Wayne County Public Schools
NC Essential Standards for Social Studies- 2010
Grade 3 – Social Studies Pacing Guide
1st 9 Weeks
2nd 9 Weeks
3rd 9 Weeks
Unit 1: Civics and Government
Unit 2: History/Colonial America
Unit 3: Geography, Environmental Literacy, and
Culture
3.C&G.1: Understand the
development, structure and
function of local government.
3.H.1: Understand how events,
individuals and ideas have
influenced the history of local and
regional communities.
3.G.1: Understand the earth’s patterns by
using the 5 themes of geography: (location,
place, human-environment interaction,
movement and regions).
3.C&G.1.1 Summarize the historical
development of local governments.
3.C&G.1.2 Describe the structure of
local government and how it
functions to serve citizens.
3.C&G.1.3 Understand the three
branches of government, with an
emphasis on local government.
3.C&G.2: Understand how citizens
participate in their communities.
3.C&G.2.1 Exemplify how citizens
contribute politically, socially and
economically to their community.
4th 9 Weeks
Unit 4: Economics and Financial
Literacy
3.E.1: Understand how the
location of regions affects
activity in a market economy.
3.H.1.1 Explain key historical events
that occurred in the local community
and regions over time.
3.G.1.1 Find absolute and relative locations of
places within the local community and region.
3.H.1.2 Analyze the impact of
contributions made by diverse
historical figures in local
communities and regions over time.
3.G.1.3 Exemplify how people adapt to, change and
protect the environment to meet their needs.
3.H.1.3 Exemplify the ideas that were
significant in the development of
local communities and regions.
3.H.2: Use historical thinking skills
to understand the context of events,
people and places.
3.C&G.2.2 Exemplify how citizens
contribute to the well-being of the
community’s natural environment.
3.H.2.1 Explain change over time
through historical narratives. (events,
people and places)
3.C&G.2.3 Apply skills in civic
engagement and public discourse
(school, community)
3.H.2.2 Explain how multiple
perspectives are portrayed through
historical narratives.
3.E.1.1
Explain how location impacts
supply and demand.
3.G.1.2 Compare the human and physical
characteristics of places.
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.1.6 Compare various regions according to their
characteristics.
3.C.1: Understand how diverse cultures are
visible in local and regional communities.
3.C.1.1 Compare languages, foods and traditions of
various groups living in local and regional
communities.
3.C.1.2 Exemplify how various groups show artistic
expression within the local and regional
communities.
3.E.1.2
Explain how locations of regions
and natural resources influence
economic development (industries
developed around natural
resources, rivers and coastal
towns).
3.E.2: Understand
entrepreneurship in a market
economy.
3.E.2.1
Explain why people become
entrepreneurs
3.E.2.2
Give examples of entrepreneurship
in various regions of our state.
3.C.1.3 Use non-fiction texts to explore how
cultures borrow and share from each other (foods,
languages, rules, traditions, and behaviors).
Unit 1: Civics & Government
Textbook Unit 1: Citizens and
Government
Textbook Unit 2: Our Different Roles
Unit 2: History/Colonial America
Textbook Unit 3: People and
Communities Over Time
Textbook Unit 7: Lessons 1- Local &
Global Leaders & Lesson 3: Creating
New Communities
Unit 3: Geography, Environmental Literacy, & Culture
Textbook Unit 4: Our Geography
Textbook Unit 1: Lesson 5, Revisit---Holidays &
Celebrations
Textbook Unit 7: Lesson 2, Folktales & Legends
Textbook: Harcourt Social Studies, NC Edition: People Who Make A Difference, Harcourt Inc., 2009
Unit 4: Economics and Financial
Literacy
Textbook Unit 5: People &
Economics
Textbook Unit 6: People &
Technology
Revised: July 2015
Third Grade – 2010 NC Essential Standards – Social Studies
History
NC Essential Standards
3.H.1: Understand how events, individuals and ideas have influenced the
history of local and regional communities.
The North Carolina Social Studies Essential Standards offer a sound, thoughtful, and
defensible curricular framework that is designed to enable all students at all grade levels to acquire
the essential knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to be informed, active citizens in the
21st century. The five organizational strands of the social studies program: 1-history, 2-geography
& environmental literacy, 3- economics and financial literacy, 4- civics and government, and 5culture are addressed with increasing rigor and relevance at each grade level. Underlying these
strands is the belief that all students should understand social studies and develop civic efficacy.
According to George Drayton Strayer, early 20th century educator and author, “Education is only
worth the difference it makes in the activities of the individual who has been educated.” With this
in mind, each Local Education Agency (LEA) is encouraged to provide social studies classes and
appropriate instruction at all grade levels to help students achieve the social studies knowledge,
understanding, and skills that enable them to participate in our society.
