Grade 3
Unit 1: World Rivers
Focus: This unit prepares students to use maps and globes to locate the continents, major oceans, and important world rivers. Students explore the benefits and dangers of rivers. They learn why ancient civilizations and modern cities were established near rivers, and how rivers are often associated with major historical events. Rivers studied include the Ganges, Indus, Yellow (Huang He), Yangtze (Chang Jiang), Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, Niger, Congo, Amazon, Orinoco, Mississippi, Mackenzie, Yukon, Murray, Darling, Volga, Danube, and Rhine.
Number of Lessons: 7
Lesson Time: 30 minutes each daily. Lessons may be combined into longer sessions.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • Mark Twain
Unit 2: Ancient Rome
Focus: This unit begins by providing background information on the geography of the Mediterranean region. Students are introduced to Roman mythology (including the legend of Romulus and Remus), daily life in early Rome, the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Caesar Augustus, the Roman Empire, Pompeii, and the rise of Christianity. They learn about ancient Rome’s lasting contributions in political ideas and institutions, architecture, and literature. Students also investigate historical sources, compare and contrast rulers, and write an essay on the rise and fall of Rome.
Number of Lessons : 16
Lesson Time: 30 minutes each daily. Lessons may be combined into longer sessions.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • primary source documents • Roman myths • Roman architecture
Unit 3: The Vikings
Focus: This unit begins by providing geographical information on Scandinavia, homeland of the Vikings, whose expertise as sailors and shipbuilders—and their fierce raiding spirit—enabled them to trade, conquer, and explore over a vast area. Students learn about the voyages of Eric the Red and his son, Leif Eriksson. Students are introduced to Norse mythology, including stories of Odin, Thor, and Loki.
Number of Lessons : 6
Lesson Time: 30 minutes each daily. Lessons may be combined into longer sessions.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • Iceland • Greenland • Newfoundland • longships • Asgard • Valhalla
Unit 4: The Earliest Americans
Focus: This unit introduces some of the different native peoples who populated America many years before the arrival of European explorers. Students learn how some of the earliest Americans arrived in North America as early as thirty thousand years ago along the Pacific Coast, while others traveled from Asia across Beringia, the land bridge. Over time, native peoples migrated throughout the North American continent and into Central and South America. Students explore how these early peoples adapted to their environments and developed unique cultures. Chapters focus on the Inuit, the Ancestral Pueblo and Mound Builders, and specific Native American peoples of the American Southwest, Southeast, and Eastern Woodlands.
Number of Lessons : 7
Lesson Time: 30 minutes each daily. Lessons may be combined into longer sessions.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • hunter-gatherers • Hopi • Zuni • Diné • Navajo • Apache • Haudenosaunee Confederacy • Mahican • Delaware • Susquehannocks • Massachusett • Powhatan • Creek • Cherokee • Seminole
Unit 5: Canada
Focus: The resources for this unit (Canada) are part of the individual resources titled Exploration of North America. This unit introduces the geography and people of Canada. Students learn about Canada’s government, major population centers (including Montreal, Quebec City, and Toronto), and the country’s vast wilderness and natural resources. They are introduced to Canada’s indigenous peoples and to its French and British heritage, which lie behind the country’s two official languages. Students explore the strong influence of French culture in Quebec. They also consider similarities and differences between Canada and the United States, and learn how Canada’s history and relationship with Britain are different from those of the U.S.
Number of Lessons : 3
Lesson Time: 30 minutes each daily. Lessons may be combined into longer sessions.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • Inuit • St. Lawrence River • provinces • British Columbia • Newfoundland
Unit 6: Exploration of North America
Focus: This unit focuses on Spanish explorers who crisscrossed the Americas in search of gold and riches, and other European explorers who searched for the Northwest Passage. After reviewing the explorations of Columbus, students learn about Ponce de León’s search for the Fountain of Youth, De Soto’s long march to the Mississippi, Coronado’s quest for cities of gold, the founding of St. Augustine, and the development of settlements around Spanish missions.
