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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Pack Your Bags: Explore South Carolina (Grade 3)

Master Teacher

Brenda Richardson

Time Allotment

Eight 45-minute periods (The first four periods will be used to create projects and the remaining four periods will be used for student presentations and sharing this information with other classes.)

Overview

In 1788, South Carolina became a state. South Carolina is divided into 46 counties. Each county has physical and human characteristics unique to South Carolina. Students will take virtual field trips around the state of South Carolina investigating and researching different counties. Through the activities presented in this lesson, students will become familiar with the counties of South Carolina. This lesson is designed to help students learn more about the state of South Carolina.

Subject Matter

South Carolina History

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• identify counties in South Carolina
• identify physical and human characteristics of a county in South Carolina
• create and publish a digital travel brochure
• present information orally to classmates

South Carolina Standards

Social Studies—Grade 3

The learner will demonstrate an understanding of places and regions.

The student should be able to:

1. identify physical characteristics (e.g., landforms, river systems, climate regions) and the natural resources in South Carolina and their relationships to economic activities

2. discuss the location and distribution of human characteristics (e.g., population, land use, transportation and communication systems) and political units in South Carolina

3. locate the physical and human characteristics in his or her community and in nearby communities

Reading/English Language Arts—Grade 3

Speaking

1. The student will present brief presentations, demonstrations, and oral reports to inform and entertain.

Research

1. The student will plan and conduct investigation and present findings in written and oral forms.

Media Components

Web Sites

National Association of Counties' About Counties site gives statistical information on the counties of South Carolina.

Welcome to South Carolina gives things to do and places to stay in South Carolina.

SCIWAY—South Carolina's Front Door is the largest directory of information on the Palmetto State on the Internet.

50states.com gives facts about each state.

The Horry County Schools site portals a collection of historical information about South Carolina.

Materials

For the class:

a supply of travel brochures from various places in South Carolina

Per student:

• a pencil
• paper
• computer access
• access to Power Point software
• floppy disk
• Assessment Rubric (Activity Sheet 1)

Prep for Teachers

• Prior to teaching, bookmark all of the Web sites used in the lesson. Assign each student one or two counties to research.
• Assign each student two counties to research.
• Label disks with student names.

Introductory Activity: Setting the Stage

Step 1

Ask your students to think of their favorite place in the world. Call on a few volunteers to share. Ask students to think about one place they would like to visit and describe the place. Call on students to share.

Step 2

Ask students to share ideas about why it is nice to live in South Carolina. Tell your students that South Carolina is a fascinating place to live in or visit.

Learning Activities

Step 1

Focus for Media Interaction: Assign each student one or two counties to investigate. Have your students go to the Internet and search the book marked sites. Each student needs to find the following information (this activity takes two 45-minute periods):

1. one activity/entertainment to do in the county
2. the history of the county
3. the population of the county
4. the origin of county name
5. three facts or details about the county

Step 2

After each student collects his/her information on the counties, he or she then needs to create Power Point slides for the counties. You will then group all of the student slides into one presentation—the students' digital travel brochure. (This will take two 45-minute periods.)

Culminating Activities

Invite parents and other students to come to your classroom. Have your students show their Power Point presentations about the counties of South Carolina.

Cross- Curricular Extensions

Art: Have students produce artwork about a county of South Carolina.

Technology: Allow students to search the Internet to investigate other sites on South Carolina. Allow students to interview students in each county through e-mail.

Math: Ask students to determine the distance from their county of residence to other counties in South Carolina.

Writing: Have each student write a persuasive paragraph encouraging individuals to move to the county he/she researched.

Language Arts: Arrange for students to share reports with other students in the school system.

Music: Teach students the "Sandlapper Song" and the counties of South Carolina to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."

Community Connections

• Contact the local chamber of commerce and arrange for a visit to further investigate the county of residence.
• Invite individuals from other counties to share information about their counties.
• Visit museums showcasing South Carolina memorabilia.

Activity Sheets (PDF)

• Activity Sheet 1