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3rd grade · Social Studies · Unit 7 of 7

Culture & Traditions

Ways of life and how ideas spread

What your child practices

What culture is, cultural universals such as food, shelter and language, traditions, diversity, and how foods, games and ideas spread between communities.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 3.5b; 3.6a · the languages, customs and celebrations of communities around the world, and how cultures share ideas, goods and foods

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Culture is a group’s way of life: food, shelter, language, music and beliefs.
  2. Every culture has these things. They are cultural universals.
  3. Foods, games and ideas spread from one community to another.

Example: Pizza is eaten all over the world. What does this show? Pizza started in one place. It spread to many other cultures. Answer: foods and ideas spread between cultures

Culture & Traditions in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 7 of 7 in 3rd grade Social Studies, after Trade Around the World.

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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    People in Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead to…

    • start the school year
    • remember loved ones who have died
    • count the harvest
    • elect a leader

  2. Question 2

    Culture is a group's way of life, including…

    • food, language and celebrations
    • only the weather
    • only the time

  3. Question 3

    A cultural timeline might show…

    • important events for a family or group
    • random numbers
    • only the weather

  4. Question 4

    In many world communities, schools and families are…

    • not important
    • nothing like ours at all
    • all exactly like ours
    • both alike and different from ours

  5. Question 5

    Recreation is part of culture. Which is recreation?

    • paying taxes
    • doing laundry
    • playing games

  6. Question 6

    Which is a way people communicate?

    • soil
    • language
    • weather

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