| (a) Introduction.
(1) In Grade 3, students learn how diverse individuals
have changed their communities and world. Students study the effects
inspiring heroes have had on communities, past and present. Students
learn about the lives of heroic men and women who made important choices,
overcame obstacles, sacrificed for the betterment of others, and embarked
on journeys that resulted in new ideas, new inventions, new technologies,
and new communities. Students expand their knowledge through the identification
and study of people who made a difference, influenced public policy
and decision making, and participated in resolving issues that are
important to all people. Throughout Grade 3, students develop an understanding
of the economic, cultural, and scientific contributions made by individuals.
(2) To support the teaching of the essential knowledge
and skills, the use of a variety of rich material such as biographies,
founding documents, poetry, songs, and artworks is encouraged. Motivating
resources are available from museums, historical sites, presidential
libraries, and local and state preservation societies.
(3) The eight strands of the essential knowledge and
skills for social studies are intended to be integrated for instructional
purposes. Skills listed in the social studies skills strand in subsection
(b) of this section should be incorporated into the teaching of all
essential knowledge and skills for social studies. A greater depth
of understanding of complex content material can be attained when
integrated social studies content from the various disciplines and
critical-thinking skills are taught together. Statements that contain
the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while
those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative
examples.
(4) Students identify the role of the U.S. free enterprise
system within the parameters of this course and understand that this
system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system.
(5) Throughout social studies in Kindergarten-Grade
12, students build a foundation in history; geography; economics;
government; citizenship; culture; science, technology, and society;
and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the grade
level or course, enables students to understand the importance of
patriotism, function in a free enterprise society, and appreciate
the basic democratic values of our state and nation as referenced
in the Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.002(h).
(6) Students understand that a constitutional republic
is a representative form of government whose representatives derive
their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established
tenure, and are sworn to uphold the constitution.
(7) State and federal laws mandate a variety of celebrations
and observances, including Celebrate Freedom Week.
(A) Each social studies class shall include, during
Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the TEC, §29.907, or
during another full school week as determined by the board of trustees
of a school district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent,
meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in their historical
contexts. The study of the Declaration of Independence must include
the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document
to subsequent American history, including the relationship of its
ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants,
the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution,
and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation
and the women's suffrage movement.
(B) Each school district shall require that, during
Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study
and recite the following text from the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That
to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
(8) Students discuss how and whether the actions of
U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have achieved
the ideals espoused in the founding documents.
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) History. The student understands how individuals,
events, and ideas have influenced the history of various communities.
The student is expected to:
(A) describe how individuals, events, and ideas have
changed communities, past and present;
(B) identify individuals, including Pierre-Charles
L'Enfant, Benjamin Banneker, and Benjamin Franklin, who have helped
to shape communities; and
(C) describe how individuals, including Daniel Boone
and the Founding Fathers have contributed to the expansion of existing
communities or to the creation of new communities.
(2) History. The student understands common characteristics
of communities, past and present. The student is expected to:
(A) identify reasons people have formed communities,
including a need for security and laws, religious freedom, and material
well-being; and
(B) compare ways in which people in the local community
and other communities meet their needs for government, education,
communication, transportation, and recreation.
(3) Geography. The student understands how humans adapt
to and/or modify the physical environment. The student is expected
to:
(A) describe similarities and differences in the physical
environment, including climate, landforms, natural resources, and
natural hazards;
(B) identify and compare how people in different communities
adapt to or modify the physical environment in which they live such
as deserts, mountains, wetlands, and plains; and
(C) describe the effects of human processes such as
building new homes, conservation, and pollution in shaping the landscape.
(4) Geography. The student understands the concepts
of location, distance, and direction on maps and globes. The student
is expected to:
(A) use cardinal and intermediate directions to locate
places on maps and globes in relation to the local community;
(B) use a scale to determine the distance between places
on maps and globes; and
(C) identify, create, and interpret maps of places
that contain map elements, including a title, compass rose, legend,
scale, and grid system.