A balanced and effective social studies program, K‐12, prepares students to be active, informed,
and responsible citizens. Students acquire and perfect knowledge, understanding, and skills of
individual and group inquiry and examine a broad range of peoples and cultures. Students gain
from social studies the attitudes and values that enable them to be effective problem‐solvers, good
decision‐makers, and wise planners. As a result of an effective social studies education, they are
prepared to deal with present, recurring, and unforeseen problems at the local, state, national,
and global levels.
Content – The proposed social studies essential standards are designed to ensure that all
students at all grade levels acquire the essential knowledge and skills to be informed, active citizens
in the 21st century. In kindergarten through grade twelve, there is attention to the development of
social studies concepts and skills and how they build over time. Essential standards and clarifying
objectives were developed to ensure that the content is developmentally matched to the age and
stage of the learner for better clarity and specificity. For each grade level, K‐12, the content was
reviewed for evidence of rigor and vertical alignment.
In third grade, students draw upon knowledge learned in previous grades to develop more
sophisticated understandings of how communities may be linked to form larger political units, and
how there are cultural, geographic, and economic connections. Through their study of various
patterns of community living, the students begin to understand that people’s activities are
influenced not only by their geographic location, but also by how they use the earth’s materials, the
physical environment, and how they express their diversity through culture. Students will
understand the importance of being a citizen and identify the contributions of selected individuals
in the local community. Students will recognize that Americans are comprised of people who have
diverse ethnic origins and traditions who all contribute to American life. By looking at
communities from a geographic perspective, students become aware of some of the cultural,
political, geographic, historic, environmental and economic factors that help bind communities
together through both time and space. Building upon experiences that demonstrate chronological
thinking, students begin to expand their ability to think like a historian by asking questions that
historians ask. Using both primary and secondary sources, students understand the significant role
of the individual in shaping history and explore changes in communities and regions over time.
Through the study of historical narratives, students are introduced to the concept of perspective by
asking them to explain why people can describe the same event differently. This serves as a
building block for more sophisticated analyses in subsequent grades.
Social Studies Organizational Strands
1. History
2. Geography & Environmental Literacy
3. Economics and Financial Literacy
4. Civics and Government
5. Culture
3.H
Concept(s): Leadership, Values & Beliefs, Settlement Patterns,
Resources
Clarifying Objectives
3.H.1.1 Explain key historical events that occurred in the local community
and regions over time.
3.H.1.2 Analyze the impact of contributions made by diverse historical
figures in local communities and regions over time.
3.H.1.3 Exemplify the ideas that were significant in the development of
local communities and regions.
3.H.2: Use historical thinking skills to understand the context of events,
people and places.
Concept(s): Change, Perspective
Clarifying Objectives
3.H.2.1 Explain change over time through historical narratives. (events,
people and places)
3.H.2.2 Explain how multiple perspectives are portrayed through historical
narratives.
Geography and Environmental Literacy
3.G
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
Clarifying Objectives
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.
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.
Economics and Financial Literacy
3.E
Culture
3.C
3.E.1: Understand how the location of regions affects activity in a
market economy.
3.C.1: Understand how diverse cultures are visible in local and regional
communities.
Concept(s): Supply and Demand, Location, Resources
Concept(s): Language, Diversity, Culture, Values and Beliefs
Clarifying Objectives
3.E.1.1Explain how location impacts supply and demand.
Clarifying Objectives
3.C.1.1 Compare languages, foods and traditions of various groups living
in local and regional communities.
3.E.1.2 Explain how locations of regions and natural resources influence
economic development (industries developed around natural resources,
rivers and coastal towns).
3.E.2: Understand entrepreneurship in a market economy.
3.C.1.3 Use non-fiction texts to explore how cultures borrow and share
from each other (foods, languages, rules, traditions, and behaviors).
Concept(s): Entrepreneurs, Innovations, Opportunity, Resources
Clarifying Objectives
3.E.2.1Explain why people become entrepreneurs
3.E.2.2 Give examples of entrepreneurship in various regions of our state.
Civics and Government
3.C & G
3.C&G.1: Understand the development, structure and function of local
government.
Concept(s): Government, Citizenship
Clarifying Objectives
3.C&G.1.1 Summarize the historical development of local governments.
3.C&G.1.2 Describe the structure of local government and how it
functions to serve citizens.
3.C&G.1.3 Understand the three branches of government, with an
emphasis on local government.
3.C&G.2: Understand how citizens participate in their communities.
Concept(s): Citizenship, Community
Clarifying Objectives
3.C&G.2.1 Exemplify how citizens contribute politically, socially and
economically to their community.
3.C&G.2.2 Exemplify how citizens contribute to the well-being of the
community’s natural environment.
3.C&G.2.3 Apply skills in civic engagement and public discourse
(school, community)
3.C.1.2 Exemplify how various groups show artistic expression within the
local and regional communities.