Elmore County Public School System
3rd Grade Social Studies Instructional Planning Guide
2015-2016 School Year
Geographical and Historical Studies: People, Places, and Regions
During third grade, teachers capitalize upon students’ natural curiosity and their interest in the unfamiliar as geographic information is introduced regarding areas of the United
States as well as the world. Students in Grade 3 learn from concrete experiences and benefit from resources such as pictures, graphs, maps, globes, and information technology that
help make abstractions more concrete. Instruction of this nature plays a dual role in helping students learn not only to use these geographic tools, but also to learn in real and
interesting ways about other people, places, and cultures.
This year-long study focuses on skills necessary for students to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context. Although all four content strands are
interwoven into instruction, the greatest emphasis is placed on the geography strand. Content expands upon geographic knowledge acquired by students from kindergarten through
second grade to help students establish a firm geographic foundation to build upon throughout life.
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (“the Standards”) are the culmination of an
extended, broad-based effort to fulfill the charge issued by the states to create the next generation of K–12 standards in order to help ensure that all students are college and
career ready in literacy no later than the end of high school. The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA) but also for literacy in history/social studies,
science, and technical subjects. Just as students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas, so too must the Standards specify
the literacy skills and understandings required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.
The same ten CCR anchor standards for Reading apply to both literary and informational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. The ten CCR
anchor standards for Writing cover numerous text types and subject areas. This means that students can develop mutually reinforcing skills and exhibit mastery of standards for
reading and writing across a range of texts and classrooms.
Components The Elmore County Social Studies Instructional Planning Guide has two components: Standards and Teaching Resources. The Standards are taken directly from the
Alabama Course of Study for each grade level and content area. The content standards describe what a student should know and be able to do by the end of a grade level or
course; the standards address what is fundamental to the content. The resources listed under Teaching Resources are a starting point for instruction; not a mandate limiting
instructional materials. Teaching Resources reflects where lessons for particular standards are located in the textbook as well as other supplemental materials. The change from
textbook-driven to standards-based instruction is an important shift in the teaching paradigm. Professional teacher judgment is a vital component for building resources beyond the
textbook to meet the needs of all students.
Social Studies
3rd Grade Instructional Planning Guide at a Glance
Standard/Objectives
1. Locate the prime meridian, equator, Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer, International Date
Line, and lines of latitude and longitude on maps and globes.
 Using cardinal and intermediate directions to locate on a map or globe an area in



Alabama or the world
Using coordinates to locate points on a grid
Determining distances between places on a map using a scale
Locating physical and cultural regions using labels, symbols, and legends on an Alabama
or world map
 Describing the use of geospatial technologies
Examples: Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS)
 Interpreting information on thematic maps
Examples: population, vegetation, climate, growing
seasons, irrigation
 Using vocabulary associated with maps and globes, including megalopolis, landlocked,
border, and elevation
2. Locate the continents on a map or globe.
 Using vocabulary associated with geographical features of Earth, including hill, plateau,
valley, peninsula, isthmus, ice cap, and glacier

Locating major mountain ranges, oceans, rivers, and lakes throughout the world.
3. Describe ways the environment is affected by humans in Alabama and the world.
Examples: crop rotation, oil spills, landfills, clearing of forests, replacement of cleared lands,
restocking of fish in waterways
 Using vocabulary associated with human influence on the environment, including
irrigation, aeration, urbanization,
reforestation, erosion, and migration
4. Relate population dispersion to geographic, economic, and historic changes in Alabama and
the world.
Examples:
geographic - flood, hurricane, tsunami
economic – crop failure
historic – disease, war, migration
 Identifying human and physical criteria used to define regions and boundaries
Examples: human – city boundaries, school districts lines
physical – hemispheres, regions within continents or countries
5. Compare trading patterns between countries and regions.
 Differentiating between producers and consumers and imports and exports
 Differentiating between imports and exports
Examples: imports – coffee, crude oil - exports – corn, wheat, automobiles
Resources
Note: Map and Globe Skills should be taught
through-out the year.
Map & Globe Skills
TE pg. 32-33, 98-99, 110-111, 388-389
QuickReads, B-2, Maps,
pgs. 10-23
S.S. Chapter 5, Community Environments, pgs. 142169
QuickReads, Level D-2, Geography and How We Live,
p.10-18
S.S. Chapter 2, Kinds of Communities, p. 38-59
S.S. Chapter 3, People Move From Place to Place, p.
74-101
S.S. Chapter 2, Kinds of Communities, p. 38-59
S.S. Chapter 3, People Move From Place to Place, p.
74-101
QuickReads, D-1, Immigration to America, p. 10-23
S.S. Chapter 10, Making Goods, p. 334-339, 316343
S.S. Chap. 9, Making Choices, pgs. 288-315
Dates:
Taught
Tested
Standard/Objectives
6. Identify conflicts within and between geographic areas involving use of land, economic
competition for scarce resources, opposing political views, boundary disputes, and cultural
differences
 Identifying examples of cooperation among governmental agencies within and between
different geographic areas
Examples: American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), World Health Organization (WHO)
 Locating areas of political conflict on maps and globes
 Explaining the role of the United Nations (UN) and the United States in resolving conflict
within and between geographic areas
7. Describe the relationship between locations of resources and patterns of population
distribution.
Examples: presence of trees for building homes, availability of natural gas supply for
heating, availability of water supply for drinking and for irrigating crops
 Locating major natural resources and deposits throughout the world on topographical
maps
 Comparing present-day mechanization of labor with the historical use of human labor
for harvesting natural resources.
Examples: present-day practices of using machinery versus human labor to
mine coal and harvest cotton and pecans
 Explaining the geographic impact of using petroleum, coal, nuclear power, and solar
power as major energy sources in the twenty-first century
8. Identify geographic links of land regions, river systems, and interstate highways between
Alabama and other states.
Examples: Appalachian Mountains, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Interstate Highway
65 (I-65),

