Grade 3: Civics Content

Concepts
- Rules, rights, and responsiblities (e.g., right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness)
- Citizenship
- Symbols of citizenship
- Civic values
- Community
- Governments
- Patriotism
- Common Good
- Justice
- Nation-state
- Political systems
- Leadership
- Democracy
- Monarchy
- Dictatorship
- Theocracy
Content Understandings
- Symbols of citizenship
  - People in world communities celebrate various holidays and festivals.
  - People in world communities use monuments and memorials to represent symbols of their nations.
- People making and changing rules and laws
  - People in world communities form governments to develop rules and laws to govern community members.
  - People in world communities may have conflicts over rules, rights, and responsibilities.
  - The processes of selecting leaders, solving problems, and making decisions differ in various world communities.
- Governments around the world
  - Governments in world communities organize to provide functions that individuals cannot provide.
  - Governments in world communities have the authority to make, carry out, and enforce laws and manage disputes among them.
  - Governments in world communities develop rules and laws.
  - Governments in world communities plan, organize, and make decisions.
  - A nation-state is made up of its territory, people, laws, and government.*
  - The United States is a nation that interacts with other world nations.*
  - Nations of the world interact through trade, diplomacy, cultural contacts, treaties, agreements, and military conflict.*
  - Nations of the world try to peacefully resolve conflicts through the United Nations.*
  - Nations and communities around the world use free, fair, and competitive elections to select their representatives and leaders in government.**
  - Nations and communities around the world have independent judiciaries that apply the rule of law in their interactions between citizens and their governments.**
  - Nations and communities around the world protect their citizens' constitutional rights to life, liberty, equality, and justice.**
  - Nations and communities around the world extend the rights and responsibilities of citizenship to others.**
  - Citizens of world communities participate in their governments and volunteer to improve the quality of life for all members of their societies.**

(* Adapted from: National Standards for Civics and Government, Center for Civic Education, 1994, pp. 33-34.)
(** Adapted from: Judith Torney-Purta and Susan Vermeer, Developing Citizenship Competencies from Kindergarten through Grade 12: A Background Paper for Policymakers and Educators, Education Commission of the States [ECS], 2004, p. 18.)