Social Studies Strands Project on
Communities for
3rd Grade
Jill Botkins
Gwen Miller
Julie Eickmeyer
Stephanie McIntire
Stephanie Waldbillig
Table of Contents
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American Heritage
People & Societies
World Interactions
Decision Making & Resources
Democratic Process
Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities
Science, Technology & Society
– http://umn.edu/ihrc
» Histroy of Immigration
– http://www.ohiokids.org
» Historical Documents
– http://www.history.org
» Colonial Williamsburg
– http://ohiohistory.org
» Ohio Historical Society
– http://www.costumes.org
» View Historical Clothing
American
Heritage
(websites)
American Heritage (activities)
• Activity 1
– Using the newspaper, students will keep a
journal of changes taking place in the
community.
• Activity 2
– Students will create a timeline of community
events.
• Activity 3
– After reading Changing American Cityscape,
students will compare and contrast the city in
two different time periods.
American Heritage (activities)
• Activity 4
– Students will find newspaper articles
from the past and share them with the
class.
• Activity 5
– Students will interview an elderly friend
or neighbor about what life was like in
the past.
People & Societies (websites)
• http://www.familytreemaker.com
» Make A Family Tree
• http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/MCC
» Multicultural Calendar
• http://www.shakerwssg.org
» Shaker Frontier of the West
• http://americanhistory.si.edu
» Smithsonian National Museum of History
• http://www.peak.org/~mransom/pioneers.html
» The Oregon Trail
People & Societies (Activities)
• Activity 1
– Students will discuss different cultures in the
classroom, school, and community.
• Activity 2
– Students will make a diversity chart of the
classroom.
• Activity 3
– Students will make a family tree.
People & Societies (Activities)
• Activity 4
– Students will write a biography of their life and
compare and contrast them with their
classmates.
• Activity 5
– Students will research how their family
came to live in the area.
World Interactions (websites)
• http://www.kids.infoplease.com
» Student Almanac
• http://www.mapquest.com
» Directional Maps
• http://www.mamalisa.com/world
» World songs & poems
• http://www.scholastic.com/dreamamerica/postc
ard.htm
» Postcard Writing
• http://crusty.er.usgs.gov/mapit
» Map Generator
World Interactions (Activities)
• Activity 1
– Students will correspond with pen pals from
another country.
• Activity 2
– Students will map various routes between their
communities and others.
• Activity 3
– Students will use a map scale to measure the
distance from their community and another
place in Ohio.
World Interactions (Activities)
• Activity 4
– Students will compare and contrast their
community with another.
• Activity 5
– Students will find out who Ohio exchanges
resources with.
• http://www.youthlink.org
» Youth In Action
• http://allowancenet.com
Decision
» Allowance Activities
Making &• http://mcgruff.org
» Safety
Resources
• http://www.dare.com/D_KIDS/
(websites)
D_KIDS/frame.htm
» Drug Awareness
• http://www.teachrkids.com/front
s/money1/htm
» Counting & Saving Money
Decision Making & Resources (Activities)
• Activity 1
– Students will compare U.S. currency
with another countries currency.
• Activity 2
– Students will set up a store with foreign
currencies in the classroom.
• Activity 3
– Students will describe different goods
and services offered in their community.
Decision Making & Resources (Activities)
• Activity 4
– Students will discuss daily decisions and how
they make those decisions.
• Activiy 5
– Students will discuss how they decide what to
spend their money on.
Democratic Process (websites)
• http://www.vote-smart.org
» Kids Voting Online
• http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids
» The White House For Kids
• http://pbs.org/democracy/kids/mygovt/index.html
» Kids Democracy Project
• http://www.ohio.gov
» Ohio Government
• http://kidsvotingusa.org
» Kids Get To Vote
Democratic Process (Activities)
• Activity 1 - Students will participate in
KidsVote
• Activity 2 - Students will elect classmates to
fill classroom jobs
• Activity 3 - Students will participate in a
mock trial
• Activity 4 - Students will elect a class
president
Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities
(websites)
• http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids
» CIA Kids Page
• http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769450.html
» The Bill of Rights
• http://www.govspot.com/state/oh.htm
» State of Oho Government
• http://www.statelocal.gov/
» State & Local Government
• http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/
» Society
Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities
(Activities)
• Activity 1
– Students will hold a mock community meeting
and debate a school issue.
• Activity 2
– Students will identify the purpose of
government in their community.
• Activity 3
– Students will start a recycling program at
school
Citizenship Rights &
Responsibilities (Activities)
• Activity 4
– Students will find an article in
the paper about local
government and determine
how it benefits the community.
• Activity 5
– Have the mayor come speak to
the class.
Science, Technology, & Society (websites)
• http://cprr.org
» Central Pacific Railroad Museum
• http://brainpop.com
» National Science & Technology Standards
• http://quintepoch.com
» World History
• http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather
» Science Fair Exhibits
• http://www.weather.com
» The Weather Channel
Science, Technology, & Society (Activities)
• Activity 1
– Students will identify technology they use in
their lives.
• Activity 2
– Students will discuss what their lives would be
like without technology.
• Activity 3
– Students will interview an adult about what
technology was available when they were kids.
Science, Technology, & Society (Activities)
• Activity 4
– Students will determine which technological
innovations originated in their community.
• Activity 5
– Students will participate in an Invention
Convention.