The standards for third grade develop an understanding of the elements of civilizations and their interrelationship by studying several early civilizations.
Students also learn about the discovery, exploration, and colonization of America.
Third graders should apply the concepts of latitude and longitude as they study the geography of Virginia and the United States. The study of economics continues within the context of the historical study of exploration and colonization, and students are expected to learn about economic specialization, taxation, and the influence of transportation and communication on the distribution of goods and services. The student will describe the settlement of Jamestown and the Virginia colony, with emphasis on economic and other reasons that brought settlers to Virginia, the establishment of representative government, the economy, settlers' interactions with American Indians, and the introduction of slavery into Virginia. The student will distinguish between meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude and use the equator and prime meridian to identify the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western hemispheres and the locations of the ancient civilizations, European nations, and American colonies which the student is studying. The student will use maps, tables, graphs, and charts to classify regions with common characteristics, such as deserts.