Grade 3 Social Studies Rhode Island standards Standards

Grade 3 - Living and Working Together in the Regions of the United States

Content Standards

Economics

Geography

History

Civics and Government

Anchor Standards

Identify what political power is and who has political power in a society.

Explain how political power is and has been obtained and used to govern communities and individuals with attention to their intersectional identities and lived experiences.

Analyze the purpose of government and the use of power, including balancing order and freedom, to advance and control different communities and individuals based on their intersectional identities and lived experiences.

Argue how power can be distributed and used to create a more equitable society for communities and individuals based on their intersectional identities and lived experiences.

Identify what rules and laws are, and who has the power to make them, in different settings and cultures that are familiar and unfamiliar to students.

Explain why rules and laws exist, and how they are implemented by and for individuals and communities based on their intersectional identities and lived experiences.

Analyze how rules and laws positively and/or negatively impact different individuals and communities based on their intersectional identities and lived experiences.

Argue how rules and laws can be used to create an equitable society.

Identify what rights and responsibilities individuals and communities have in a society and who can take advantage of them.

Explain different ways communities and individuals inform themselves, exercise their rights and responsibilities, and engage formally and/or informally in political processes.

Analyze how individuals and communities have been included or excluded from the political process based on their intersectional identities and lived experiences and the impact these actions have had on their rights, responsibilities, and the functioning of a democratic society.

Argue for a possible solution to make rights equitable and the roles of those involved in pursuing that solution.

Identify the ways that different political systems utilize economic systems to organize and distribute goods and services to individuals and communities.

Explain how those traditionally privileged and marginalized across intersecting identities can influence and interact with economic systems.

Analyze how inequities within the economic system have been addressed or sustained by the actions of those traditionally privileged and marginalized.

Argue how different economic systems can create more equitable outcomes for individuals and communities, particularly for those traditionally marginalized from the economic system.

Identify the individuals and communities involved in the production of any good or service, the materials needed for producing them, where and how the materials are obtained, and the various interrelationships among all of these elements.

Explain who has the power to make decisions related to the means of production and the effects those decisions have on individuals and communities

Analyze how individuals and communities acting through intersectional identities and lived experiences can affect the means of production.

Argue whether the costs and benefits of an aspect of the means of production equitably serve all individuals and communities.

Identify the choices communities make about how to use resources based on the scarcity of that resource, including those that are familiar and unfamiliar.

Explain how scarcity affects the cost and availability of desired goods and services, and who has the power to influence the factors related to cost and availability and why.

Analyze how decisions affecting access to goods and services are influenced by systems of power and cultural norms including how these effects of decisions create more equitable or inequitable outcomes.

Argue how a resource can be used differently to create a more equitable outcome for individuals and communities including how individuals and communities can influence systems of power to achieve that change.

Identify the characteristics of human systems, physical systems, and the environment, and ways they interact at local, regional and/or global levels.

Explain how humans and their societies and institutions affect, modify and/or preserve the environment, as well as how the modifications of the physical environment affect physical, behavioral, and diverse cultural systems.

Analyze how individuals and societies at local, regional and/or global levels influence political, economic, and social decision-making.

Argue how decisions about resources and the environment made by individuals and/or communities impact current and future peoples differently and how those decisions might be made more equitable.

Identify maps, globes, and other geographic tools and technologies that are used to describe where places are located both absolutely and relatively across time, space, and distance.

Explain how the characteristics and elements of maps, globes, geographic tools, and other technologies are used and selected to identify and describe local, regional and/or global locations.

Analyze multiple types of maps, charts, and graphs and how they are used to interpret topographical information, draw inferences about the development of societies, and determine how places shape events and how places may be changed by events.

Argue how the systematic analysis of the spatial patterns provides an integral understanding of a place or region and supports equitable decisions about climate and land use.

Identify historical events that are culturally relevant to global, national, and local histories and connect to students' intersectional identities and lived experiences.

Explain multiple causes and effects of historical events, centering and representing the voices and experiences of individuals and communities who were agents of change and resistance.

