3rd grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 3rd grade social studies in the Maine Learning Results, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Maine's land and regions
- How towns and Maine are governed
- The Wabanaki Nations and communities in Maine
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
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.
Communities Around the World
Practices daily life in communities around the world: homes, food, work and technology that suit the land and weather, cultural expression, respectful language about differences and how media can show only part of a place.
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.
Maine's Land & Regions
Maine's physical features (Katahdin, Moosehead Lake, its rivers, forests, rocky coast and islands), its climate and wildlife, and how the land and ocean shape where people live and work.
Town Meeting to State House
How leaders are elected and laws are made in Maine: town meetings and select boards, mayors and councils, the Legislature and the Governor, taxes, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
Wabanaki & Many Communities
The four Wabanaki Nations in Maine today, their governments, languages and basketry, and the many communities that share Maine, from Acadian and Franco-American families to newer neighbors. Light, in the present tense, with nothing sacred or ceremonial.
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 Maine 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 Maine Learning Results 3rd grade social studies units include Needs Around the World, Communities Around the World, Working Together Fairly, Maine's Land & Regions, Town Meeting to State House, Wabanaki & Many Communities.
Free printable 3rd grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.