Natchez Trace Parkway
Locating the five geographic regions of Alabama
 Locating state and national parks on a map or globe.
9. Identify ways to prepare for natural disasters.
Examples: constructing houses on stilts in flood-prone areas, buying earthquake and
flood insurance, providing hurricane or tornado shelters, establishing
emergency evacuation routes
10. Recognize functions of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States.
 Describing the process by which a bill becomes a law.
 Explaining the relationship between the federal government and state governments,
including the three branches

of government
Defining governmental systems, including democracy, monarchy, and dictatorship
Resources
S.S. Chapter 1, What are Communities? pgs. 10-35
Quick Reads, Level D-2, Natural Resources and the
Economy, p.24-30
Note: All resources can be used at any time
throughout this unit.
Unit 6, Chapter 11, Rights and Responsibilities, pgs.
356-380
Unit 6, Chapter 12, Your Local Government, pgs.
382-408
QuickReads, C-2, Hurricanes, p. 10-23; Earthquakes,
p. 24-37.
Six Minutes Solutions, Intermediate, passages 401,
404, 416.
QuickReads, D-1, Immigration to America, p. 10-23
Dates:
Taught
Tested
Standard/Objectives
11. Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters,
diaries, maps, and photographs.
 Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present
Resources
Note: All resources can be used at any time
throughout this unit.
Unit 6, Chapter 11, Rights and Responsibilities,
pgs. 356-380
Unit 6, Chapter 12, Your Local Government, pgs.
382-408
QuickReads, Level B-1, National Symbols, p. 1023; Being a Citizen, p. 24-37;
Brave Americans, p. 38-51
QuickReads, Level C-1, Our National Government,
p.80-88; American Heroes, p. 53-65.
QuickReads, Level D-1, The Constitution of the
United States, p. 24-37.
Six Minute Solutions, Primary, passages 206-210
Six Minute Solutions, Inter-mediate, passage 207
12. Explain the significance of representations of American values and beliefs, including the
Statue of Liberty, the Statue of Lady Justice, the United States flag, and the national anthem.
Unit 6, Chapter 11, Rights and Responsibilities,
pgs. 356-380
Unit 6, Chapter 12, Your Local Government, pgs.
382-408
QuickReads, Level B-1, National Symbols, p. 1023; Being a Citizen, p. 24-37;
Brave Americans, p. 38-51
QuickReads, Level C-1, Our National Government,
p.80-88; American Heroes, p. 53-65.
QuickReads, Level D-1, The Constitution of the
United States, p. 24-37.
13. Describe prehistoric and historic American Indian cultures, governments, and economics in
Alabama.
Example:

