Unit Plan 13 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Weather, Climate, and Where We Live

Focus: Compare different climates and describe how people adapt to local weather patterns, land, and water. Students explore how daily weather and long-term climate affect clothing, housing, jobs, and activities, and how communities both change 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 weather and climate observers. They learn the difference between weather (what it’s like outside today) and climate (patterns of weather over many years). Using simple maps, charts, and pictures, students compare climates in different regions (cold, hot, wet, dry, windy) and notice how people adapt with clothing, housing, and daily routines. They also examine how communities modify the environment (roads, storm drains, levees) and how people can conserve and protect land, water, and air as part of good stewardship. By the end, students create a short “Where We Live and How We Adapt” display or mini-book.

Essential Questions

• What is the difference between weather and climate, and how can we observe both where we live?
• How do different climates (cold, hot, wet, dry) affect what people wear, build, and do?
• In what ways do people adapt to and modify their environment to handle weather (for example, storm drains, levees, air conditioning)?
• How can we care for our local environment—land, water, and air—so that people and nature stay healthy?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Explain the difference between weather (day-to-day conditions) and climate (long-term patterns of weather).
2. Use simple charts, maps, or graphs to describe general climates in different places (e.g., colder vs. warmer, wetter vs. drier).
3. Describe at least two ways people adapt their clothing, housing, or routines to local weather and climate.
4. Identify examples of how communities modify the environment to deal with weather and water (e.g., storm drains, levees, roads, shade trees).
5. Propose at least two stewardship actions that help land, water, or air (e.g., reducing litter, saving energy, planting trees) and explain why they matter.
6. Create a “Weather, Climate, and Where We Live” product that shows our local climate, how people adapt to it, and how we can conserve and protect our environment.

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 tell how weather and climate are different.
• I can describe the climate where I live (for example, hot, cold, wet, dry, or mixed) using simple charts or observations.
• I can give examples of how people adapt to local weather (clothing, houses, activities).
• I can point out at least one way communities modify the environment to deal with water or weather (storm drains, levees, roads, shade trees).
• I can share two stewardship actions that help land, water, or air and explain why they are important.
• I can make a map, poster, or mini-book that shows our climate, how we adapt, and how we can take care of our environment.