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3rd grade · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 7

Arizona's Land & Water

The Grand Canyon, deserts, mountains and rivers on the map

What your child practices

Arizona's place on the map and its land: neighbors, the Colorado Plateau, the Mountain region and the Basin and Range desert, the Sonoran Desert, the monsoon, the Colorado and Gila Rivers, dams and canals, and how people adapt to a hot, dry land.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 3.G1.1; 3.G2.1; 3.E2.1 · using maps of Arizona, how people adapt to and change Arizona's environment, and how water shapes decisions

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Arizona has three regions: the Colorado Plateau, the Mountain region and the Basin and Range desert.
  2. The Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon. The Gila River joins it near Yuma.
  3. The summer monsoon brings heavy rain and lightning.

Example: What is Arizona’s nickname? Arizona has a world-famous canyon. The nickname is named after it. Answer: the Grand Canyon State

Arizona's Land & Water in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 1 of 7 in 3rd grade Social Studies, before Arizona Through Time.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which river carved the Grand Canyon?

    • the Gila River
    • the Colorado River
    • the Salt River

  2. Question 2

    How do people adapt to Arizona's hot summers?

    • building igloos
    • wearing heavy coats
    • air conditioning, shade and drinking water

  3. Question 3

    Which state is Arizona's neighbor to the east?

    • New Mexico
    • Nevada
    • Utah

  4. Question 4

    What is the highest point in Arizona?

    • Humphreys Peak
    • Pikes Peak
    • Camelback Mountain

  5. Question 5

    Which desert in Arizona has Joshua trees?

    • the Gobi Desert
    • the Sonoran Desert
    • the Mojave Desert

  6. Question 6

    Most of Arizona's people live in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. What do those areas share?

    • they are in the coldest mountains
    • they are on the ocean
    • they are in desert valleys with jobs and water from canals

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