Unit Plan 12 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Landforms and Waterways

Focus: Identify key landforms and waterways—such as mountains, plains, rivers, and lakes—and explain how they impact communities, including how people adapt, modify, and care for their environments.

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Human–Environment Interaction)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students become geographers who study the shapes of the land and the paths of water. They learn to recognize major landforms (mountains, plains) and waterways (rivers, lakes) on pictures and simple maps. Students explore how these physical features affect where people live, how they travel, and what kinds of jobs and recreation are possible. They also examine how people adapt to, change, and protect their environments—such as building bridges, levees, or parks, and cleaning up trash near water. By the end, students create a “Community and Landforms” display or mini-poster that shows physical features and suggests stewardship actions.

Essential Questions

• What are landforms and waterways, and how can we recognize mountains, plains, rivers, and lakes on maps and images?
• How do landforms and waterways affect where people live, work, and play?
• In what ways do people adapt to and change their environment (for example, building roads, bridges, and levees)?
• How can we care for land and water in our community through simple stewardship actions?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and describe basic landforms (mountains, hills, plains) and waterways (rivers, lakes) using photos, diagrams, and simple maps.
2. Explain at least two ways that landforms and waterways affect communities (e.g., where towns develop, how people travel, what jobs they have).
3. Give simple examples of climate or weather patterns connected to land or water (e.g., “Near lakes it can be windy,” “In mountains it may be cooler or snowy”).
4. Describe ways people adapt to and modify their environment (e.g., building bridges, levees, roads, or dams).
5. Propose at least two stewardship actions for caring for land and water (e.g., picking up litter, planting trees, not wasting water) and explain why they matter.
6. Create a “Community and Landforms” product that labels landforms/waterways and includes at least two human–environment interactions and two stewardship ideas.

Standards Alignment — 3rd Grade (C3-based custom)

• 3.C3.Geo.3 — Describe landforms, waterways, climate, and weather patterns; connect them to human activities.
  • Example: Explain why a town near a river might have a levee.
• 3.C3.Geo.5 — Analyze human–environment interaction (adapt, modify, conserve) and propose stewardship actions.
  • Example: Recommend two ways to reduce litter at a local park and justify with evidence.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name and point out mountains, plains, rivers, and lakes in pictures or on simple maps.
• I can tell how these landforms and waterways affect where people live, travel, and work.
• I can give an example of how people adapt to and change their environment (like building a bridge or levee).
• I can suggest two ways to care for land and water and explain why they are good ideas.
• I can make a map or poster that shows landforms, waterways, and how people interact with them.