Grade 3 social studies worksheets
Grade 3 social studies worksheets on LessonPrint cover asking questions, civics, economics, geography, history, weighing sources and informed action. There are 72 free printable sheets across 72 Common Core standards, each with its own answer key and 25 versions so every pupil in the class gets a different paper. They are aimed at ages 8-9, print straight from the browser, and need no account.
72 worksheets72 standards72 with a lesson plan25 versions each
Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
5 worksheetsD1.1.3-5Say why a big question matters to other people, not just to you.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Why It Matters to Other People — why a compelling question matters to others
D1.2.3-5Name the ideas behind a big question, including ones people answer differently.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Where the Disagreement Lies — ideas open to different interpretations
D1.3.3-5Name the ideas behind a smaller question that people read in more than one way.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Evidence Would Decide It? — concepts behind a supporting question
D1.4.3-5Explain how the smaller questions add up to an answer to the big one.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- How Small Questions Serve Big Ones — linking supporting to compelling questions
D1.5.3-5Work out what kind of source would help, allowing for the fact that people disagree.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Sources for Both Sides — choosing sources allowing for disagreement
Civics
14 worksheetsD2.Civ.1.3-5Tell apart what officials at different levels of government can and cannot do.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Powers at Different Levels — responsibilities and powers of officials
D2.Civ.2.3-5Explain why a democracy needs people to take part, and what that asks of you.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Why Taking Part Matters — how a democracy relies on participation
D2.Civ.3.3-5Look at where rules, laws and key parts of the US Constitution came from.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Where Rules Came From — the origins and purposes of rules and laws
D2.Civ.4.3-5Explain how groups make rules that share out duties and protect freedoms.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Duties and Freedoms Together — rules that create duties and protect freedoms
D2.Civ.5.3-5Explain where different systems of government came from and how they are built.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- National or County? — structure of systems of government
D2.Civ.6.3-5Describe what people gain from working together, and what is hard about it.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Gains and Strains of Acting Together — benefits and challenges of working together
D2.Civ.7.3-5Put civic virtues into practice at school and in the community.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Virtues in Public Life — applying civic virtues in community settings
D2.Civ.8.3-5Name the core civic virtues and democratic principles that guide a society.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Naming the Principle — core civic virtues and democratic principles
D2.Civ.9.3-5Use a proper discussion process when a group has to decide something.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- How a Decision Is Deliberated — deliberative processes for group decisions
D2.Civ.10.3-5Identify the beliefs and experiences behind your own and other people's views.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Lies Behind a View — beliefs and experiences behind points of view
D2.Civ.11.3-5Compare how decisions get made in a classroom, a school and a government.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Voting or Applying a Rule? — comparing decision procedures
D2.Civ.12.3-5Explain how laws change a society, and how people change laws.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Laws Change Society — how laws change society and people change laws
D2.Civ.13.3-5Explain how a policy gets made to deal with a public problem.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- How a Policy Gets Made — how policies address public problems
D2.Civ.14.3-5Show ways people have changed society, in the past and now.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Changing Things, Then and Now — means of changing society over time
Economics
15 worksheetsD2.Eco.1.3-5Weigh up what a choice gains against what it costs.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What It Gains, What It Costs — comparing the benefits and costs of a choice
D2.Eco.2.3-5Spot the rewards and penalties that push people towards a decision.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Rewards and Penalties — positive and negative incentives
D2.Eco.3.3-5Name the people, tools and natural materials it takes to make something.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- People, Tools and Materials — human capital, physical capital and natural resources
D2.Eco.4.3-5Explain why people and businesses each do one thing and then trade.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Doing One Thing Well — why people specialise and then trade
D2.Eco.5.3-5Explain what money does that swapping goods cannot.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Money Does That Swapping Cannot — the role of money in exchange
D2.Eco.6.3-5Explain how training and education change what somebody can earn.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Learning and What You Earn — human capital, productivity and future income
D2.Eco.7.3-5Explain how the chance of profit changes what sellers do.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Following the Profit — how profit changes what sellers do
