Colonial America

Colonial America Lesson Plans The new Third Grade Tennessee Social Studies Standards that will be implemented in the 2019-2020 school year are on the chart below. Since these web pages were first created, Tennessee has changed its social studies standards four times. Originally the lesson plans aligned perfectly with the fourth grade standards. Now U.S. history has been divided across three grade levels.

Third graders go through the 1600s. This includes Indigenous People, European Exploration, and the Early North American Settlements.

Fourth graders begin with The War for Independence and go through the Civil War .

Fifth graders begin with post Civil War (1870s) and go through the 1960s.

Some areas will need supplementing while other areas are still spot on. The standard numbers are linked to individual lessons.

Early North American Settlements (1585-1600s)

Overview: Students will describe early North American and Tennessee settlements and examine the founding of the Thirteen Colonies, their regional geographic features, and the cooperation that existed between American Indians and colonists.
3.23	Describe the failure of the lost colony of Roanoke and the theories associated with it.	C, G, H
3.24	Explain the significance of the settlement of Jamestown and the role it played in the founding of the U.S.	C, E, G, H, P
3.25	Explain the significance of the settlements of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth and the role they played in the settling of our country.	C, E, G, H, P
3.26 + 3.26	Examine how the regional (i.e., New England, Middle, and Southern) geographic features of the Thirteen Colonies influenced their development.	C, G, H, P
3.27 + 3.27	Identify the economic, political, and religious reasons for founding the Thirteen Colonies and the role of indentured servitude and slavery in their settlement	C, E, G, H, P
3.28	Identify representative assemblies and town meetings as early democratic practices during the colonial period.	H, P
3.29	Explain the cooperation that existed between colonists and American Indians during the 1600s and 1700s, including: fur trade, military alliances, treaties, and cultural exchanges.	C, E, G, H, P, T
3.30	Examine how long hunters (e.g., Daniel Boone and William Bean) created interest in land west of the Appalachian Mountains.	C, E, G, H, T
3.31	Describe life on the Tennessee frontier and reasons why settlers moved west.	C, E, G, H, P, T

C—Culture, E—Economics, G—Geography, H—History, P—Politics/Government, T—Tennessee TCA—Tennessee Code Annotated: These standards are legally required to be taught.

Early North American Settlements (1585-1600s)

Overview: Students will develop an understanding of map reading, including learning geographic terms that illustrate physical and political features on maps and globes.
3.01	Analyze maps and globes using common terms, including: Country North Pole Equator Prime meridian Hemisphere Region Latitude South Pole Longitude Time zones	G
3.02	Use cardinal directions, intermediate directions, map scales, legends, and grids to locate major cities in Tennessee and the U.S.	G,T
3.03	Examine major physical features on globes and maps, including: Basin Desert Ocean Sea Bay Gulf Peninsula Strait Canal Island Plain Stream Canyon Isthmus Plateau Valley Delta River	G
3.04	Examine major political features on globes and maps, including: boundaries, cities, highways, railroads, and roads.	G
3.05	Identify the economic, political, and religious reasons for founding the Thirteen Colonies and the role of indentured servitude and slavery in their settlement	G

G—Geography, T—Tennessee TCA—Tennessee Code Annotated: These standards are legally required to be taught.