Number of Lessons : 6
Lesson Time: 30 minutes each daily. Lessons may be combined into longer sessions.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • Caribbean Sea • East Indies • West Indies • Puerto Rico • Cuba • Gulf of Mexico • Mississippi River • Grand Canyon • Rio Grande • “New France” • Quebec • Canada • St. Lawrence River • Great Lakes
Unit 7: The Thirteen Colonies
Focus: This unit (Unit 7 for schools using the CKHG series in Sequence grade-level order) explores how three regions of English colonies in North America—Southern, Middle, and New England—developed differently as a result of each region’s geography and climate, as well as the different religions and beliefs of the colonists settling each area. Students learn about differences in climate and agriculture, as well as the growth of important cities including Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Charleston.
Number of Lessons : 16
Lesson Time: 30 minutes each daily. Lessons may be combined into longer sessions.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • civics • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • cash crop • John Smith • Powhatan • John Rolfe • Pocahontas • Starving Time • Lord Baltimore • plantation agriculture • Middle Passage • James Oglethorpe • Mayflower Compact • Squanto • Plymouth • Great Migration • Massachusetts Bay colony • Roger Williams • Anne Hutchinson • William Penn
Grade 4
Unit 1: Using Maps
Focus: The resources for this unit (Using Maps) are part of the individual resources titled Exploring Maps and World Mountains. This unit provides information and activities to help students use maps and globes effectively. Students learn geographical terms and how to use map symbols, keys, and map scales. They are introduced to longitude and latitude and using coordinates and degrees to find a specific location. Students also learn about time zones, maps depicting elevation and depression, and the relationship between a three-dimensional globe and flat map.
Number of Lessons : 5
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text
Unit 2: World Mountains
Focus: The resources for this unit (World Mountains) are part of the individual resources titled Exploring Maps and World Mountains. In this unit, students review skills of using maps and globes and then apply those skills in learning about major mountains and mountain ranges. They explore the Himalayas and Urals in Asia; the Atlas Mountains in Africa; the Andes in South America; the Appalachians and Rockies in North America; and the Alps and Caucasus in Europe. Students also study the tallest mountains on each continent.
Number of Lessons : 4
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text
Unit 3: Medieval Europe
Focus: This unit begins by providing background information to place the Middle Ages in Western Europe in historical and geographical context. Students learn about the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, Charlemagne, the feudal system, castles and manors, chivalry, the growth of towns, women in the Middle Ages, William the Conqueror, the Magna Carta, Parliament, Joan of Arc, the plague, and the legacy of the Middle Ages. Students also learn about medieval European art, architecture, and music, as well as the fictional King Arthur and Camelot.
Number of Lessons : 21
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • Knights of the Round Table • Gothic architecture • medieval tapestries • illuminated manuscripts • Gregorian chant.
Unit 4: Medieval Islamic Empires
Focus: The resources for this unit (Medieval Islamic Empires) are part of the individual resources titled Early Islamic Civilization and African Kingdoms. This unit explains the historical significance of Muhammad and the origins of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. Students learn about the importance of the Koran and the Five Pillars of Islam. Students also learn about the achievements of Muslim scholars and artists and the growth of Muslim empires. The unit concludes with a brief account of the Crusades, the long series of wars during the Middle Ages in which European Christians attempted to retake control of the Holy Land and other formerly Christian territories in the Middle East.
Number of Lessons : 21
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: Mecca • Ibn Sina (Avicenna) • Saladin • Richard the Lionhearted
Unit 5: Early & Medieval African Kingdoms
Focus: The resources for this unit (Medieval Islamic Empires) are part of the individual resources titled Early Islamic Civilization and African Kingdoms. This unit explains the historical significance of Muhammad and the origins of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. Students learn about the importance of the Koran and the Five Pillars of Islam. Students also learn about the achievements of Muslim scholars and artists and the growth of Muslim empires. The unit concludes with a brief account of the Crusades, the long series of wars during the Middle Ages in which European Christians attempted to retake control of the Holy Land and other formerly Christian territories in the Middle East.