D2.Eco.8.3-5Give examples where a choice affects people who were not part of it.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Effects on People Not in the Deal — external benefits and costs
D2.Eco.9.3-5Describe what financial institutions other than banks do.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Where Money Is Kept and Lent — financial institutions and what they do
D2.Eco.10.3-5Explain what an interest rate is.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- The Price of Borrowing — what an interest rate is
D2.Eco.11.3-5Explain what inflation, deflation and unemployment mean.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Rising, Falling, Out of Work — inflation, deflation and unemployment
D2.Eco.12.3-5Explain where the government gets the money for what it provides.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Who Pays for the Roads? — how government pays for what it provides
D2.Eco.13.3-5Describe how better tools and better skills let people produce more.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Better Tools, Better Skills — raising productivity with capital and training
D2.Eco.14.3-5Explain how trade makes countries depend on each other.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Countries That Need Each Other — how trade creates interdependence
D2.Eco.15.3-5Explain how depending on trade helps some groups and hurts others.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Who Gains and Who Loses by Trade — effects of interdependence on different groups
Geography
12 worksheetsD2.Geo.1.3-5Make maps of places you know and places you do not.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Making a Map Others Can Read — constructing maps of familiar and unfamiliar places
D2.Geo.2.3-5Use maps and satellite images to explain how where a place is shapes what it is like.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Where a Place Is, What It Is Like — location and environmental characteristics
D2.Geo.3.3-5Use maps at different scales to describe what is where.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Zooming In and Zooming Out — using maps at different scales
D2.Geo.4.3-5Explain how culture shapes the way people change and adapt to their surroundings.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- How a Way of Life Shapes the Land — culture and how people adapt their environment
D2.Geo.5.3-5Explain how a place changes over time, in its land and its culture.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- One Place, Four Stages — how a place changes over time
D2.Geo.6.3-5Describe why people live where they live.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Why They Settled There — why population is distributed as it is
D2.Geo.7.3-5Explain how a place's character affects who and what moves through it.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Moves and What Does Not — how place affects movement of people and goods
D2.Geo.8.3-5Explain how where people settle relates to the natural resources nearby.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Settling Where the Resources Are — settlement and the use of natural resources
D2.Geo.9.3-5Work out how a disaster changes where people live and where they move.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- After the Disaster, Who Moves? — effects of catastrophic events on settlement
D2.Geo.10.3-5Explain why the natural world differs from one world region to another.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Why Regions Differ — why environmental characteristics vary by region
D2.Geo.11.3-5Describe how the work done in a place changes as it connects to other places.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Work Changes as Connections Change — how economic activity shifts with connections
D2.Geo.12.3-5Explain how a disaster in one place reaches people somewhere else.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Far Away, Felt at Home — how events elsewhere affect people here
History
14 worksheetsD2.His.1.3-5Use a timeline to compare things that were happening at the same time.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Two Things at Once — sequencing to compare simultaneous developments
D2.His.2.3-5Compare life in a particular period with life today.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Then and Now in the Valley — comparing a past period with today
D2.His.3.3-5Ask questions about the people behind what changed and what stayed the same.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Questions Worth Asking About People — generating questions about people who shaped change
D2.His.4.3-5Explain why people living at the same time saw things differently.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Same Year, Different Eyes — why people of one period differed in perspective
D2.His.5.3-5Explain how the times people lived in shaped how they saw things.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Written When It Was Written — how context shaped a writer's perspective
D2.His.6.3-5Describe how a source's maker shaped what the source says.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Who Made It, and Why — how a maker's perspective shaped a source
D2.His.9.3-5Summarise how different kinds of source get used to explain the past.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Each Kind of Source Shows — how different kinds of source explain the past
D2.His.10.3-5Compare what different sources say about the same past.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Putting Two Sources Side by Side — comparing what different sources say
D2.His.11.3-5Work out who a source was made for and why, from the source itself.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Reading Past the Words — inferring audience and purpose from a source
