Social Studies Grade Three
Planning and Teaching the Course
The grade three course consists of four units developed to follow
a logical progression and may be taught sequentially. However,
the teacher may choose to follow another organization or sequence
like the following:
- Portions of any unit may be taught within the context of
other units.
- Significant events and local circumstances may dictate a
different sequence, for example, teachers may wish to teach
all or part of Unit Four during a local election.
- Integrating social studies with other subjects may require
a
different organization of the units or parts of units.
The grade three elementary social studies course is meant to be a
journey through time and space for the students and teacher.
Travel back in time, through the present and into the future as
you make your way through the course. Travel to communities
nearby and far away as you develop understandings of the
concepts. The journey will be different for every classroom.
For some classes journeys closer to home will be more appropriate
with a few quick trips to far away places. Other classes will be
ready to make many journeys to far away places. Within some
classrooms some of the students will be interested in journeying
farther away while others will feel more comfortable remaining
with the familiar.
The teacher may wish to consult with teachers of grade 6 and 7 in
order to identify suitable communities to focus on and also to
share resources. The grade 3 teacher may wish to select
communities in countries studied at the grade 6 and 7 levels and
use some resources identified for those grades - especially those
that are well illustrated and easy to read or understand. The
teacher need not worry too much about duplication, because
students at the grade 3 level will use resources and do projects
in ways very different from what they will do at the grade 6 and
7 levels.
In selecting appropriate communities, the teacher will be guided
by available resources, interest and expertise of the teacher and
students, and the ethnic composition of the class and community.
An attempt should be made to give some balance and some contrast
to the communities studied. Consider the following:
- communities in different climate (temperate/tropical) and
landform (plains/mountains, inland/seacoast) regions;
- communities from developed and developing countries;
- communities with different languages, traditions, and other
cultural considerations; and
- communities with some Canadian connections (e.g.,
immigration, trade, foreign aid, popular travel
destination).
The study of the communities may be approached in one of several
ways. The teacher may choose one of the following models:
- The whole class may study one community in depth. The
teacher may use the opportunity to model initiating
research, as well as accessing, organizing, and presenting
information. Additional individual or group research may be
assigned within the context of the larger study.
- The whole class may complete studies of several
communities.
This would facilitate the modelling of a variety of methods
for initiating research, accessing, organizing, and
presenting information.
- The whole class may study one community in depth, with the
teacher modelling skills. Then working in groups, students
may research other communities.