to identify a problem, gather information, list
and consider options, consider advantages and
disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and
evaluate the effectiveness of the solution (3.18A) |
|
Use standard grammar,
spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation. (3.17C) |
|
