In grade three the students begin the year with mapping skills, particularly continents and oceans, as well as understanding the neighbors of Vietnam. In the “Communities Near and Far” program they investigate why people settle where they do, what constitutes a good community, and how cultures from all over the world need the same basics to survive. They use their mapping skills to design their own park/zoo and an overall community plan; their oral skills to develop a 30 second commercial to promote their community and a 30 second speech to become the mayor of their community. The students use their research and presentation skills to do reports on holidays and the country they are from. They will develop a “Monopoly” type game to promote their community and will learn it is really a “small” world by looking at the similarities between the countries of Australia, The Netherlands, Nigeria and China. The students will specifically look at how the cultures of the U.S.A and S. E. Asia compare.
Students who successfully complete the Grade Three Social Studies program will be able to:
• Demonstrate a knowledge of age appropriate and relevant current events
• Understand that cultures are more similar than different
• Demonstrate an understanding of basic mapping skills, grids, directions and scale
• Demonstrate an awareness of the major geographical areas of the world and knowledge of some geographical terms
• Demonstrate an open mind about other cultures
• Demonstrate the skills needed to do a research project
