3rd grade · Social Studies · Unit 6 of 7
Needs Around the World
Homes, food and clothes everywhere
What your child practices
Everyone needs food, water, shelter and clothing. How people in different places meet these needs using what the land and climate offer, and why caring for the land matters.
Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 3.E2.2 · how people specialize and trade to get what their community needs
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Everyone needs food, water, shelter and clothing.
- People meet their needs with what their land and weather give them.
- When people can't grow or make something, they trade for it.
Example: Why do people in very hot places often wear loose, light clothes? Clothing is a need, and it has to suit the weather. Loose, light clothes let air move and keep people cool. Answer: to stay cool in the heat
Needs Around the World in Arizona
In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 6 of 7 in 3rd grade Social Studies, after Arizona at Work and before Working Together Fairly.
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.
- 3rd grade guide for Arizona parents
- Printable 3rd grade Social Studies sheet
- Arizona report cards explained
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.
Question 1
Why do many towns and cities grow beside rivers?
🏞️- rivers make the land hotter
- rivers keep all the rain away
- rivers give water for drinking, farming and travel
rivers give water for drinking, farming and travel
Hint: Water is a basic need. Rivers also help people grow food and move from place to place.
Question 2
In a hot, sunny place, what helps people stay cool?
☀️- thick wool coats
- light, loose clothes and shade
- fur-lined boots
light, loose clothes and shade
Hint: Light, loose clothes let air move and keep the sun off your skin.
Question 3
Why do many homes in snowy places have steep roofs?
🏔️- so heavy snow slides off
- so the house looks taller
- so birds can land on them
so heavy snow slides off
Hint: Snow is heavy! A steep roof lets it slide off instead of piling up.
Question 4
Look at the table. Which home would suit the river town best?
Weather in different places Place Weather 🌧️ river town floods in the rainy season ❄️ Arctic town long, very cold winters 🏔️ mountain town lots of heavy snow 🌴 rainforest town hot and rainy all year - open windows and a wide roof for shade and rain
- a steep roof so snow slides off
- a house raised up on stilts
- lots of insulation to keep heat in
a house raised up on stilts
Hint: The river town has floods in the rainy season. Pick the home that helps with that kind of weather.
Question 5
Why is clean water important everywhere?
💧- it is only for washing cars
- it is only used for swimming
- people need it to drink, cook and stay healthy
people need it to drink, cook and stay healthy
Hint: Clean water is a basic need for every person on Earth.
Question 6
Why is it important to take care of the land?
🌱- so no one can ever use it
- so it can keep giving us food, water and materials in the future
- so the land never changes
so it can keep giving us food, water and materials in the future
Hint: We depend on the land. Caring for it means it can meet our needs, and the needs of people after us.