D2.His.12.3-5Ask questions about several sources and how they relate to an event.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Questions About a Whole Set — generating questions across several sources
D2.His.13.3-5Judge how useful a source is for a particular topic.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Useful For What, Exactly? — judging a source's usefulness for a topic
D2.His.14.3-5Explain the likely causes and effects of an event.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Causes on One Side, Effects on the Other — probable causes and effects of a development
D2.His.16.3-5Use evidence to build a claim about the past.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Build a Claim About 1846 — using evidence to develop a claim about the past
D2.His.17.3-5Summarise the main claim a history book makes.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What the Book Is Arguing — summarising the central claim of a secondary work
Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence
4 worksheetsD3.1.3-5Gather what you need from several sources, choosing each for a reason.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Taking What You Need From a Source — gathering relevant information from sources
D3.2.3-5Use the difference between fact and opinion to judge whether sources can be trusted.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Can This Be Checked? — using fact and opinion to judge credibility
D3.3.3-5Pull evidence from several sources to answer the big question.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Evidence From More Than One Place — drawing evidence from several sources
D3.4.3-5Use evidence to build a claim that answers the big question.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Answer the Big Question — using evidence to develop a claim
Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action
8 worksheetsD4.1.3-5Make an argument using claims and evidence from several sources.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Argue It From the Sources — constructing an argument from claims and evidence
D4.2.3-5Explain something with reasoning, the right order, examples and detail.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Explain It Step by Step — constructing an explanation with reasoning and order
D4.3.3-5Share arguments and explanations beyond the classroom, on paper and on screen.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Tell Somebody Outside the Class — presenting a summary beyond the classroom
D4.4.3-5Judge how good an argument is.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Is Wrong With That Argument? — critiquing an argument
D4.5.3-5Judge how good an explanation is.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Is Missing From That Explanation? — critiquing an explanation
D4.6.3-5Use what you have learned to explain the problems people face and the chances they make.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Which Discipline Answers It? — using disciplinary concepts on a real problem
D4.7.3-5Explain what could be done about a problem, and what might follow.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- What Would Follow If You Did That? — comparing strategies and predicting results
D4.8.3-5Use fair, democratic ways of deciding to act on a problem at school.
45-minute lesson plan for this standard
- Deciding It Fairly at School — democratic procedures for acting on a problem
Grade 3 social studies worksheets — questions teachers ask
What social studies topics do the Grade 3 worksheets cover?
Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries, Civics, Economics, Geography, History, Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence and Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action — the Common Core domains taught in Grade 3. That is 72 worksheets across 72 standards, grouped on this page by the standard each one practises rather than by topic name, so a sheet can be matched to the code you are teaching to.
How many free Grade 3 social studies worksheets are there?
72, each one practising a distinct sub-skill rather than repeating a sibling under another title. Every sheet is published in 25 versions, so Grade 3 has 1800 printable papers in total, all free and all with an answer key.
What age are Grade 3 social studies worksheets for?
Grade 3 is typically ages 8-9 in the United States. The sheets are grouped by Common Core standard rather than by age, so a pupil working above or below their year group can be given the sheet that matches the standard they are on.
Do the Grade 3 worksheets include answer keys?
Every one. The key is generated from the same problems as the questions and prints on its own sheet of paper, after them, so it does not go out with the class. That holds for all 25 versions of every Grade 3 sheet, not only the first.
How do I give each pupil a different Grade 3 worksheet?
Open any sheet and pick a set number from 1 to 25, or download set 1's class PDF, which contains all 25 versions in one file. The problems are fixed to each address, so the key you photocopied on Monday still matches on Friday.
Are the Grade 3 worksheets really free?
Yes. Every Grade 3 worksheet, answer key and PDF here is free to print and photocopy for your class. There is no account, no email capture before a download, and no sheet that turns out to need a subscription at the last step.
Are there Grade 3 lesson plans as well as worksheets?
72 of the 72 Grade 3 standards on this page have a full lesson plan written — timed section by section, with the exact wording where it matters, the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Each one is linked beside its standard above.