Number of Lessons : 8
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: Nile • Sahara • Kalahari • Ibn Battuta • Axum • Sundiata Keita • Mansa Musa • Askia Muhammad • Benin.
Unit 6: Dynasties of China
Focus: This unit introduces the succession of dynasties that ruled China for nearly two thousand years. Students learn about the Qin dynasty and the first emperor, Shihuangdi, who began construction of the Great Wall; about the Han dynasty, when trade in silk and spices flourished along the Silk Road; about the Tang and Song dynasties, which witnessed important inventions including the compass and gunpowder; about the Mongol invasion led by Chinggis Khan and the Yuan dynasty founded by Kublai Khan; and, about the Ming dynasty, which established the capital at Beijing and built the Forbidden City. Students also become familiar with Chinese art, including silk scrolls, calligraphy, and porcelain.
Number of Lessons : 10
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: Genghis Khan • Golden Horde • Zheng He • Marco Polo
Unit 7: The American Revolution
Focus: This unit begins by providing background information on the establishment of the thirteen colonies. Students learn about early alliances, the French and Indian War, and causes and provocations of the American Revolution including British taxes, the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party. Students are introduced to major ideas in the Declaration of Independence and to key figures in the Revolution, including George Washington, Crispus Attucks, Patrick Henry, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benedict, Arnold, John Paul Jones, and Nathan Hale. Students are also introduced to art and literature representative of the period.
Number of Lessons : 20
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • primary source documents • civics • Founding Fathers • Paul Revere’s Ride • Concord Hymn • Molly Pitcher • Rip Van Winkle • Gilbert Stuart • Washington Crossing the Delaware
Unit 8: The United States Constitution
Focus: This unit explores the creation and central ideas of the United States Constitution. Students learn how, after the Revolution, the Founding Fathers, confronted by the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, worked to form a new government.
Number of Lessons : 18
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • civics • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • Declaration of Independence • Shay’s Rebellion • George Washington • three branches of government: executive, legislative, judicial • Supreme Court • checks and balances • separation of powers • republican government • “Three-Fifths” Compromise • Preamble to the Constitution • “We the people” • Federalist Papers
Unit 9: Early Presidents
Focus: The resources for this unit (Early Presidents) are part of the individual resources titled Early Presidents and Social Reformers. This unit focuses on the first seven presidents of the United States: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson. Students learn how these presidents organized the federal government within the framework of the Constitution, saw to the building of a national capital, directed a second war with Great Britain, more than doubled the size of the country, and formulated a “hands-off” foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. As students learn how our early presidents set precedents for the future of the new nation, they also consider different visions of how the nation and its government should evolve. Some of the content of this unit is tied to the “Pathway to Citizenship,” an array of civics-focused knowledge, questions, and activities.
Number of Lessons : 9
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • primary sources • Abigail Adams • political parties • Alexander Hamilton • Benjamin Banneker • Louisiana Purchase • slavery • War of 1812 • Monroe Doctrine • Battle of New Orleans • Native American removal policies
Unit 10: American Reformers
Focus: The resources for this unit (American Reformers) are part of the individual resources titled Early Presidents and Social Reformers. This unit (Unit 10 for schools using the CKHG series in Sequence grade-level order) focuses on many efforts to improve American society from the early 1800s to the 1850s, including: the temperance movement to decrease the consumption of alcohol; Dorothea Dix’s efforts to obtain better treatment for people with mental illnesses; Horace Mann’s campaign for free public education; the work of Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, and other abolitionists in their crusade to abolish slavery; and, the early women’s rights movement led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The unit also provides additional resources that explore the early reformers’ legacy in ongoing modern-day struggles for equality and civil rights. Some of the content of this unit is tied to the “Pathway to Citizenship,” an array of civics-focused knowledge, questions, and activities.
Number of Lessons : 6 (plus 2 optional)
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • primary sources • Seneca Falls Convention • “Ain’t I a woman?” • Amelia Bloomer • Elizabeth Blackwell • segregation • John Lewis • Martin Luther King, Jr. • March to Selma, Alabama • Sonia Sotomayor