3rd Grade Social Studies – South Carolina, Regions, and the United States
South Carolina’s people, places, and history, connected to regions of the United States with integrated geography and ELA literacy.
Standards at a Glance
Course Focus
3.1 Communities, Maps, and Regions
3.2 South Carolina Then and Now
3.3 Government and Civic Participation
3.4 South Carolina, the United States, and the World
Overview
3rd Grade Standards at a Glance – South Carolina and Beyond
A quick view of how 3rd graders deepen their understanding of maps and regions, explore South Carolina’s past and present, learn how government works, and connect their state to the United States and the wider world—while growing geography and literacy skills.
3.1 Communities, Maps, and Regions
Social Studies Focus
- Compare communities and regions within South Carolina and the United States.
- Recognize that regions have shared physical and human features.
- Use maps to describe where places are and how they are connected.
Geography Skills
- Use map keys, symbols, and compass directions to interpret maps.
- Identify South Carolina’s regions and major landforms on maps.
ELA Integration
- Reading: informational texts and map features (legends, captions) about regions.
- Writing: short explanatory pieces describing a region or community.
- Speaking/Listening: describe maps and regions using clear academic language.
3.2 South Carolina Then and Now
Social Studies Focus
- Explore key eras in South Carolina’s history.
- Identify Indigenous peoples, European settlement, and key changes over time.
- Compare daily life in the past and present.
Geography Skills
- Connect historical events to specific places and regions on maps.
- See how physical geography influenced settlement and development.
ELA Integration
- Reading: historical narratives and adapted primary sources about South Carolina.
- Writing: “then and now” comparisons using paragraphs and timelines.
- Speaking/Listening: retell key events and explain their importance.
3.3 Government and Civic Participation
Social Studies Focus
- Understand local and state government structures and roles.
- Recognize basic rights and responsibilities of citizens.
- Identify ways students can participate in civic life.
Geography Skills
- Locate government buildings and civic spaces on maps.
- Connect places like city hall and the state capitol to decision-making.
ELA Integration
- Reading: texts about laws, leaders, and civic action.
- Writing: opinion and explanatory pieces on community issues.
- Speaking/Listening: participate in role-plays, discussions, and mock votes.
3.4 South Carolina, the United States, and the World
Social Studies Focus
- Locate South Carolina within the United States and the world.
- Compare South Carolina to other U.S. states and selected world regions.
- Recognize how people, goods, and ideas move between places.
Geography Skills
- Use maps, globes, and simple thematic maps to compare locations.
- Identify basic patterns of movement and connections between places.
ELA Integration
- Reading: informational texts about states, countries, and global connections.
- Writing: short compare/contrast pieces about South Carolina and another place.
- Speaking/Listening: present simple “state vs. state” or “place vs. place” comparisons.
Course Focus
3rd Grade Social Studies – South Carolina, Regions, and the United States
In 3rd grade, students explore how South Carolina fits into the bigger picture of regions and the United States. They compare communities and regions, study important events in South Carolina’s past, learn how government and citizenship work at local and state levels, and connect their home state to other states and parts of the world.
Throughout the year, students strengthen geography skills by reading and creating maps, using keys and compass directions, identifying regions, and connecting physical features to human activities. They also build ELA literacy by reading informational and historical texts, using timelines and maps as sources, writing explanations and comparisons, and discussing what they learn using clear academic language.
Content Focus: Students compare communities and regions in South Carolina and the United States and use maps to describe where places are and how they are organized.
Social Studies Indicators
- 3.1.1.SS – Describe different types of communities (rural, suburban, urban) and identify examples in South Carolina and the United States.
- 3.1.2.SS – Identify South Carolina’s major regions (such as mountains, piedmont, coastal plains, coast) and describe basic characteristics of each.
- 3.1.3.SS – Explain that regions are areas with shared physical or human features and give simple examples.
- 3.1.4.SS – Compare two communities or regions using features such as landforms, climate, jobs, and transportation.
Geography Integration
- Use maps of South Carolina and the United States to locate communities and regions, using map keys and symbols.
- Apply cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) to describe where places are located in relation to each other.
- Interpret physical and political maps to identify landforms, bodies of water, and boundaries.
- Create simple regional maps that label important cities, landforms, and features of South Carolina and nearby states.
ELA Literacy Integration
- Reading: Read or analyze informational texts, map legends, and captions about communities, regions, and landforms; identify main ideas and supporting details.
- Writing: Write short explanatory paragraphs describing a region or community, using facts from maps and texts.
