Scope and sequence · History & Geography
Grade 3 Geography: Around the World: Continents and Oceans
A year-long voyage around the globe, one continent and one ocean at a time, from the Andes and the Amazon to the Nile, the Himalaya and the bottom of the Mariana Trench, following the travelers who first tied the world together, from Polynesian star-steerers and the first sailors with a compass to Marco Polo on the Silk Road, Ibn Battuta and Magellan’s five ships, and tried out at the kitchen table with orange-peel globes, salt-dough maps, sand-tray rivers, needle compasses and a cardboard caravel.
School Launch is a free helpful tool, not an accredited school or curriculum provider. It does not issue credits, transcripts, diplomas or grades of record. Parents and schools are responsible for meeting their own state or local requirements. More
What to cover
32 of 36 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: The Globe and the Grid
- MUST COVER 1.1 Hemispheres ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Latitude: Lines Around · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Longitude: Lines Pole to Pole · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Finding a Place by Its Address · unit test
Unit 2: North America and South America
- MUST COVER 2.1 North America’s Mountains and Plains ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Great Rivers of the Americas · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 The Andes ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Great Cities · unit test
Unit 3: Europe and Africa
- MUST COVER 3.1 Europe: A Peninsula of Peninsulas ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 The Rhine, the Danube and the Alps · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Africa: The Nile and the Sahara · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Africa’s Rift Valley, Rain Forest and Savanna · unit test
Unit 4: Asia and Australia
- MUST COVER 4.1 Asia: The Biggest Continent ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Great Rivers of Asia · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Australia: The Island Continent · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Antarctica · unit test
Unit 5: Oceans and Seas
- MUST COVER 5.1 The Pacific ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 The Atlantic · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Seas, Gulfs and Bays · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Under the Sea ⚙ · unit test
Unit 6: The Compass and the Sail
- MUST COVER 6.1 Steering by the Stars ★ ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 The Magnetic Compass ★ ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Sails That Go Against the Wind ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Making a Map of the Coast ⚙ · unit test
Unit 7: Marco Polo and the Silk Road
- MUST COVER 7.1 Venice: A City on the Water ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 The Silk Road ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Marco Polo at the Court of Kublai Khan · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Ibn Battuta: The Great Traveler · unit test
Unit 8: Around the World
- MUST COVER 8.1 Columbus and the New World ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Magellan Sets Out ★ ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Elcano Comes Home ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 My Trip Around the World · unit test
Unit 9: Bonus: Map Lab OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 Latitude Battleship
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Capital Cities Card Game
- OPTIONAL 9.3 Draw the World from Memory
- OPTIONAL 9.4 Globe Trivia Relay
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 36-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 Hemispheres: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Latitude: Lines Around: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Longitude: Lines Pole to Pole: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Finding a Place by Its Address: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 North America’s Mountains and Plains: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Great Rivers of the Americas: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 The Andes: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Great Cities: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 Europe: A Peninsula of Peninsulas: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 The Rhine, the Danube and the Alps: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Africa: The Nile and the Sahara: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Africa’s Rift Valley, Rain Forest and Savanna: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Asia: The Biggest Continent: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Great Rivers of Asia: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Australia: The Island Continent: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Antarctica: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 17 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 The Pacific: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 The Atlantic: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Seas, Gulfs and Bays: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Under the Sea: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Steering by the Stars: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 The Magnetic Compass: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Sails That Go Against the Wind: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 Making a Map of the Coast: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Venice: A City on the Water: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 The Silk Road: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Marco Polo at the Court of Kublai Khan: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Ibn Battuta: The Great Traveler: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Columbus and the New World: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Magellan Sets Out: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Elcano Comes Home: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 My Trip Around the World: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 9.1 Latitude Battleship: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Session 1: Lesson 9.2 Capital Cities Card Game: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 35 | Session 1: Lesson 9.3 Draw the World from Memory: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 36 | Session 1: Lesson 9.4 Globe Trivia Relay: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 9 review and unit project |
Grading: Projects (effort, care and explaining what was learned) 30%, Map notebook (dated, titled, labeled maps with a compass rose) 20%, Practice (worked examples and practice questions) 10%, Unit reviews (40 points each) 20%, Unit projects 20%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: redo the project or review with help.