Unit Plan 11 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Using Cardinal and Intermediate Directions

Focus: Use N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW to describe routes and locations, including where landforms and waterways are and how people use them. Students practice reading and creating simple maps that combine directions with physical features (hills, rivers, parks) and human activities (roads, bridges, farms, neighborhoods).

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Inquiry/Skills)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students dig deeper into cardinal and intermediate directions—N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW—and use them to describe where places and geographic features are located. They examine maps that show landforms (hills, plains), waterways (rivers, lakes), and human-made features (roads, bridges, neighborhoods) and practice giving precise directional statements and route descriptions. Students learn how where things are—in relation to rivers, hills, or flat land—shapes human activities such as building roads, farms, or levees. By the end of the week, students create a simple community geography map and write direction-based explanations connecting directions, features, and how people use the land.

Essential Questions

• How do cardinal and intermediate directions help us describe where places, landforms, and waterways are on a map?
• How can we use N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW to give clear routes from one place to another?
• How do landforms and waterways (like hills and rivers) affect where people live, build, and travel?
• Why is it helpful to think about both directions and geography when planning human activities (roads, bridges, neighborhoods)?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and correctly use cardinal and intermediate directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) on a compass rose.
2. Describe the location of places and features on a map using direction words (e.g., “The park is northwest of the school.”).
3. Read and follow simple routes on a map that use cardinal and intermediate directions.
4. Create their own map of a small area (classroom, playground, or simple town model) that includes a compass rose and uses direction words to describe a route.
5. Identify basic landforms and waterways on a map (hill, valley, river, lake, plain) and describe where they are using directions.
6. Explain one or two ways human activities (roads, bridges, farms, neighborhoods, levees) are connected to landforms and waterways (e.g., “The bridge is built east of town to cross the river.”).

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

• 3.C3.Geo.2 — Use and create maps with titles, legends, scale symbols, and cardinal/intermediate directions.
  • Example: Draw a neighborhood map using N, NE, E… to describe a route.
• 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.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can point to N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW on a compass rose and use those words to describe locations.
• I can say where one place or feature is by using direction words, like “The hill is south of the town.”
• I can follow and give a route using direction words, like “Walk north, then turn east.”
• I can show landforms and waterways on a map and explain where they are using directions.
• I can tell at least one way people’s activities (roads, bridges, levees, farms) are connected to geography (hills, rivers, flat land).