Indiana Social Studies 3.G.1

Social Studies3rd GradeGeography

The Standard

Use labels and symbols to locate and identify physical and political features on maps and globes.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use labels and map keys to find places on maps and globes. They tell natural features, such as rivers and mountains, from cities, states, and countries.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given a map, a student can find a named river, mountain range, city, and state. They can explain which label or symbol helped and locate a named country on a globe.
Common Misconceptions: Students may mistake a state border for a river because both appear as lines. They may think a capital star marks an entire state rather than one city.
How to Assess It: Give students a labeled U.S. map and ask: “Circle the Mississippi River, underline Indiana, and box Indianapolis. Which is physical, and which are political?” Then have each student point to the United States on a classroom globe.

Lesson moves

Pairs use a labeled U.S. map to mark Indiana and the Mississippi River on a blank map, with a key for borders and rivers.
Show a river and a state border on a map; ask, “Which line marks a place people named, and how can you tell?”
Call out “Pacific Ocean” or “Canada”; teams find each on a classroom globe and say whether it is physical or political.
Hand out a state road map; students use its key to find a river and a city they could pass on a trip.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.G.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.