Grade Three

Social Studies

HSS.3.3 The student will describe the settlement of Jamestown and the Virginia colony, with emphasis on

• economic and other reasons that brought settlers to Virginia; and
• the establishment of a representative government, the economy, settlers' interactions with American Indians; and
• the introduction of slavery into Virginia.

Appalachia is rich in natural resources, from mineral deposits to lead, iron, salt, and gold. These natural resources drove settlement in this area, and students can study the production of natural resources while examining specimens and experiencing gem, mineral, or gold panning. We can also discuss the chestnut blight of the late 1800’s, which drove a second wave of timber-seeking migrants, brought to life in our historic boomtown.

Science

SCI.3.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which

• questions are developed to formulate hypotheses;
• predictions and observations are made;
• data are gathered, charted, and graphed;
• objects with similar characteristics are classified into at least two sets and two subsets;
• inferences are made and conclusions are drawn;
• natural events are sequenced chronologically;
• length is measured to the nearest centimeter;
• mass is measured to the nearest gram;
• volume is measured to the nearest milliliter and liter;
• temperature is measured to the nearest degree Celsius; and
• time is measured to the nearest minute.

After collecting and mining gems, minerals, and fossils, students identify and classify gems and minerals by their physical properties into subsets. They may also chart their findings of similar objects.

SCI.3.3 The student will investigate and understand that objects can be described in terms of the materials they are made of and their physical properties. Key concepts include

• objects are made of smaller parts;
• materials are composed of parts that are too small to be seen without magnification; and
• physical properties remain the same as the material is reduced in size.

Students can observe and handle crystals, which are an excellent example of the fractal nature of physical properties. Students can also have the opportunity to view these specimens under magnification.