prehistoric – Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian
historic – Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek
Identifying roles of archaeologists and paleontologists
Six Minute Solutions, Primary, passages 206-210
Six Minute Solutions, Inter-mediate, passage 207
QuickReads, C-1, Dinosaurs, p. 13 & 17.
Dates:
Taught
Tested
Applying Depth-of-Knowledge (DOK) Levels in Social Studies
Karin Hess, Center for Assessment
According to Norman L. Webb (“Depth-of-Knowledge Levels for Four Content Areas,” March 28, 2002), interpreting and assigning depth-of-knowledge levels to
both objectives within standards and assessment items is an essential requirement of alignment analysis. Four levels of Depth of Knowledge are used for this analysis.
A general definition for each of the four (Webb) Depth-of-Knowledge levels is followed by Table 1, which provides further specification and examples for each of
the DOK levels for social studies. Webb recommends that large-scale, on-demand assessments only assess Depth-of-Knowledge Levels 1, 2, and 3, due primarily to
testing time constraints. Depth-of-Knowledge at Level 4 in social studies is best reserved for local assessment. Table 2 provides examples of DOK “ceilings” (the
highest level of cognitive demand for large-scale assessment) using one state’s social studies grade level expectations.
Descriptors of DOK Levels for Social Studies (based on Webb, Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment, report published by CCSSO, December 2002)
Level 1 Recall of Information
Level 1 asks students to recall facts, terms, concepts, trends, generalizations and theories or to recognize or identify specific information contained in graphics. This
level generally requires students to identify, list, or define. The items at this level usually ask the student to recall who, what, when and where. Items that require
students to “describe” and “explain” could be classified at Level 1 or 2 depending on what is to be described and explained. A Level 1 “describe or explain”
would recall, recite or reproduce information. Items that require students to recognize or identify specific information contained in maps, charts, tables, graphs or
drawings are generally level 1.
Level 2 Basic Reasoning
Level 2 includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. This level generally requires students to contrast or
compare people, places, events and concepts; convert information from one form to another; give an example; classify or sort items into meaningful categories;
describe, interpret or explain issues and problems, patterns, reasons, cause and effect, significance or impact, relationships, points of view or processes. A Level 2
“describe or explain” would require students to go beyond a description or explanation of recalled information to describe or explain a result or “how” or “why.”
Level 3 Complex Reasoning
Level 3 requires reasoning, using evidence, and a higher level of thinking than the previous two levels. Students would go beyond explaining or describing “how and
why” to justifying the “how and why” through application and evidence. The cognitive demands at Level 3 are more complex and more abstract than Levels 1 or 2.
Items at Level 3 include drawing conclusions; citing evidence; applying concepts to new situations; using concepts to solve problems; analyzing similarities and
differences in issues and problems; proposing and evaluating solutions to problems; recognizing and explaining misconceptions or making connections across time
and place to explain a concept or big idea.
Level 4 Extended Reasoning
Level 4 requires the complex reasoning of Level 3 with the addition of planning, investigating, or developing that will most likely require an extended period of
time. The extended time period is not a distinguishing factor if the required work is only repetitive and does not require applying significant conceptual
understanding and higher-order thinking. At this level the cognitive demands should be high and the work should be very complex. Students should be required to
connect and relate ideas and concepts within the content area or among content areas in order to be at this highest level. The distinguishing factor for Level 4 would
be evidence through a task or product that the cognitive demands have been met. A Level 4 performance will require students to analyze and synthesize
information from multiple sources, examine and explain alternative perspectives across a variety of sources and/or describe and illustrate how common themes and
concepts are found across time and place. In some Level 4 performance students will make predictions with evidence as support, develop a logical argument, or
plan and develop solutions to problems.
Many on-demand assessment instruments will not include assessment activities that could be classified as Level 4. However, standards, goals, and objectives can be
stated so as to expect students to perform thinking at this level. On-demand assessments that do include tasks, products, or extended responses would be classified
as Level 4 when the task or response requires evidence that the cognitive requirements have been met.
Source of Challenge Criterion for Social Studies
The Source of Challenge criterion is only used to identify items where the major cognitive demand is inadvertently placed and is other than the targeted social
studies content, concept, skill and application. Excessive reading demands, cultural bias, or specialized knowledge could be reasons for an item to have a source of
challenge problem. Such item characteristics may cause some students to not answer an assessment item or answer an assessment item incorrectly even though they
have the social studies content knowledge, understanding and skills being assessed. Items with an appropriate source of challenge level will differentiate between
those students who have the social studies knowledge and understanding the assessment item intends to measure from those students who do not have this
knowledge.
Table 1: Sample Depth-of-Knowledge Level Descriptors for Social Studies
(Based on Webb, Karin Hess, Center for Assessment/NCIEA, 2005
Level 1
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Recall of Information
Recall or recognition of: fact,
term, concept, trend,
generalization, event, or
document
Identify or describe features
of places or people
Identify key figures in a
particular context meaning of
words
Describe or explain: who,
what, where, when
Identify specific information
contained in maps, charts,
tables, graphs, or drawings
Level 2
Level 3
Basic Reasoning
a.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Describe cause-effect of
particular events
Describe or explain: how
(relationships or results), why,
points of view, processes,
significance, or impact
Identify patterns in events or
behavior
Categorize events or figures
in history into meaningful
groups
Identify and summarize the
major events, problem,
solution, conflicts
Distinguish between fact and
opinion
Organize information to show
relationships
Compare and contrast
people, events, places,
concepts
Give examples and nonexamples to illustrate an
idea/concept
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Complex Reasoning
Explain, generalize, or
connect ideas, using
supporting evidence from a
text/source
Apply a concept in other
contexts
Make and support inferences
about implied causes and
effects
Draw conclusion or form
alternative conclusions
Analyze how changes have
affected people or places
Use concepts to solve
problems
Analyze similarities and
differences in issues or
problems
Propose and evaluate
solutions
Recognize and explain
misconceptions related to
concepts
Level 4
Extended Reasoning
a. Analyze and explain multiple
perspectives or issues within
or across time periods, events,
or cultures
b. Gather, analyze, organize,
and synthesize information
from multiple (print and non
print) sources
c. Make predictions with
evidence as support
d. Plan and develop solutions to
problems
e. Given a situation/problem,
research, define, and
describe the
situation/problem and
provide alternative solutions
f. Describe, define, and
illustrate common social,
historical, economic, or
geographical themes and
how they interrelate