Third Grade – Unit 3 - Geography, Environmental Literacy, and Culture
Latest link update - January 23th, 2013
Objectives
3.G.1 Understand the earth’s patterns by using the 5 themes of geography: (location, place, human-environment interaction, movement and
regions).
CONCEPT(S)– Place, Location, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, Region
3.G.1.1 Find absolute and relative locations of places within the local community and region.
3.G.1.2 Compare the human and physical characteristics of places.
3.G.1.3 Exemplify how people adapt to, change and protect the environment to meet their needs.
3.G.1.4 Explain how the movement of goods, people and ideas impact the community.
Clarifying Objectives
3.G.1.5 Summarize the elements (cultural, demographic, economic and geographic) that define regions (community,
state, nation and world).
3.G.1.6 Compare various regions according to their characteristics.
Why might people adapt or change their
Essential Questions
environment? Why is protecting our environment
Clarifying Questions:
What is the difference between absolute and relative
locations?
How are locations (school, town, community, region) similar
and different?
important?
How and why do people and ideas move and change?
How does a region develop an identity?
Possible exploration:
 What kinds of evidence do scholars use to trace the
paths of early and current human migration?
 How have the reasons for human migration changed
over time?
How can we as tour guides explain how groups of people
formed communities?
Assessment
Assessment should be done throughout the unit, as you see student understanding of concepts through class
discussion. Activities are embedded within the unit. By the end of the unit, students should be able to answer all of the
essential questions listed above. The goal is the understanding of concepts, not memorization of facts.
Day
1
Standard
Essential Question
3.G.1.2
Compare the
human and
physical
characteristics
of places.
How are locations
similar and different?
Lesson
What does NC look like?
Give each student one piece of 8 ½ x 11 sized paper. Ask each
student to tear the shape of our state (North Carolina) from the
single piece of paper. Observe the students and their “shapes.”
Next, have students label anything they know about North
Carolina on their “shape.” For example: cities, towns, rivers,
landforms, etc. This activity will assess the student’s baseline
knowledge of the state.
Teacher
Preparation
8 ½ x 11 size
paper
Week 1 Landforms
powerpoint
Recording sheet
What does Wake County look like?
Give each student another piece of 8 ½ x 11 sized paper. Ask each
student to tear the shape of our county (Wake) from the single
piece of paper. Observe and assess students as they work. Again,
ask students to label what they know about their county. For
example: towns, streets, highways, rivers, parks, schools, etc.
Day
2
Day
3
3.G.1.2
Compare the
human and
physical
characteristics
of places.
3.G.1.2
Compare the
human and
physical
characteristics
of places.
How are areas of
North Carolina similar
and different?
Compare different types of maps of North Carolina Many options
exist here for either digital – Google Earth or Google Maps to
copies of paper maps of North Carolina that you can get free from
most real estate offices.
Week 1 - Lesson 2
Map Activity
What is the purpose of a map? Purposes differ?
How has North
Carolina changed over
the years?
Why has North
Carolina changed its
look over the years?
Additional internet resource:
Home page is North Carolina Maps
http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/ncmaps/
Compare two older maps
NC Maps
Be able to share projection of maps.
http://www.lib.unc.
edu/dc/ncmaps/
(Albemarle Sound Region map
http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/90/rec/17
and
Averasboro, NC ) with newer maps.
Optional
Discovery
Education - GPS
http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/4947/rec/1
Technology:
See optional GPS Technology on Discovery Education
(4:54 minutes)
The Creation of
Assessment
Baseline Assessment
of what students
already know about
NC and Wake County
Accurate Maps
Day
4-5
Day
6-7
3.G.1.6
Compare
various
regions
according to
their
characteristics.
3.G.1.2
Compare the
human and
physical
characteristic
s of places.
What makes a region
a region?
Research and discover the regions of North Carolina.
What makes a region
a region?
How does a region
develop an identity?
What is unique about your community?
What makes NC unique?
What is unique about each region?
Community Information
NC Regions Information
US Regions
Day
10
3.G.1.3
Exemplify
how people
adapt to,
change and
protect the
environment
to meet their
needs.
3.G.1.3
Exemplify
how people
adapt to,
change and
protect the
environment
to meet their
needs.