- Speaking/Listening: Use academic vocabulary to describe maps and compare regions in discussions and short presentations.
- Language: Use terms such as region, community, rural, suburban, urban, compass, landform accurately in oral and written work.
Content Focus: Students explore major stages in South Carolina’s past, from Indigenous communities through settlement and growth, and compare daily life then and now.
Social Studies Indicators
- 3.2.1.SS – Identify Indigenous peoples who lived in what is now South Carolina and describe aspects of their daily life and relationship to the land.
- 3.2.2.SS – Describe early European exploration and settlement in South Carolina and their effects on Indigenous peoples and the land.
- 3.2.3.SS – Recognize key changes in South Carolina over time (such as growth of towns, changes in transportation, new jobs and technologies).
- 3.2.4.SS – Compare everyday life “then” and “now” in South Carolina in terms of housing, work, transportation, and communication.
Geography Integration
- Use historical and modern maps of South Carolina to locate where Indigenous nations lived and where early settlements developed.
- Connect physical features (rivers, coasts, fertile land) to where people chose to live, trade, and build towns.
- Compare historical maps with current maps to see how boundaries, roads, and communities have changed.
- Create simple “then and now” map panels that show how a location or region in South Carolina has changed over time.
ELA Literacy Integration
- Reading: Read historical narratives, adapted primary sources, and informational texts about South Carolina’s past; identify sequence of events and cause/effect relationships.
- Writing: Write short narratives or explanations comparing daily life in a historical period to life today, using timelines and maps as evidence.
- Speaking/Listening: Retell key events or present short “history snapshots” about people or places in South Carolina.
- Language: Use words such as Indigenous, settlement, colony, past, present, change correctly in discussion and writing.
Content Focus: Students learn about local and state government in South Carolina, basic rights and responsibilities, and simple ways children can participate in civic life.
Social Studies Indicators
- 3.3.1.SS – Identify branches or levels of government (local and state) and describe basic roles (making laws, enforcing laws, providing services).
- 3.3.2.SS – Recognize local and state leaders (mayor, council members, governor) and describe how they help the community.
- 3.3.3.SS – Describe basic rights and responsibilities of citizens (obeying laws, voting when old enough, staying informed, helping others).
- 3.3.4.SS – Identify ways students can practice citizenship (participating in class meetings, helping solve classroom or school problems, volunteering).
Geography Integration
- Locate government buildings (city hall, courthouse, state capitol) on local and state maps.
- Connect specific places to civic activities (voting sites, council chambers, public meetings).
- Use simple community maps to show where decisions are made and where services are provided.
- Create “civic space maps” highlighting places where citizens can participate and get help.
ELA Literacy Integration
- Reading: Read informational texts, simple articles, and short biographies about leaders, laws, and civic action; identify main ideas and supporting details.
- Writing: Write opinion pieces on classroom or school issues and propose simple solutions, using reasons and evidence.
- Speaking/Listening: Participate in class meetings, mock elections, or role-plays to practice listening, sharing ideas, and making decisions.
- Language: Use words like government, citizen, law, leader, vote, responsibility accurately in speaking and writing.
Content Focus: Students place South Carolina within the United States and the world, compare it to other places, and explore simple examples of movement and connection between regions.
Social Studies Indicators
- 3.4.1.SS – Locate South Carolina on maps of the United States and the world and identify neighboring states and major national regions.
- 3.4.2.SS – Compare South Carolina to another U.S. state or world region in terms of landforms, climate, and communities.
- 3.4.3.SS – Recognize that people, goods, and ideas move between South Carolina and other places through travel, trade, and communication.
- 3.4.4.SS – Give simple examples of how events or decisions in one place can affect people in other places.
Geography Integration
- Use maps, globes, and simple thematic maps (climate, population) to compare South Carolina to other states and regions.
- Identify basic routes and forms of transportation that connect South Carolina to other parts of the United States and the world.
- Interpret simple flow maps or diagrams that show movement of goods or people in and out of South Carolina.
- Create comparison charts or map-based projects that highlight similarities and differences between South Carolina and another region.
ELA Literacy Integration
- Reading: Read or listen to informational texts and visual sources (maps, charts) about different states, countries, and global connections.
- Writing: Write short compare/contrast paragraphs about South Carolina and another place, using information from maps and texts.
- Speaking/Listening: Present simple “place comparison” projects, explaining similarities and differences clearly to classmates.
- Language: Use words such as state, country, world, climate, trade, transportation, connection in context.
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