Analyze multiple sources to compare and contrast historical events through the lenses of identity, power, and resistance.

Argue how social change, intersectional identities, and lived experiences are crucial to the study and practice of history.

Identify key people, central ideas, and the mechanisms by which stories are told and retold regarding an event or series of events, centering the voices of historical actors and groups engaged in resistance and change.

Explain the purpose, audience, and perspective of multiple types of sources (art, music, oral histories, pamphlets, film, texts, etc.) relating to a historical event or series of events, individual, or group of people, including indications of bias toward or against the subject portrayed.

Analyze multiple types of sources, including art, music, oral histories, pamphlets, film, texts, etc., through a critical reflection of the creators' and students' intersectional identities and lived experiences.

Argue, using multiple narratives rooted in identity, power, and resistance, how history itself is an interpretation of events.

Identify the characteristics of populations based on their size, place, region, and cultural demographics, as well as identifying patterns of migration.

Explain how and why a population's characteristics, including their spatial distribution, growth, and movement, have divided, organized, and unified areas of Earth's surface and impacted both human and physical systems.

Analyze how human systems and the distribution of populations interact with and impact physical systems, and how conflict and access to resources influence physical systems.

Argue how the relationship between populations and physical systems influence decision-making about the equitable access to resources and land at the local, regional, and/or global levels.

Identify peoples, events, technologies, and ideas involved in historical and social change in various geographical and temporal locations.

Explain how historical and social change have been and continue to be accomplished in relation to systems of power, identity, and resistance.

Analyze historical change through the intersectional identities and lived experiences of people who have accomplished social change throughout history in relation to systems of power, identity, and resistance.

Argue how all individuals can act as local, national, and/or global agents of social change by using lessons learned from history.

Analyze the ways social scientists piece together information to have knowledge of history and the world today.

Explain how geographers use tools to understand the features of the globe and the inhabitants of the Earth

Explain ways that archeologists study the physical evidence left behind by humans to understand human culture

Explain approaches historians take to analyze and interpret the past using primary and secondary sources

Explain ways anthropologists work with people today to learn about their cultures

Analyze ways that oral traditions inform what we know about the past

Analyze how the work of these social scientists establishes knowledge of human development throughout time and peoples' relationships with each other and the environment

Explain the geography of the United States and its neighbors.

Explain features of a map (e.g., cardinal directions, key/legends, map scales, latitude and longitude)

Identify major geographical features of North America (e.g., climate zones, bodies of water, mountains, deserts)

Identify land bordering countries to the United States (e.g., Canada, Mexico), and explain relationships the U.S. has with them (e.g., trade, ways leaders work together, sharing resources)

Explain what states and territories are and their locations within the United States.

Identify the regions that make up the United States on a map including their states and territories

Explain ways states and territories differ and the rights afforded to those born in each area (e.g., political rights, voting rights)

Analyze components of the United States government.

Identify the location of the capital of the United States and the White House

Explain the role of the President, Vice President, and other Cabinet leaders (e.g., Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of the Interior), and identify the current people who hold those positions

Identify who state representatives are (e.g., governors, senators) and explain that they are elected positions, and that they represent the people of their states

Identify the type of government the United States has and analyze the reasons we have a government

Analyze the differences between rules and laws

Identify the symbolism associated with the United States (e.g., Flag of the United States, National anthem, bald eagle, Great Seal of the United States, words of the Pledge of Allegiance, National motto), and explain the reasons those symbols are used and their meanings

Analyze the population and industries in the United States today.

Identify population and demographic statistics (e.g., gender, ethnic backgrounds, religions) of the United States, and analyze what the data describes about the country

Identify major industries of the United States (e.g., healthcare, education services, finance and insurance, manufacturing, technology), and analyze the ways they support jobs and the economy

Identify major imports and exports of the United States, and explain which countries are trading partners

Explain the geography and environment of the Northeastern region of the United States.