Places to Visit:
Coastal Region
Piedmont Region
Mountain Region
Guiding Questions
for Research
Create a brochure or
advertisement to
encourage tourists to
visit:
How does a region
develop an identity?
What makes the United States unique?
Days
8-9
Regions of North
Carolina
Powerpoint
Why might people
adapt or change their
environment?
What is an artifact?
How and why do
people and ideas
move?
Artifact Scavenger Hunt
Why might people
adapt or change their
environment?
What limitations could affect a dream house in the mountains?
Powerpoint:

Geography
PowerPoint;

North Carolina ;
Unique or Not?
If needed, teacher
informational
Handout
US Regions
Research
Artifacts Analysis
Worksheet
What information can be learned from an artifact?
Artifacts
How and why do
people and ideas
move?
Research Activity –
“I Want It!”
Access to
information
about Biltmore
Estate
http://www.bilt
more.com/our_st
ory/our_history/
vanderbilt.asp
A region in NC,
Or
your community,
Or
your state - North
Carolina
Or
USA
Compare/contrast
artifacts. Do these
items still exist? How
have the items
changed? Why do the
items change?
Research findings.
Days
11-12
3.G.1.2
Compare
the human
and physical
characteristi
cs of places.
How are locations
similar and different?
Articles provided for students for shared reading.
Students will understand that an environment is
characterized by humans and their actions and based on
their needs.
How might physical characteristics of places impact
human growth in the areas?
Articles printed or
accessible for students:
A Five Senses Report
1-Early Life in Eastern
NC
2-Arrivals to the East
3-Population Data
Why might populations change?
Days
13-14
Day
15
Day
16
3.G.1.4
How and why do
Explain how people and ideas move
the
and change?
movement
of goods,
people and
ideas impact
the
community.
Articles provided for students for shared reading.
Students will understand that an environment is
characterized by humans and their actions and based on
their needs.
Articles printed or
accessible for students:
3.G.1.4
How and why do
Explain how people and ideas move
the
and change?
movement
of goods,
people and
ideas impact
the
community.
3.G.1.4
How and why do
Explain how
people and ideas move
the
and change?
Articles provided for students for shared reading.
Students will understand that an environment is
characterized by humans and their actions and based on
their needs.
Articles printed or
accessible for students:
Jigsaw students – read an article and share it with their
team.
Provide copies of articles
for students or have
accessible
movement of
goods,
people and
ideas impact
the
community.
Why might people choose to move?
How do people modify their environment to meet their
needs?
Fact or Fiction
1-Marks on the Land
2-Expanding to the West
Fact or Fiction
1-Final Frontier – The
Mountains
2-Blue Ridge Parkway
3-Appalachian Trail
1-Homegrown Skills
2-Great Wagon Road
3- Searching for Greener
Pastures
4-Culinary Crossroads
Build A Name Poem
Day
17
Day
18
Days
19-20
3.G.1.4
Explain how
the
movement of
goods,
people and
ideas impact
the
community.
3.G.1.5
Summarize
the elements
(cultural,
demographic,
economic
and
geographic)
that define
regions,
community,
state, nation
and world.
3.G.1.5
Summarize
the elements
(cultural,
demographic,
economic
and
geographic)
that define
regions,
community,
state, nation
and world.
How and why do
people and ideas move
and change?
How do elements of
geography define a
region, community,
state, nation and
world?
Jigsaw students – read an article and share it with their
team.
When people choose to move, how does it impact a
community?
Student research and activity.
Why is scale such a difficult concept to show? Why do
maps include a scale? How do scales differ?
IF “Pick A Project”, model for students how to complete
the sentence frame from each column to create the type
of project that each student designs individually.
How do elements of
geography define a
region, community,
state, nation and
world?
Completion and presentation.
Provide copies of articles
for students or have
accessible
1-Contemporary Migration
2- Quaker Out Migration
3-County Name Changes
See prep for whichever
culminating assessment
you choose.
Split-Page Notetaking Handouts
Create a rubric.
Choose from possible
assessments below.
Designing Spaces
OR
Scale, Not for Weight
(Tiered Activity)
OR
Pick a Project (PBL
type)