MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
District Pacing Guide- Social Studies
GRADE LEVEL OR COURSE TITLE: Third Grade - The United States Regions and Its Neighbors
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The third grade social studies curriculum consists of the following content area strands: American History, Geography, Economics, and Civics. Third
grade students will learn about North America and the Caribbean. They will focus on the regions of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands.
Their study will include physical and cultural characteristics as they learn about our country and its neighbors.
Please note the following important general information regarding the Pacing Guides:
· The Pacing Guides outline the required curriculum for social studies, grades K-12, in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
· Social Studies Pacing Guides have been developed for all elementary grade levels (K-5) and for each of the required social studies courses at the middle and senior high school levels.
· The Social Studies Pacing Guides are to be utilized by all teachers, grades K-12, when planning for social studies instruction.
· The Pacing Guides outline the required sequence in which the grade level or course objectives are to be taught.
· The Pacing Guides outline the pacing in which instruction should occur. Specifically, the Pacing Guides are divided into 9 week segments and provide an estimate of the number of traditional or block days needed to complete instruction on a given topic. Teachers should make every effort to stay on pace and to complete the topics in a given nine weeks. Slight variations in pacing may occur due to professional decisions made by the teacher or because of changes in school schedules.
· NOTE: Content benchmarks that are highlighted in red are relevant to the Seventh Grade Civics End of Course Exam tested benchmarks.
· NOTE: Associated with each red highlighted benchmark is a link to a lesson plan (highlighted in yellow) complete with all readings, handouts, a detailed lesson plan, and a pre-post quiz to be used during instruction in order to emphasize the importance of relevant Seventh Grade Civics End of Course Exam tested benchmarks.
· NOTE: Click on the following link for a pre/post test assessing Third Grade Civics Integration lesson benchmarks and that are relevant to the Seventh Grade End of Course Exam tested benchmarks:
http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net/files/elementary_lessons-civic_integration/Pre-Post%20Test%20Grade%203%20Civics%20Integration%20_3_.pdf
NOTE: Click on the following link for the answer key to the pre/post test attached above:
http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net/files/elementary_lessons-civic_integration/Pre-Post%20Test%20Grade%203%20Civics%20Answer%20Key.pdf
· NOTE: Essential benchmarks identified in this course are highlighted in BLUE.
Each Social Studies Pacing Guide is divided into the following headings/categories to assist teachers in developing lesson plans:
· Grade Level or Course Title - The grade level and course title are listed in the heading of each page.
· Course Code - The Florida Department of Education Course Code is listed for the course.
· Topic - The general topic for instruction is listed; e.g., Westward Expansion.
· Pacing - An estimated number of traditional or block instructional days needed to complete instruction on the topic is provided.
· Strands and Standards – Strands and Standards from the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) are provided for each topic.
· Nine Week Grading Period - Grading periods (1-4) are identified.
· Essential Content – This critically important column provides a detailed list of content/topics and sub topics to be addressed during instruction.
· NGSSS-SS Benchmarks – This critically important column lists the required instructional Benchmarks that are related to the particular topic. The Benchmarks are divided into Content Benchmarks and Skill Benchmarks. These benchmarks should be identified in the teacher’s lesson plans.
· Instructional Tools - This column provides suggested resources and activities to assist the teacher in developing engaging lessons and pedagogically sound instructional practices. The Instructional Tools column is divided into the following subparts: Core Text Book, Key Vocabulary, Technology (Internet resources related to a particular topic), Suggested Activities, Assessment, English Language Learner (ELL) Instructional Strategies, Related Programs (National, State, and/or District programs as they relate to a particular topic), and SPED (A link to the NGSSS-SS Access Points for Students with Cognitive Disabilities).
Florida Reading and Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies K-5:
· Florida Reading and Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, grades K-5, can be found at the end of each nine weeks Pacing Guide. When planning lessons for instruction, teachers should address these state standards during their teaching of social studies content to ensure a systematic and proven approach to literacy and writing development. The Florida Standards are research and evidenced-based, aligned with college and work expectations, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked. For a complete listing of all Florida Standards, please visit: http://flstandards.org/ The specific pages for History/Social Studies K-5 standards for Literacy and Writing have been extracted from the Florida Standards document and placed at the end of each nine weeks Pacing Guide for each required K-5 social studies course.
Course Themes: Identified under “Essential Content” are course themes that span multiple topics. For K-3 Social Studies*, the following themes are identified:
· Culture- Human beings create, learn, share, and adapt to culture.
o Understand that cultures are dynamic and change over time.
o Explore concepts of likenesses and differences among cultural groups
o Identify the cultural basis for some celebrations and ways of life in their community and in examples from across the world.