Identify major geographical features of the Northeast (e.g., Atlantic coastline, Appalachian Mountains, woodlands, Hudson River, eastern portion of the Great Lakes) on a map and explain their importance to the region

Explain different climate zones and weather patterns in areas of the Northeast

Identify major natural resources in the Northeast (e.g., granite, iron ore, lumber, fish - freshwater and marine) and explain their importance to the region

Explain the states that make up the Northeastern region including their admittance to the United States and their identities.

Identify the states and capitals in the Northeastern region of the United States (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia) and where they are located on a map

Identify when each state in the Northeast became a state, and explain why

Identify the symbolism associated with the states (e.g., flag, state motto, state flower, state bird), and explain the reasons those symbols are used

Analyze the ways diverse peoples have come to live in the Northeastern region of the United States over time.

Identify different Indigenous groups in the Northeast (e.g., Mohawk, Oneida, Narragansett, Wampanoag, Massachuset, Wabanaki), their location on a map, and explain the ways they continue their cultural traditions today (e.g., through food, regalia, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Explain the reasons different early colonial European immigrants (e.g., Dutch, English, including Pilgrims, French, Germans) came to the Northeast, and analyze the patterns of their settlements

Explain how people from Africa were forced to move to the United States through the transatlantic slave trade and analyze the effects of that trade in the Northeast

Identify immigrant groups that have come to the Northeast over time (e.g., Brazilians, Cambodians, Cape Verdeans, Chinese, Colombians, Dominicans, French-Canadians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hmong, Portuguese, Puerto Ricans, Indians, Irish, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Somalis, Vietnamese, and people from other regions of the world), explain their reasons for leaving their home country and coming to the United States, and analyze the ways they continue traditions today (e.g., through food, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Identify population and demographic statistics (e.g., gender, ethnic backgrounds, religions) of the Northeast, and analyze what the data describes about the region

Argue how the geography and environment of the Northeastern region contributed to its social, cultural, and economic development.

Identify major cities of the Northeast and their locations, analyze why the cities are located where they are, and argue the ways that geography and access to resources impacted the growth of these cities

Identify notable landmarks (e.g., the country's capital in Washington D.C., Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, sites from the American Revolution, national and state parks) and explain their importance (e.g., supports tourism, creates community pride)

Identify major industries in the Northeast (e.g., technology, manufacturing, education, healthcare, tourism, service industry), explain how they support jobs and the economy, and argue the ways geography and the environment impacted the growth of these industries

Explain the geography and environment in the Southeastern region of the United States.

Identify major geographical features of the Southeast (e.g., Appalachian Mountains, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, Atlantic Ocean) on a map, and explain their importance to the region

Explain different climate zones and weather patterns in areas of the Southeast

Identify major natural resources in the Southeast (e.g., agriculture - rice, cotton, citrus, sugar cane, tobacco, peanuts; oil; natural gas; coal; phosphate; fish - freshwater and marine), and explain their importance to the region

Explain the states and territories that make up the Southeastern region including their admittance or incorporation to the United States and their identities.

Identify the states and capitals in the Southeastern region of the United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia) and where they are located

Identify the U.S. territories and capitals considered part of the Southeastern region (Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands) and where they are located

Identify when each state and territory in the Southeast became a state or joined the United States and explain why

Identify the symbolism associated with the states and territories (e.g., flag, state motto, state flower, state bird), and explain the reasons those symbols are used

Analyze the ways diverse peoples have come to live in the Southeastern region of the United States over time.

Identify different Indigenous groups in the Southeast (e.g., Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Natchez, Seminole, Taino), their location on a map, and explain the ways they continue their cultural traditions today (e.g., through food, regalia, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Identify the reasons different early colonial European immigrants (e.g., English, French, Spanish) came to the Southeast, and analyze the patterns of their settlements

Explain how people from Africa were forced to move to the United States through the transatlantic slave trade, and analyze the effects of that trade in the Southeast

Identify immigrant groups that have come to the Southeast over time (e.g., English, French, Scottish, Scotch-Irish, Germans, Mexicans, Spanish, and people from many Central American countries and other regions of the world), explain their reasons for leaving their home country and coming to the United States, and explain the ways they continue traditions today (e.g, through food, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Identify population and demographic statistics (e.g., gender, ethnic backgrounds, religions) of the Southeast and analyze what the data describes about the region

Argue how the geography and environment of the Southeastern region contributed to its social, cultural, and economic development.

