Third Grade

Finally, students focus on the geography and other unique aspects of our state of New Jersey. Beginning with an investigation of maps and the role they play, students learn cardinal directions and other elements of map legends. With New Jersey as the focus of their study, students explore bordering areas, landforms, water, bridges, and major towns. Students explore types of communities, such as rural, suburban, and urban, and the locations of these communities throughout the state.

THIRD GRADE

The third grade social studies experience is centered around themes of identity, movement, and social responsibility and action. In the first half of the year, students explore facets of their personal identities and are challenged to think critically about how the nuances of individual identities influence perspective. Questions such as “How do our identities develop and change over time?” and “How does our perspective shape the way we view others?” encourage students to reflect on their own experiences and consider how aspects of their identities are similar and different from others. Read-alouds are carefully selected to provide students with both mirrors and windows—opportunities to see themselves reflected in stories, as well as time spent learning about the experiences of others. A number of classroom discussions are devoted to building an understanding of stereotypes and how stereotypes impact different groups of people. Enduring understandings from the identity unit continue to act as a lens through which the students examine the practice of voting as both a right and responsibility of citizenship in a democratic society. During this unit, students develop an understanding of what it means to participate in the democratic process and examine how and why voting rights have changed over time for different groups of people. Students spend the second half of the year engaged in an in-depth study of the United States of America. Early lessons focus on geography, landforms, culture, and climate, as students consider how the unique, physical characteristics of a region impact the people who live there. Each student is given the opportunity to become an “expert” on one state and researches the state’s unique contributions to the country as a whole. Third grade culminates with an interdisciplinary project, The Capstone, that incorporates grade-level collaboration and a design-thinking approach. By studying how change is initiated and brought about in different communities while drawing upon the stories of historical and current changemakers, students are empowered to consider innovative ways to create positive change. Students present their findings to and receive feedback from the MKA community.