British Columbia · Grade 3
Social Studies 3
British Columbia’s Grade 3 social studies course, from Ways of Life to People and the Land.
- Units
- 5
- Lessons
- 6
- Skills
- 6
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Province of British Columbia
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 2 skills
Ways of Life
First Peoples Ways of Life, Here and Around the World
How local and global First Peoples live
I can describe special features and everyday ways of life of local First Peoples and of indigenous peoples in other parts of the world.
Skill 1.1
What All Peoples Share
Things every culture has in common
I can identify parts of life that are shared by and common to many different peoples and cultures.
Skill 1.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 1.1
- cultural characteristics and ways of life of local First Peoples and global indigenous peoples
- 1.2
- aspects of life shared by and common to peoples and cultures
Key ideas
Local BC First Peoples, other Canadian and North American indigenous peoples, and indigenous peoples of South America each have their own worldview, protocols, celebrations, ceremonies, dance, music, spiritual beliefs, art, values, kinship, and traditional teachings.
Every people and culture shares certain aspects of life in common: family, work, education, and systems of ethics and spirituality — even though the details of each look different from place to place.
Ethnic groups from around the world — like ethnic Chinese and Korean communities, or Germanic, Slavic, Latin, and Celtic groups — also carry their own distinct cultural characteristics and ways of life worth studying respectfully.
Comparing and classifying similar and different details across cultures (like comparing two families' mealtimes) helps you spot the shared aspect underneath.
Stories matter deeply to indigenous peoples, and Elders play an important part in passing on values and traditions — that's part of why oral tradition is treated with such care and respect.
Watch out for
- Thinking all First Peoples or all indigenous peoples around the world share the exact same traditions, language, and beliefs — in reality every nation and community has its own distinct culture.
- Thinking that because two cultures do something differently, they don't share that part of life at all (different does not mean absent — every culture has family, just expressed differently).
- Assuming First Peoples culture only existed 'long ago' instead of understanding that local First Peoples communities, languages, and traditions are alive and practiced today.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 1 skill
Innovation and Connection
Clever Ideas and Inventions
Inventions that connect peoples
I can describe cultural and technological innovations of local and global indigenous peoples and how they connect peoples together.
Skill 2.1
The official wording · 1 outcomes
- 2.1
- interconnections of cultural and technological innovations of global and local indigenous peoples
Key ideas
Indigenous peoples, local and global, developed inventive solutions for transportation, clothing, pottery, shelters and buildings, navigation, weapons, and tools.
Innovations also include ways of getting and preparing food and expressing culture: hunting and fishing techniques, building techniques, food cultivation and preparation, ceremonies, art, music, and basketry and weaving.
Is the technology we have today automatically 'better' than traditional indigenous technology? Traditional technologies were carefully designed to work well for the environment and needs they served — 'newer' does not always mean 'better'.
Watch out for
- Assuming indigenous technology was 'simple' or less clever than modern technology, rather than seeing it as smart, tested solutions built for a specific environment and purpose.
- Thinking every indigenous group everywhere used the exact same inventions and techniques, instead of recognizing that different peoples innovated in different ways suited to their own land and resources.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 1 skill
Governance and Community
Leaders and Decisions in Indigenous Societies
How indigenous societies organize and lead
I can describe how local and global indigenous societies are governed and organized.
Skill 3.1
The official wording · 1 outcomes
- 3.1
- governance and social organization in local and global indigenous societies
Key ideas
Indigenous societies organize themselves and make decisions in a variety of thoughtful ways, including consensus (everyone agreeing together), confederacies (groups of nations working together), and traditional leadership.
Elders hold an important, respected role in many indigenous societies, guiding decisions and passing down knowledge; band councils are another way communities today organize leadership and decision-making.
What are the advantages or disadvantages of consensus decision-making, where a whole group works to agree together instead of one leader deciding alone?
Watch out for
- Assuming every indigenous community is led the exact same way, instead of recognizing there are different systems — consensus, confederacies, traditional leadership, band councils — used by different peoples.
- Thinking indigenous governance only existed in the past, rather than understanding that band councils and traditional leadership structures continue to govern indigenous communities today.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 1 skill
Learning from the Past
Stories, Voices, and Objects from the Past
What stories and objects tell us
I can use oral history, traditional stories, and artifacts as evidence to learn about past First Peoples cultures.
Skill 4.1
The official wording · 1 outcomes
- 4.1
- oral history, traditional stories, and artifacts as evidence about past First Peoples cultures
Key ideas
Oral history and traditional stories, passed down by Elders through generations, are a rich, reliable form of evidence about the past — First Peoples used oral tradition instead of written language to carry their history forward.
Artifacts — like tools, earth mounds, petroglyphs, weapons, and sacred or significant places and landforms — are physical evidence you can look at and ask questions about, even without written records.
Why are stories important to indigenous people, and why do Elders play such an important part in passing them on? Because oral history carries real knowledge, values, and memory across generations.
Watch out for
- Assuming that because oral history isn't written down, it is less accurate or reliable than a written record — oral tradition is a carefully maintained, trustworthy way of passing down real history.
- Thinking an old object automatically tells you exactly what it was used for, rather than understanding that historians and communities often need to ask questions and use clues to interpret artifacts.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 5 · 1 skill
People and the Land
How People and Nature Affect Each Other
People and the land, working together
I can describe the relationship between humans and their environment.
Skill 5.1
The official wording · 1 outcomes
- 5.1
- relationship between humans and their environment
Key ideas
People around the world follow protocols that acknowledge and respect the land, showing care for the environment they depend on.
Humans also reshape the land for resource exploration and development, domesticate animals, and organize hunting and fishing in specific ways — all of which affect the environment around them.
The relationship goes both ways: people depend on the land for what they need, and the choices people make (protocols of respect, or reshaping the land) affect what happens to that land in return.
Watch out for
- Thinking humans only take from the environment and never give anything back, instead of recognizing that many peoples follow protocols specifically designed to protect and sustain the land.
- Assuming the relationship between people and land is fixed and unchanging, rather than understanding it shifts as hunting, fishing, and land-use techniques change over time.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows British Columbia’s own curriculum for Social Studies 3.
Textbooks
In British Columbia, each school district chooses its own textbooks: the ministry no longer recommends them. The ministry’s page
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Social Studies 3 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Social Studies 3 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 30
- Fillable fields
- 1,092
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Social Studies 3
What is Social Studies 3?
British Columbia’s Grade 3 social studies course: 5 units and 6 skills, from Ways of Life to People and the Land.
What units are in Social Studies 3?
1. Ways of Life, 2. Innovation and Connection, 3. Governance and Community, 4. Learning from the Past and 5. People and the Land.
Is there a provincial exam for Social Studies 3?
No. British Columbia gives no provincial exam for Social Studies 3.
What textbook does Social Studies 3 use?
Each school district in British Columbia chooses its own textbooks, so ask your teacher which one your class uses.
What comes after Social Studies 3?
Social Studies 4.
Can MapleMind help with Social Studies 3?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Social Studies 3, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for Social Studies 3
Practise every skill of Social Studies 3 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
