Learning Themes & Topics: Third Grade
This page sketches one way to organize a third-grade year into six integrated units of study, each lasting about six weeks. The local community serves as the anchor: its land, its first peoples, its changes over time, its government, and its economy. English language arts, science, and mathematics connect to each unit wherever the connection is genuine.
It is only one of thousands of possible arrangements. Standards never fit together like puzzle pieces, and any integrated plan will be somewhat messy. The goal is not a perfect fit but a coherent year in which students meet reading, writing, science, and mathematics inside a story they can follow, rather than as separate subjects that rarely speak to one another.
How the year fits together
A shared six-week rhythm
- Weeks 1–2, Launch: build background knowledge, begin the anchor texts, pose the guiding question.
- Weeks 3–4, Investigate: local sources, science investigations, and thematic math applications.
- Weeks 5–6, Create and share: build, revise, present, and reflect on the culminating project.
Mathematics keeps its own sequence
Each unit’s math application matches where a typical third-grade sequence already is: rounding and adding and subtracting within 1,000, then multiplication, division, fractions, area and perimeter, and finally time and geometry. Multiplication fact fluency still needs daily practice in a dedicated math block.
Writing and speaking rotate through every type
Informative (Unit 1), comparing sources (Unit 2), research (Unit 3), opinion (Unit 4), explanatory (Unit 5), and presentation (Unit 6). Each type receives a full unit of focused attention.
Four threads run all year
- A growing class map of the local region, added to in every unit.
- Native nations today: the region’s Native nations appear in every unit as living, sovereign communities.
- Continuity and change: what has changed in our community, what has stayed the same, and who recorded it?
- Land and water: they shape where people live, what they grow, and the problems they solve.
Software that supports the whole year
The SDLA software directory lists hundreds of instructional programs. Few are built for integrated units, but many can serve one. Each unit below names a few specific connections; these tools can support every unit.
Digital workbooks and portfolios
Book Creator can hold a digital version of each unit workbook, and students' six finished books become a year-end portfolio. Artsonia can collect artwork such as maps, drawings, and project photos.
Assessment checkpoints
Kahoot! or Wayground can deliver short checkpoint quizzes at the end of each two-week phase, giving quick evidence for regrouping and reteaching.
Social studies and background knowledge
If your district has adopted Studies Weekly, TCI History Alive!, myWorld Interactive, or inquirED, its third-grade materials can supply readings about communities. Discovery Education adds video across all six units.
The dedicated math block
Adaptive and visual programs such as ST Math, Zearn, or DreamBox Math can carry core skill and fluency practice, while each unit supplies real-world applications.
The year at a glance
Unit 1: Our Place
Weeks 1–6
Guiding question: What makes our place special, and how do land, water, and weather shape life here?
Culminating project
A class map of our region showing landforms, water, and human features, with a weather-data display for the season.
Assessment evidence
Informative paragraph, map annotations, and a rounding and bar-graph task.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 3.1
- Physical and human geography of the local region: landforms, bodies of water, vegetation, and climate.
- How people have used and changed the land.
- Reading and making maps with a key, scale, and compass rose.
English Language Arts
- RI.3.7
- W.3.2
- Wake, Sleepy One, A River’s Gifts, and All Are NeighborsSDLA list
- Reading focus: using maps, photographs, and text features to understand information.
- Writing: an informative paragraph describing our region.
Science
- 3-ESS2-1
- 3-ESS2-2
- Collecting and graphing local weather data across the season.
- Describing climates in our region and in other parts of the world.
Mathematics
- 3.NBT.1–2
- 3.MD.3
- Rounding and adding and subtracting within 1,000 using elevations, distances, and temperatures.
- Scaled picture and bar graphs of weather data.
Workbook 1 would include
A regional map spread, a map-skills guide, a weather log and graphing pages, rounding practice using local data, and a portfolio page for the informative paragraph.
Software connections
- Nystrom World: physical and political maps to begin the year-long class map of our region.
- Mystery Science: elementary lessons on weather patterns and climate to support the weather log.
- National Geographic Kids: photographs and articles comparing landforms and climates around the world.
- Padlet: a shared class weather wall where students post daily readings and photos.
Make it local: Use your own region’s landforms, watershed, and weather records; local parks, water districts, and weather stations often publish data suited to third graders.
Unit 2: First Peoples of Our Region
Weeks 7–12
Guiding question: Who are the Native nations of our region, how have they cared for this land, and how do they continue today?
Culminating project
A “nation profile” of a Native nation connected to our region, built from tribal and community sources and ending with how the nation lives and governs itself today.
Assessment evidence
Informative writing comparing two sources, profile research notes, and an arrays and equal-groups task.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 3.2
- The Native nations connected to the local land: languages, homes, food, trade, and ways of caring for the environment.
- How those nations governed themselves and how they continue as sovereign nations today.
- Oral histories, maps, and tribal sources as evidence.
English Language Arts
- RI.3.9
- W.3.2
- The Water Walker, Still This Love Goes On, and Powwow DaySDLA list, all by Native authors.
- Reading focus: comparing the most important points in two texts on the same topic.