(5) Economics. The student understands the purposes
of earning, spending, saving, and donating money. The student is expected
to:
(A) identify ways of earning, spending, saving, and
donating money; and
(B) create a simple budget that allocates money for
spending and saving.
(6) Economics. The student understands the concept
of the free enterprise system and how businesses operate in the U.S.
free enterprise system. The student is expected to:
(A) explain how supply and demand affect the price
of a good or service;
(B) define and identify examples of scarcity;
(C) explain how the cost of production and selling
price affect profits; and
(D) identify individuals, past and present, such as
Henry Ford and Sam Walton who have started new businesses.
(7) Government. The student understands the basic structure
and functions of various levels of government. The student is expected
to:
(A) describe the basic structure of government in the
local community, state, and nation;
(B) identify local, state, and national government
officials and explain how they are chosen; and
(C) identify services commonly provided by local, state,
and national governments.
(8) Government. The student understands important ideas
in historical documents at various levels of government. The student
is expected to:
(A) identify the purposes of the Declaration of Independence
and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights; and
(B) describe the concept of "consent of the governed.
"
(9) Citizenship. The student understands characteristics
of good citizenship as exemplified by historical and contemporary
figures and organizations. The student is expected to:
(A) identify characteristics of good citizenship, including
truthfulness, justice, equality, respect for oneself and others, responsibility
in daily life, and participation in government by educating oneself
about the issues, respectfully holding public officials to their word,
and voting;
(B) identify figures such as Helen Keller, Clara Barton,
and Ruby Bridges who exemplify good citizenship;
(C) identify and describe individual acts of civic
responsibility, including obeying laws, serving and improving the
community, serving on a jury, and voting; and
(D) identify examples of nonprofit and/or civic organizations
such as the Red Cross and explain how they serve the common good.
(10) Culture. The student understands ethnic and/or
cultural celebrations of the local community and other communities.
The student is expected to:
(A) explain the significance of various ethnic and/or
cultural celebrations in the local community and other communities;
and
(B) compare ethnic and/or cultural celebrations in
the local community with other communities.
(11) Culture. The student understands the role of heroes
in shaping the culture of communities, the state, and the nation.
The student is expected to:
(A) identify and describe the heroic deeds of state
and national heroes and military and first responders such as Hector
P. Garcia, James A. Lovell, and the Four Chaplains; and
(B) identify and describe the heroic deeds of individuals
such as Harriet Tubman, Todd Beamer, and other contemporary heroes.
(12) Culture. The student understands the importance
of writers and artists to the cultural heritage of communities. The
student is expected to identify how various writers and artists such
as Kadir Nelson, Tomie dePaola, Carmen Lomas Garza, and Laura Ingalls
Wilder and their stories, poems, statues, and paintings contribute
to the cultural heritage of communities.
(13) Science, technology, and society. The student
understands how individuals have created or invented new technology
and affected life in various communities, past and present. The student
is expected to:
(A) identify individuals who have discovered scientific
breakthroughs or created or invented new technology such as Jonas
Salk, Cyrus McCormick, Bill Gates, Louis Pasteur, and others; and
(B) describe the impact of scientific breakthroughs
and new technology in computers, pasteurization, and medical vaccines
on various communities.
(14) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking
skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of
valid sources, including technology. The student is expected to:
(A) gather information, including historical and current
events and geographic data, about the community using a variety of
resources;
(B) interpret oral, visual, and print material by sequencing,
categorizing, identifying the main idea, distinguishing between fact
and opinion, identifying cause and effect, comparing, and contrasting;
and
(C) interpret and create visuals, including graphs,
charts, tables, timelines, illustrations, and maps.
(15) Social studies skills. The student communicates
in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
(A) use social studies terminology correctly;
(B) create and interpret timelines;
(C) apply the terms year, decade, and century to describe
historical times;
(D) express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences;
and
(E) create written and visual material such as stories,
pictures, maps, and graphic organizers to express ideas.
(16) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving
and decision-making skills, working independently and with others.
The student is expected to use problem-solving and decision-making
processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider
options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement
a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.
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