Virginia SOL 3.10.c

Social Studies3rd Grade

The Standard

recognizing that because people and regions cannot produce everything they want, they specialize in what they do best and trade for the rest

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students examine simple examples of communities with different skills and resources. They identify what each community can produce well, what it needs from others, and why an exchange helps both sides.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given profiles of two communities, a student chooses a sensible product for each community to make and trade. The student supports each choice with details about workers, land, climate, skills, or materials.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think a community can make only one product, or that trade always involves money. They may also base production choices on wants instead of available workers, land, climate, skills, or materials.
How to Assess It: Use this exit ticket: A coastal town catches plenty of fish but grows little wheat. What should it sell, what should it buy, and why?

Lesson moves

Give groups resource cards and product cards, then have them choose one product to make and barter for two missing items.
Ask, “Why might a Virginia farmer grow apples instead of making shoes?” and have students answer using evidence from a picture set.
Play a trading game where teams collect matching production cards, make goods, and exchange extras to complete a needs list.
Examine labels on classroom items, map where three were made, and discuss why the local community bought them from elsewhere.

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