- Writing: an informative piece drawing on two sources.
Science
- 3-LS1-1
- 3-LS4-1
- Life cycles of plants and animals important to the region’s Native nations, such as oaks, salmon, or native grasses.
- Fossils as evidence of the environments that existed here long ago.
Mathematics
- 3.OA.1
- 3.OA.3
- Introducing multiplication through equal groups and arrays, such as rows of plants or baskets of acorns.
- Solving multiplication word problems with drawings and equations.
Workbook 2 would include
A map of Native nations in our region, a source-comparison organizer, a life-cycle investigation, array and equal-groups practice, and a portfolio page for the nation profile.
Software connections
- Teaching Books: author and book resources for preparing Native-authored texts.
- Epic: a digital library for finding more picture books and informational texts by Native authors.
- Kami: students annotate tribal and community sources and compare them with other accounts.
- Brainingcamp: virtual counters and arrays for introducing multiplication.
Make it local: Name the specific Native nations connected to your school’s land. Many tribes publish education materials on their own websites, and some tribal education departments welcome classroom partnerships.
Not an empty-land story: Present Native nations as living, sovereign communities in the present tense, pair official accounts with tribal sources, and do not ask any student to represent an identity group.
Unit 3: Newcomers and Change Over Time
Weeks 13–18
Guiding question: How has our community changed over time, and who has shaped it?
Culminating project
A community “then and now” timeline with paired historical and present-day photographs, plus a short research report on one place, building, or group in local history.
Assessment evidence
Research report, timeline, a forces-and-motion investigation, and a division task.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 3.3
- Explorers, settlers, immigrants, and migrants who came to the region, and why.
- How the community’s buildings, transportation, work, and population changed.
- What stayed the same, and who had the power to record events.
English Language Arts
- W.3.7
- RI.3.3
- In the Beautiful Country, Still Dreaming, Freddie vs. The Family Curse, and Maizy Chen’s Last ChanceSDLA list
- Reading focus: time, sequence, and cause and effect in historical texts.
- Writing: a short research report on a local place or group.
Science
- 3-PS2-1
- 3-PS2-2
- 3-LS4-4
- Forces and motion in transportation then and now: wagons, trains, bicycles, and cars.
- Observing and predicting patterns of motion.
- How changes to the environment, such as new towns and farms, affected plants and animals.
Mathematics
- 3.OA.2
- 3.OA.6
- 3.MD.1
- Division as sharing and grouping, such as dividing supplies or travel distances.
- Solving time-interval problems with travel times then and now.
Workbook 3 would include
A local timeline spread, paired then-and-now photographs, a research organizer, a ramps-and-motion investigation, division practice, and a portfolio page for the report.
Software connections
- Sutori: a collaborative multimedia timeline of the community’s history.
- Britannica Education: reliable reference articles and citation practice for the research report.
- Gizmos: force-and-motion simulations to extend the ramps investigation.
- Newsela: informational texts at several reading levels on immigration and community change.
Make it local: Work with the local library, historical society, or museum for historical photographs, old maps, and newspapers; many have digital archives.
Protect privacy: Do not require students to share their own family, immigration, or housing histories. Let students choose a place, building, or community group to research instead.
Unit 4: How Our Community Is Governed
Weeks 19–24
Guiding question: Who makes the rules in our community, and how can people change them?
Culminating project
An opinion letter to a local official about a real community issue, shared at a class town-hall meeting.
Assessment evidence
Opinion letter, a levels-of-government organizer, a hazard-solution design, and fraction tasks.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 3.4
- Why communities have rules and laws, and the role of the Constitution.
- City, county, state, federal, and tribal governments and what each does.
- How citizens participate: voting, speaking at meetings, and serving.
English Language Arts
- W.3.1
- SL.3.1
- V is for Voting, Sharice’s Big Voice, and Justice Is...SDLA list
- Speaking: collaborative discussion at the class town hall.
- Writing: an opinion letter with reasons and evidence.
Science
- 3-ESS3-1
- Evaluating community designs that reduce harm from weather hazards such as floods, heat, or wildfire.
- Connecting hazard solutions to decisions made by local government.
Mathematics
- 3.NF.1–3
- Fractions as parts of a whole and on a number line, using class votes and shared budgets.
- Comparing and finding equivalent fractions.
Workbook 4 would include
A levels-of-government chart, a letter-writing planner, a hazard-solution design page, fraction practice with voting and budget data, and a portfolio page for the letter.
Software connections
- iCivics: games and lessons on rules, laws, and levels of government, suitable from third grade.
- Scholastic Classroom Magazines: age-appropriate civics and current-events articles.
- Flocabulary: short videos for civics vocabulary such as law, government, and citizen.
- Brainingcamp: fraction bars and number lines for modeling parts of a whole.
Make it local: Invite a city council member, county supervisor, tribal council representative, or other local official to hear the letters or visit the town hall.
Unit 5: Our Local Economy
Weeks 25–30
Guiding question: How do people in our community make, grow, sell, and share what we need?
Culminating project
A plan and scale layout for a community garden, market stall, or small business, with an explanation of how it meets a local need.
