NYCDOE: Passport to Social Studies - grade 3, unit 1

Note to Teachers: To help with remote and hybrid learning, digital materials for this unit are available on the NYCDOE TeachHub. Access these materials by following these instructions.

This is the first unit of the Grade 3 Scope and Sequence, titled: Introduction to World Geography and World Communities. This unit was developed by a team of DOE staff and teachers, in collaboration with social scientists and cultural partners. Representative lessons from this unit include:

• Lesson 1 - students examine a variety of geographic tools to develop an understanding of the meaning of geography and its purposes.
• Lesson 7 - students identify and explain how people use natural resources in order to meet their needs.
• Lesson 19 - students identify and discuss the elements of culture in a world community, then compare and contrast a culture to personal experience.

The unit also include a Performance Based Assessment that asks students to interpret a physical map and a resource map of a continent in order to select the best location for human settlement, then use compass orientation, grid coordinates, scale, and relative position to locate and describe their settlement area.

Please note: the complete set of NYCDOE K-8: Passport to Social Studies Core Curriculum materials include a variety of documents, trade books, and primary sources, in addition to this unit of study. To support rigorous social studies instruction and student inquiry, it is recommended that you utilize this unit of study in conjunction with these resources. 

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