Third Grade Social Studies

PEIMS Course Title/Number:
Social Studies 3/02660030

Prerequisite Requirements:
Course completion or grade placement.

Course of Instruction/Lesson Description:
K12's Grade 3 Social Studies program examines major themes, concepts, and skills in history, geography, civics, and economics. Students learn about life in communities, the biographies of famous men and women, and basic traditions of our own culture and of far-off people and places.

The instructional plan includes readings and activities on a range of topics and skills covering history, geography, civics, economics, and cultural studies.

Major course expectations include the following.

History
Describe how individuals have shaped the history of various communities.
Understand concepts of time, chronology, and change over time.
Identify major characteristics and accomplishments of selected civilizations.
Associate leaders from history with their major accomplishments.
Geography
Demonstrate an ability to use a variety of maps to obtain geographical information.
Understand the concepts of location, distance, and direction.
On a world map and globe, locate major geographical features, such as the major oceans, the North and South Poles, and the equator.
Understand patterns and forces that shaped human settlement in places studied.
Recognize how human technology has helped shape the physical environment and affected life in various communities, past and present (for example, irrigation ditches).
Civics
Describe and compare various types of government, for example democracy vs. dictatorship.
Identify the role of governments at different levels and the function of various leaders.
Discuss the purposes of rules and laws.
Understand the responsibilities and obligations of good citizenship.
Discuss how figures from American history—such as Theodore Roosevelt, Jane Addams, and Rosa Parks—have responded to the challenges of good citizenship.
Economics
Understand concepts such as wants, needs, and scarcity.
Understand the concept of bartering for goods.
Understand the necessity of trading with neighboring countries.
Discuss how trade in certain goods advanced the growth of a civilization.
Culture
Become familiar with major artistic and architectural achievements from various cultures.
Understand that civilizations came into contact with and influenced one another through trade, war, and cultural exchanges.
Compare and contrast the beliefs and values of various cultures studied.
Use problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills to gather, organize, and evaluate information.
Lesson Numbers/Duration:
114 lessons.

Online Importance:
K12's elementary Social Studies program provides step-by-step guidance in each lesson. Some activities are presented online, while others are presented offline.

Online lesson content includes "online books" that narrate important events or introduce the lives of significant historical figures. Important activities are available only online, such as animations and slide shows.

The Teacher Guide provides the teacher with an outline of the lesson as well as information about assessment and supplemental material that can help the teacher support each student.

Monitoring Student Progress:
At the end of each lesson, students are asked to write an entry in their History Record Book. This writing journal reinforces learning, serves as a review tool, and helps track student progress.

Most Social Studies lesson includes an assessment, typically a series of questions directly related to the lesson objectives. The assessment helps the teacher gauge whether the student has met the lesson objectives.

Some of these assessments are completed online with results automatically recorded by the K12 Online School, while other assessments are completed with pencil and paper, and then results are entered online.

Students and parents can access student-specific screens to determine (1) progress in the number of lessons completed, (2) the lesson assessment (percentage mastered), (3) the semester assessment (percentage mastered), and (4) the number of times the student has taken the assessment instruments. Families who enroll their children in the eCP program have the benefit of help and guidance from an experienced teacher. The teacher will contact students daily through email and phone conferences. Consistent progress monitoring by the teacher will be utilized throughout the project period.

Schedule for Monitoring Student Progress:
Each teacher will establish a daily contact schedule for their assigned students at a time of day that is reasonably convenient for both parties. Contacts may be asynchronous/synchronous or one-on-one/groups. The avenues of teacher initiated contact will be adjusted as determined by the progress a student makes through their learning plan. Parent- and student-initiated contact with teachers can happen at any time. The Acting Director, or their designee, will monitor the communication logs to ensure that parents are being routinely supported and informed regarding the student's ongoing progress and participation.

In addition, teachers will monitor progress in mastery of objectives and lesson completion on a weekly basis. Continuous progress monitoring by the assigned teacher ensures that parents are informed on a regular basis regarding progress and participation.

Required Instructional Materials


Materials K12 provides:

Online lessons and assessments
Inflatable globe
U.S./world map
National Geographic Map Essentials
Social Studies textbook
Other materials:

Arts and crafts supplies for projects
Notebook
Standardized Assessment Instruments:
End-of-Course Exams developed by Texas Tech, University of Texas, or K12 Inc.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Compliancy:
Side-by-side comparisons of TEKS and the content of each course have been developed and reviewed to ensure that the online curriculum meets or exceeds the TEKS.

Grading/Credit Award Criteria:
The Texas Virtual Academy at Southwest Schools issues formal report cards every nine weeks. Students who complete a significant amount of coursework after the conclusion of the final term will receive a supplemental report card in July. The final grade in each content subject, English/Language Arts, mathematics, Social Studies, and Science, is determined by a combination of the grades from each reporting period and the proctored course completion (CCE) exam. The average of the grades for each reporting period is comprised of 90% of the final grade. The scores of the CCE comprise 10% of the final grade.

The final grade for electives is based on cumulative progress recorded in the Online School (OLS). A grade of Completed, or C, is reported for 80% or more of the lessons marked as completed. A grade of Incomplete/Unacceptable, or I, is reported when less that 80% of the lessons are marked as completed. No Grade, or NG, is assigned if the student has administrative approval to waive the course requirements in a particular elective course.

To be promoted to the next grade, the student must meet the Student Success Initiative requirements for that grade. Additionally, the student must have a final score of 70 or above on at least three content courses and the average of the four content courses must be at least 70. For each reporting period, the grade in a content area subject is the average of at least six distinct grades. Those grades include, but are not limited to, the progress in the OLS converted to a numerical grade.

Contact Information:
Students will be assigned a teacher upon acceptance into TXVA@SW. The teacher will provide the student and family telephone and email contact information. The student and/or family may contact a help desk at 1-886-YOUR K12 for additional technical, material, or logistical support. Students will be provided with online assistance 24/7 through the TXVA web site.