Identify major cities of the Southeast and their locations, analyze why the cities are located where they are, and argue the ways that geography and access to resources impacted the growth of these cities

Identify notable landmarks (e.g., Kennedy Space Center, Edmund Pettus (Selma) Bridge, Music City, national and state parks) and explain their importance (e.g., supports tourism, creates community pride)

Identify major industries in the Southeast (e.g., agriculture, steel manufacturing, coal mining, lumber industry, service industry, tourism), explain how they support jobs and the economy, and argue the ways geography and the environment impacted the growth of these industries

Explain the geography and environment of the Midwestern region of the United States.

Explain major geographical features of the Midwest (e.g., Great Plains, Great Lakes, Missouri River, Ohio River, upper Mississippi River) on a map and explain their importance to the region

Explain different climate zones and weather patterns of the Midwest

Identify major natural resources in the Midwest (e.g., coal, petroleum, natural gas, crude oil, minerals, agriculture - hogs, corn, soybeans, wheat) and explain their importance to the region

Explain the states that make up the Midwestern region including their admittance to the United States and their identities.

Identify the states and capitals in the Midwestern region of the United States (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin) and where they are located on a map

Identify when each state in the Midwest became a state and explain why

Identify the symbolism associated with the states (e.g., flag, state motto, state flower, state bird) and explain the reasons those symbols are used

Analyze the ways diverse peoples have come to live in the Midwestern region of the United States over time.

Identify the different Indigenous groups in the Midwest (e.g., Dakota, Huron, Omaha, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Lakota, Osage, Ojibwa, Pawnee, Quapaw, Sioux), their location on a map, and explain the ways they continue their cultural traditions today (e.g., through food, regalia, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations), paying particular attention to the differences in traditions of groups living near the Great Lakes and those living on the Great Plains

Identify the reasons different early colonial European immigrants (e.g., French, Spanish, English) came to the Midwest and analyze the patterns of their settlements

Identify immigrant groups that came to the Midwest over time (e.g., Germans, Irish, Poles, Jews, Hungarians, Czechs, Swedes, Norwegians, Black Americans moving north, and people from other regions of the world), explain their reasons for leaving their home countries and coming to the United States, and explain the ways they continue traditions today (e.g., through food, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Identify population and demographic statistics (e.g., gender, ethnic backgrounds, religions) of the Midwest and analyze what the data describes about the region

Argue how the geography and environment of the Midwestern region contributed to its social, cultural, and economic development.

Identify major cities of the Midwest and their locations, analyze why the cities are located where they are, and argue the ways that geography and access to resources impacted the growth of these cities

Identify notable landmarks (e.g., Gateway Arch, Great Plains, national and state parks) and explain their importance

Identify major industries in the Midwest (e.g., agriculture - beef, wheat, corn, soybeans, banking, car manufacturing), explain how they support jobs and the economy, and argue the ways geography and the environment impacted the growth of these industries

Explain the geography and environment of the Southwestern region of the United States.

Identify major geographical features of the Southwest (e.g., Rio Grande, Colorado River, parts of the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts, part of the Rocky Mountains) on a map and explain their importance to the region

Explain different climate zones and weather patterns in areas of the Southwest

Identify major natural resources in the Southwest (e.g., coal, copper, iron, silver, silicon, lumber, fish - freshwater and marine) and explain their importance to the region

Explain the states that make up the Southwestern region including their admittance to the United States and their identities.

Identify the states and capitals in the Southwestern region of the United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) and where they are located on a map

Identify when each state in the Southwest became a state and explain why

Identify the symbolism associated with the states (e.g., flag, state motto, state flower, state bird) and the explain reasons those symbols are used

Analyze the ways diverse peoples have come to live in the Southwestern region of the United States over time.