· Time, Continuity, and Change- Studying the past makes it possible for us to understand the human story across time
o Learn to locate themselves in time and space.
o Gain experience with sequencing to establish a sense of order and time
o Begin to understand the historical concepts that give meaning to the events that they study
o Use stories about the past to help children develop their understanding of ethical and moral issues as they learn about important events and developments
o Recognize that stories can be told in different ways, and that individuals may hold divergent views about events in the past
o Understand the linkages between human decisions and consequences
o Lay the foundation for the further development of historical knowledge, skills, and values in the middle grades
· People, Places, and Environments- The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world
o Learn where people and places are located and why they are there
o Learn to use maps, globes, and other geographic tools.
o Examine the influence of physical systems, such as climate, weather and seasons, and natural resources, such as land and water, on human populations
o Identify the key social, economic and cultural characteristics of populations in different locations as they expand their knowledge of diverse peoples and places
o Draw upon immediate personal experiences in students’ neighborhoods, towns and cities, and states, as well as peoples and places distant and unfamiliar, to explore geographic concepts and skills
o Express interest in and concern for the use and misuse of the physical environment
· Power, Authority, and Governance- The development of civic competence requires an understanding of the foundations of political thought, and the historical development of various structures of power, authority, and governance.
o Understand the purposes and functions of government
o Explore students’ natural and developing sense of fairness and order as they experience relationships with others
o Develop an increasingly comprehensive awareness of rights and responsibilities in specific contexts
o Introduce civic ideals and practices through activities such as helping to set classroom expectations, examining experiences in relation to ideals, participating in mock elections, and determining how to balance the needs of individuals and the group
o Experience views of citizenship in other times and places through stories and drama
· Production, Distribution, and Consumption- People have wants that often exceed the limited resources available to them.
o Prioritize economic wants vs. needs.
o Explore economic decision-making as students compare their own economic experiences with those of others
o Consider the wider consequences of economic decisions on groups, communities, the nation, and beyond.
o Learn how science and technologies influence beliefs, knowledge, and daily lives
o Study how basic technologies such as telephones, ships, automobiles, and airplanes have evolved
o Explore how we have employed technology such as air conditioning, dams, and irrigation to modify our physical environment and contribute to changes in global health and economics.
· Global Connections - Global connections have intensified and accelerated the changes faced at the local, national, and international levels.
o Become aware of how things that happen in one part of the world impact other parts of the world.
o Examine and explore various types of global connections as well as basic issues and concerns.
* Themes adapted from: National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
· Civics in a Snap Lessons: Developed in collaboration with The Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, provide teachers with a stand-alone lesson plan, designed to be implemented in approximately 15 minutes, in order to provide instruction that infuses Civic knowledge and dispositions encouraging both literacy and Civic benchmarks/standards mastery. Please note: when the following icon appears in the pacing guide, simply click on the icon, which is located next to the benchmark pertaining to Civics, and you will be directed to a separate webpage where Civics in a Snap lessons are located.
· For additional Civics lessons: please see: The Department of Social Sciences’ website: http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net and/or The Florida Joint Center for Citizenship’s website: http://floridacitizen.org/.
Topic 4: Physical Geography of MexicoPACING / Dates
Traditional / 9 Days / 10-28-16 to 11-10-16
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for Topic 4:
How are places unique and different?
What are the major geographic features of Mexico?
STRAND(S) and STANDARD(S): GEOGRAPHY (Standard 2: Places and Regions, Standard 3: Physical Systems, Standard 4: Human Systems.)
Second Nine Weeks /NGSSS-SS Benchmarks / Essential Content / Instructional Tools /
Florida Standards Focus:
· LAFS.3.RI.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Content Benchmarks:
SS.3.G.2.1 Label the countries and commonwealths in North America (Canada, United States, Mexico) and in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Bahamas, Dominican
Republic, Haiti, Jamaica
SS.3.G.2.4 Describe the physical features of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean-See technology for benchmark support.
SS.3.G.2.5 Identify natural and man-made landmarks in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean-See technology for benchmark support.
SS.3.G.3.1 Describe the climate and vegetation in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean-See technology for benchmark support.
SS.3.G.3.2 Describe the natural resources in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean-See technology for benchmark support.
Skill Benchmarks:
SS.3.A.1.2 Utilize technology resources to gather information from primary and secondary sources.
SS.3.A.1.3 Define terms related to the social sciences.