Assessment evidence
Explanatory writing, the scale layout, a plant-traits investigation, and area and perimeter tasks.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 3.5
- Local resources, goods, and services, and the people who produce them.
- Producers, consumers, and trade between communities.
- How work and businesses in the region have changed over time.
English Language Arts
- RI.3.8
- W.3.2
- The Elote Man Goes to College, Saturday at the Food Pantry, Harvest Days, and Cornbread & PoppySDLA list
- Reading focus: connections and cause and effect in explanatory texts.
- Writing: an explanatory piece on how a local product is made or grown.
Science
- 3-LS3-1
- 3-LS3-2
- 3-LS4-2
- 3-LS4-3
- Inherited traits and the environment in crops and farm animals.
- How differences in traits help plants and animals survive in different environments.
Mathematics
- 3.MD.5–8
- 3.MD.2
- Area and perimeter when designing garden beds, market stalls, or shop layouts.
- Measuring mass and liquid volume of produce and products.
Workbook 5 would include
A local-economy map, a producer-and-consumer organizer, a plant-traits investigation, area and perimeter design pages, and a portfolio page for the finished plan.
Software connections
- Banzai!: financial-literacy activities on earning, spending, and saving.
- EVERFI: sponsored modules on money and community economics.
- Minecraft for Education: students build their garden or market layout to scale.
- Tinkercad: a free, screen-based alternative for designing layouts and checking area.
Make it local: Visit or invite local farmers, market vendors, and small-business owners, and use local products for the measurement tasks.
Protect privacy: Do not ask students about family jobs, income, or food access. Use community examples and fictional scenarios instead.
Unit 6: Making Our Community Better
Weeks 31–36
Guiding question: What problems does our community face, and how can we help solve them?
Culminating project
A community-improvement proposal with a working prototype, such as a magnetic recycling sorter, presented to an audience.
Assessment evidence
Presentation, prototype design notes, a magnets investigation, and time and geometry tasks.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 3.4.6
- People from our community and beyond who worked to make life better.
- How individuals and groups identify problems and work for change.
- Closing the year: updating the class map with what students learned.
English Language Arts
- SL.3.4
- W.3.1
- Who Was the Voice of the People?: Cesar Chavez, Sanctuary, Latinitas, and Two DegreesSDLA list
- Speaking: an organized presentation of the proposal.
- Writing: an opinion piece arguing for the solution.
Science
- 3-PS2-3
- 3-PS2-4
- 3-LS2-1
- Magnetic and electric forces, and designing a device that uses magnets, such as separating steel cans from other recycling.
- How groups of animals work together to survive, as a model for community cooperation.
Mathematics
- 3.MD.1
- 3.MD.4
- 3.G.1–2
- Time intervals when planning a project schedule.
- Line plots of measurement data from testing the prototype.
- Shapes and partitioning in the prototype design.
Workbook 6 would include
A problem-and-solution planner, a biography reading set, a magnets investigation and design pages, a project calendar, and the portfolio’s closing pages.
Software connections
- SAM Labs: hands-on sensors and motors for building and testing the prototype.
- WeVideo: students record a short video of their proposal.
- TIME for Kids: current articles about community problem-solving and young changemakers.
- Listenwise: public-radio stories about local problems and the people solving them.
Make it local: Choose problems students can actually see, such as litter, traffic safety, or school gardens, and share the proposals with the principal, parent groups, or city staff.
Estimated standards coverage
| Subject | Named in this plan | Could reasonably reach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| History–Social Science | About 95% | About 100% | Local history is the backbone, but depth depends on how well each school localizes the units. |
| Science | 15 of 15 performance expectations | 100% | Every expectation appears once, with varying depth. Unit 6’s magnets connection is the loosest. |
| Mathematics | About 75% | About 80% | Not placed: multiplication and division fact fluency, properties of operations, two-step problems, arithmetic patterns, and multiplying by multiples of ten. |
| English Language Arts | About 20% | About 60–70% | Reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills occur naturally in these units. Foundational skills and language conventions need separate instruction. |
What still doesn't fit neatly
- Fact fluency needs its own time. Third grade is the year students master multiplication facts, and that practice does not belong to any theme.
- Localization takes work. The plan depends on local sources, contacts, and data, so the first year of use requires preparation time.
- Science connections are uneven. They are strongest in Units 1, 2, and 5; Unit 6’s magnets and recycling link is the loosest.
- Local primary sources vary. Some communities have rich digital archives; others will lean more heavily on the literature list and general references.
- Real calendars are uneven. Testing, holidays, and school events rarely allow six equal units. Unit 2 often deserves more time, and Unit 6 could shrink to five weeks.
About this plan: This is an illustrative framework, not an adopted curriculum. Standard codes reference the California History–Social Science Content Standards, the California Common Core State Standards for ELA and Mathematics, and the California Next Generation Science Standards. Confirm them against current state documents and adapt the plan to local context, materials, and students. Titles marked "SDLA list" appear in this site's third grade literature collection. Software named on this page is illustrative, not endorsed; products and features change, so follow district review processes for instructional fit, accessibility, privacy, and security before use.