# Grade 3 Social Studies: Year at a Glance

## Overview

This year, students explore Alberta itself: its land, its people, and how it works. They look at the natural and built features that shape our province, and they learn how Alberta's diversity connects to its western identity. [See the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47618): [1](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47618), [2](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47619), [3](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47629), [4](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47620), [5](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47630).

Students also dig into how Alberta runs as a system. They look at how natural resources are used across the province, and they compare how municipal and provincial governments make decisions. [See the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47635): [1](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47635), [2](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47636), [3](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47642), [4](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47637), [5](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47643).

Finally, students turn to citizenship: understanding issues that affect their community and learning what civic action looks like for an Albertan. [See the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47648): [1](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47648), [2](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47649), [3](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47650).

## The year at a glance

### Grade 3

| Organizing idea | Guiding questions | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| **Time and Place:** Exploring the dynamic relationships between people, place, and time supports understanding of perspectives and events to make meaning of the world. | What are features of the land in Alberta?; Who are Albertans? | Students investigate natural and created features of Alberta. ([see the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47620)); Students relate diversity to Alberta's western identity. ([see the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47630)) |
| **Systems:** Evaluating processes and structures of organizations builds understanding of decision making in the world. | How are natural resources used in Alberta?; How is Alberta governed? | Students examine natural resource use in Alberta. ([see the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47637)); Students compare municipal and provincial governments. ([see the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47643)) |
| **Citizenship:** Understanding local, national, and global issues empowers individual and collective action toward an inclusive society. | How can Albertans make an impact in their communities? | Students explore civic actions. ([see the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47650)) |

## Across the year

- The land studied under Time and Place connects directly to the resources studied under Systems: understanding Alberta's features helps explain how those resources come to be used. [See the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47619): [1](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47619), [2](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47636).
- Learning who Albertans are sets up later work on civic action, since students first need to understand the community before they can act within it. [See the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47629): [1](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47629), [2](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47649).
- Comparing municipal and provincial governments gives students the background they need to understand how Alberta is governed[See the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47642): [1](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47642), [2](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47643), [3](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47650).
- The organizing idea of Time and Place supports understanding of perspectives and events to make meaning of the world[See the curriculum](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47618): [1](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47618), [2](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47635), [3](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47648).

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*AILI parent overview · language en · model claude-sonnet-5 · generated 2026-09-17 · id 24128808-3c90-471a-b6cf-b07666441683*

### Sources

- node:n1: Grade 3 (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47617)
- node:n2: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47618)
- node:n3: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47635)
- node:n4: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47648)
- node:n5: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Time and Place: Exploring the dynamic relationships between people, place, and time supports understanding of perspecti… (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47619)
- node:n6: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Time and Place: Exploring the dynamic relationships between people, place, and time supports understanding of perspecti… (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47629)
- node:n7: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Systems: Evaluating processes and structures of organizations builds understanding of decision making in the world. (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47636)
- node:n8: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Systems: Evaluating processes and structures of organizations builds understanding of decision making in the world. (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47642)
- node:n9: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Citizenship: Understanding local, national, and global issues empowers individual and collective action toward an inclu… (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47649)
- node:n10: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Time and Place: Exploring the dynamic relationships between people, place, and time supports understanding of perspecti… › What are features of the land in Alberta? (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47620)
- node:n11: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Time and Place: Exploring the dynamic relationships between people, place, and time supports understanding of perspecti… › Who are Albertans? (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47630)
- node:n12: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Systems: Evaluating processes and structures of organizations builds understanding of decision making in the world. › How are natural resources used in Alberta? (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47637)
- node:n13: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Systems: Evaluating processes and structures of organizations builds understanding of decision making in the world. › How is Alberta governed? (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47643)
- node:n14: Social Studies › Social Studies (K–6) › Grade 3 › Citizenship: Understanding local, national, and global issues empowers individual and collective action toward an inclu… › How can Albertans make an impact in their communities? (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/47650)