3rd grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 3rd grade social studies in the Arizona Academic Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Arizona's land, regions and water
- Arizona's history and its 22 Indian Nations
- Arizona's government and economy
Easy ways to practice social studies at home
- Look at a map of your community and find places you visit.
- Ask an older relative or neighbor what the area was like when they were young.
- Read stories from many communities, including Indigenous authors, and talk about what is the same and different.
- Talk about how rules and jobs help a community work.
What each unit covers
Arizona's Land & Water
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 Through Time
Arizona history in order: the Hohokam canals, Spanish explorers and missions, Mexico, the Gadsden Purchase, Arizona Territory, statehood on February 14, 1912, dams and canals, and people who moved to Arizona, with timeline and arithmetic practice.
Arizona's Indian Nations
An introduction to Arizona's 22 federally recognized tribes as living communities: where some of them are, tribal governments and services, languages, tribal businesses and how tribes, the state and cities work together. Kept light and in the present tense.
Governing Arizona
How Arizona is governed: the Arizona Constitution, the three branches in Phoenix, the Legislature's 30 senators and 60 representatives, how a bill becomes law, initiatives and recalls, counties, cities and tribal governments, and residents' rights and responsibilities.
Arizona at Work
Arizona's economy: the Five Cs (copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate), farming, tourism, goods and services, earning and saving, scarce water, and how Arizona trades with Mexico and other states.
Needs Around the World
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.
Working Together Fairly
Practices group skills: sharing ideas, decisions and responsibilities, being fair and respectful, considering other people's views, listening actively and choosing ways to present information.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Arizona report card guide.
Common questions
Look at a map of your community and find places you visit. Ask an older relative or neighbor what the area was like when they were young. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Arizona Academic Standards 3rd grade social studies units include Arizona's Land & Water, Arizona Through Time, Arizona's Indian Nations, Governing Arizona, Arizona at Work, Needs Around the World.
Free printable 3rd grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.