Identify the different Indigenous groups in the Southwest (e.g., Ancestral Puebloans, Apache, Cherokee, Hopi, Kiowa, Diné, Zuni), their location on a map, and explain the ways they continue their cultural traditions today (e.g., through food, regalia, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Identify the reasons Spanish colonial immigrants moved into the Southwest and analyze the patterns of their settlements

Identify immigrant groups that have come to the Southwest over time (e.g., white and Black Americans moving west, Mexicans, and people from other Central American countries and other regions of the world), explain their reasons for leaving their home country and coming to the United States, and the ways they continue traditions today (e.g, through food, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Identify population and demographic statistics (e.g., gender, ethnic backgrounds, religions) of the Southwest and analyze what the data describes about the region

Argue how the geography and environment of the Southwestern region contributed to its social, cultural, and economic development.

Identify major cities of the Southwest and their locations, analyze why the cities are located where they are, and argue the ways that geography and access to resources impacted the growth of cities

Identify notable landmarks (e.g., Los Alamos, Alamo Mission, numerous national and state parks) and explain their importance (e.g., supports tourism, creates community pride)

Identify major industries in the Southwest (e.g., agriculture - cattle, sheep, alfalfa, hay, mining, manufacturing, oil, natural gas, tourism), explain how they support jobs and the economy, and argue the ways geography and the environment impacted the growth of these industries

Explain the geography and environment of the Western region of the United States.

Identify major geographical features of the West (e.g., Pacific Ocean, Sierra Nevada Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountains, Mojave and Great Basin deserts, Mount Saint Helens, Mauna Loa) on a map and explain their importance to the region

Explain different climate zones and weather patterns in areas of the West

Identify major natural resources in the West (e.g., minerals, crude oil, fish - freshwater and marine, timber) and explain their importance to the region

Explain the states and territories that make up the Western region including their admittance or incorporation to the United States and their identities.

Identify the states and their capitals in the Western region of the United States (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) and where they are located

Identify the U.S. territories and capitals considered part of the Western region of the United States (American Samoa, Guam, Midway Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and Wake Island) and where they are located

Identify when each state and territory in the West became a state or joined the United States and explain why

Identify the symbolism associated with the states and territories (e.g., flag, state motto, state flower, state bird) and explain the reasons those symbols are used

Analyze the ways diverse peoples have come to live in the Western region of the United States over time.

Identify the different Indigenous groups in the West (e.g., Athabaskan, Cahuilla, Chamorros, Chumash, Hawaiian, Haida, Paiute, Salish, Tlingit, Washoe, Yurok), their location on a map, and explain the ways they continue their cultural traditions today (e.g., through food, regalia, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations) including differences in traditions of groups living in the Pacific Northwest, the Great Basin, Alaska, Hawaii, southern California, and the territories

Identify the reasons colonial European immigrants (e.g., Spanish, Russian) came to the West and analyze the patterns of their settlements

Identify immigrant groups that came to the West over time (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, white and Black Americans moving west, and people from other Central American countries and other regions of the world), explain their reasons for leaving their home country and coming to the United States, and analyze the ways they continue traditions today (e.g, through food, music, art, language, community gatherings and celebrations)

Identify population and demographic statistics (e.g., gender, ethnic backgrounds, religions) of the West and analyze what the data describes about the region

Argue how the geography and environment of the Western region contributed to its social, cultural, and economic development.

Identify major cities of the West and their locations, analyze why the cities are located where they are, and argue the ways that geography and access to resources impacted the growth of these cities

Identify notable landmarks (e.g., California missions, Hoover Dam, Route 66, numerous national and state parks) and explain their importance (e.g., supports tourism, creates community pride)

Identify the major industries in the West (e.g., mining, oil, gas, forestry, health care, technology, tourism), explain how they support jobs and the economy, and argue the ways geography and the environment impacted the growth of these industries