Florida Standards:
LAFS.3.RI.1.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
· LAFS.3.RI.1.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
LAFS.3.RI.2.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
LAFS.3.RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
LAFS.3.W.1.2.a. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
LAFS.3.W.3.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
LAFS.3.SL.1.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
LAFS.3.SL.2.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
LAFS.3.SL.2.6 Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. / Course Themes Addressed:
People, Places, and Environments
o Learn where people and places are located and why they are there
o Learn to use maps, globes, and other geographic tools.
o Examine the influence of physical systems, such as climate, weather and seasons, and natural resources, such as land and water, on human populations
Topic Content
Physical Geography of Mexico
· Borders the United States to the south
· Rio Grande
o Begins in U.S. → Gulf of Mexico
o Forms much of U.S./Mexico border
· Mexico’s elevations
o Mountains- higher elevations
o Low elevations along coast
· Two large peninsulas
o Yucatan Peninsula
o Baja Peninsula
· Largest land area
o Central Plateau
§ High, flat area
§ Between Eastern & Western Sierra Madre
· Mexico’s Vegetation
o Affected by climate
§ Arid (dry) climate areas
§ Coastal climate regions
o Affected by elevation
· Mexico’s Resources
o Silver
o Copper
o Gold
o Natural Gas
o Oil
· Mexico’s Landmarks
o Natural landmarks
§ Rock formations
§ Canyons
o Man-made landmarks
§ El Angel
§ Pyramids
/ Florida Standards Focus Activity:
After reading and discussing the lesson, “Mexico,” in the core textbook, have students create a travel brochure for Mexico. Student brochures should include pictures and text describing physical features, major cities, resources, and landmarks (both natural and man-made). Have students present their brochures to the class orally. Provide time for questions, answers and discussion.
Core Text: McGraw-Hill Florida Social Studies: The United States Its Regions and Neighbors; Unit 1: The Geography of North America and the Caribbean- Lesson 4: Mexico. Pages 38-43.
Reading Skill: Analyze Visuals
Primary and Secondary Resources: Maps
Vocabulary:
arid, peninsula, plateau, recall, vegetation
Technology:
Interactive Geography of North America:
http://www.kbears.com/namerica.html
Facts for Kids- Mexico:
http://www.oocities.org/teacherkab/countries/mexico.htm
Focus on Mexico- climate
http://www.focusonmexico.com/Mexico-Topics/Climate-in-Mexico.html
Geography & Climate of Mexico- Adventure Learning
http://www.questconnect.org/mexico_cc_geography_climate.htm
Quizlet- Physical features of Mexico interactive flashcards:
http://quizlet.com/7590687/mexico-physical-features-flash-cards/
Suggested Activities:
After reading the lesson on Mexico from the core text, use higher level questioning strategies to engage students in determining the main idea, recounting the key details and explaining how they support the main idea.
Have students research different regions within Mexico. Then, complete a student-developed questionnaire on the different regions in order to share information with other students.
Have students create a flip book describing the top three natural resources in Mexico.
Have students create a table of average high and low temperatures of important cities in the various regions of Mexico during winter and summer months.
Have students make a table comparing average precipitation of key cities within Mexico.
Have students create an advertisement inviting tourists to visit one of Mexico’s landmarks.
Have students create a web of Mexico. Include the climate, vegetation, landforms, bodies of water, landmarks and resources of each area.
Have students study an elevation map of Mexico. Have them identify the highest point, lowest point etc.
Have students develop a travel map that includes the landmarks of Mexico. Maps should include: key, scale, cardinal directions, compass rose, etc.
Have students create a mental map of Mexico from a teacher’s description. Then, have them draw and write captions for the area based on the information given.
Have students compare the physical geography of Canada and Mexico by using a Venn diagram. Then, write to compare and contrast the two.
Have students describe how arid land influenced the settlement of people to that area of Mexico. Write to describe the problems people settling in these areas had to overcome. Have students present their ideas to the class. Provide time for questions and answers and follow-up.
Assessment:
Develop rubrics and share with students for each of the above mentioned projects in order to increase opportunities for mastery of content and historical thinking skills. Each project or assignment should be assessed for content accuracy and skill development in terms of writing and reading comprehension.
ELL:
Use visual depictions of historical events in order to increase ELL students’ mastery of related content.
Related Programs:
Refer to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Division of Social Sciences’
website, http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net/
State and District Instructional Requirements:
Teachers should be aware that State and District policy requires that all teachers K-12 provide instruction to students in the following content areas: African- American History, Character Education, Hispanic Contributions to the United States, Holocaust education, and Women’s Contributions to the U.S. Detailed lesson plans can be downloaded from the Department of Social Sciences website, http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net/, under the headings “Character Education” and “Multicultural Support Documents.” Please note that instruction regarding the aforementioned requirements should take place throughout the entire scope of a given social studies course, not only during the particular month or day when a particular cultural group is celebrated or recognized.
SPED:
Go the Department of Social Sciences website, http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net/, and look under “Curricular Documents,” Next Generation Sunshine State Standards” in order to download the PDF of Access Points for Students with Cognitive Disabilities related to this particular grade level.
Topic 5: Geography of The Caribbean
PACING / Dates
Traditional / 6 Days / 11-14-16 to 11-21-16
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for Topic 5:
How are places unique and different?
What are the major geographic features of The Caribbean?
STRAND(S) and STANDARD(S): GEOGRAPHY (Standard 3: Physical Systems, Standard 4: Human Systems.)