Grade 3 Our Nation

The World and Our Nation

The world is made up of water and seven large land areas known

as continents. Our country is called the United States of

America. It is located on the continent of North America.

Name _________________________

The Seven Continents

CLUES

#1 The largest continent is where

The world's tallest mountain reaches into the air.

One out of every four people in the world live there.

It's the home of the panda bear.

Can you name the continent?

The highest point is Mt. Everest...

This is continent # ________________.

#2 The 2nd largest continent has tigers and elephants.

The world's longest river flows past the pyramids.

Sahara desert gets so hot

Some years it doesn't rain one drop.


The Egyptian pyramids, are in…


#3 On the 3rd largest continent you'll get

To see landforms you won't forget.

Like the Rocky Mountains or 5 great lakes;

The Grand Canyon with its eagles and rattlesnakes.


It includes Mexico and Canada.


#4 The rainiest place in the world is here;

Gets more than 22 feet of rain in a year.

The Andes Mountains run all the way from North to South.

Piranhas in the Amazon would like to put you in their mouth!



#5 It's so cold everywhere you go.

Penguins wish they had a coat.

Ice and snow! Ice and snow!


#6 Many small countries form this 2nd smallest

continent.

The Rhine and Thames and Danube rivers run through it.

Spain, Greece, France and Italy

Surround the Mediterranean Sea.


The "Euro" is their common currency.


#7 Koala bears in eucalyptus trees live on the

Smallest continent, surrounded by seas.

Hopping around are kangaroos and wallabies.

It's native people are called Aborigines


Some people call it Oceania.


“Continents” Answer Key

1) 4

2) 5

3) 1

4) 2

5) 3

6) 7

7) 6

Our Nation: North America

North America is made up of different countries. Each country

has its own government that makes decisions for the people who

live there. One of the countries in North America is the United

States of America. Above the United States is a country called

Canada. Below the United States is a country called Mexico.

To the right (east) of the United States is a body of water called

the Atlantic Ocean and to

the left (west) is another

body of water called the

Pacific Ocean.

Our Nation: The United States

The United States of America is located on the continent of

North America. There are 50 states in the U.S. The U.S.

borders (the line separating two countries) Canada to the north

and Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. On the east

coast, the U.S. is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the

west coast it is bordered

by the Pacific Ocean.

To the northwest of

Canada is the state of

Alaska. The state of

Hawaii is located in the

Pacific Ocean, southwest

of California.

Our Nation: The 50 States

The United States is made up of 50 states. Most of the states

border each other. There are two states that do not touch the

rest of the states. These are Alaska and Hawaii.

Our Capital: Washington, D.C.

Every country has a capital. This is where the government makes

important decisions, such as laws. It is also where the President

lives and Congress meets. The Supreme Court justices work here,

too.

The capital of the United

States is Washington, D.C.

It is named after George

Washington, who was the

first President of the

United States, and

Christopher Columbus, a

famous explorer.

Washington, D.C. is

located on the east coast and is surrounded by the states of

Maryland and Virginia on the Potomac River.

The United States of America

New York State

Capital City: Albany

Nickname: Empire State / Excelsior State

Motto: Excelsior (Ever upward)

Largest Cities: New York, Buffalo, Rochester,

Yonkers, Syracuse

Border States: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New

Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont

Land Area: 47,224 sq.mi., 30th largest

State Bird: Bluebird

State Flower: Rose

State Tree: Sugar Maple

State Song: I Love New York

Suggested Activity: Have student’s research one additional state @

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/state/index.html

Capital City: Washington, D.C.

Motto: In God We Trust

Largest Cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston,

Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San

Diego, Dallas, San Jose

Population: 298,444,215 (July 2006 est.)

Land Area: 3,615,123 sq. mi. (9,375,720 sq. km.)

Largest State: Alaska

Smallest State: Rhode Island

National Bird: Bald Eagle

National Flower: Rose

National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner


Name __________________________________________

To learn about another state in the United States go to the

following website: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-

5/state/index.html. Choose one of the states on the map and

click on that state to learn more.

State ____________________________________

Capital City:

Nickname:

Motto:

Largest Cities:

Border States:

Land Area:

State Bird:

State Flower:

State Tree:

State Song:



Our Government

Why do we need a government? Imagine what

school would be like if no one was in charge.

Each class would make its own rules. Who gets

to use the gym if two classes want to use it at

the same time? Who would clean the

classrooms? Who decides if you learn about

Mars or playing kickball? Sounds confusing,

right? This is why schools have people who are in charge, such as

the principal and teachers. Our nation has people who are in

charge and they make up the government.

Our Government

The Constitution

Over 200 years ago, our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

The Constitution is the most important laws and rules in our

country and explains how our government works. The Constitution

divides the government into three branches.

1. __________________________________

2. __________________________________

3. __________________________________

Our Government: The Legislative Branch

The legislative branch makes laws

for the nation and is also known as

Congress. Congress meets at the

U.S. Capitol building in Washington,

D.C.

Our Government: The

Executive Branch

The executive branch makes sure

people follow the laws that the

legislative branch makes. The

leaders of this branch are the

President and Vice-President. The

President lives at the White

House in Washington, D.C.

Our Government: The Judicial Branch

Sometimes people are not sure

what a law means. The judicial

branch listens to many different

opinions and then makes a decision

about what they law means. The

judicial branch is made up of

courts. The highest or most

important is the U.S. Supreme

Court and is made up of 9 judges. They meet at the Supreme Court

building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Capitol

Built on a hill, the U.S. Capitol is the home of the United States

Congress and is

where the laws are

made.

Atop the iron dome,

is a statue of a

woman representing

Freedom, by the

American sculptor

Thomas Crawford.

The height of the

Capitol from the

ground to the top of

the statue is 287.5

feet.

1. Where is the US Capitol building located?

_____________________________________________

2. Who works in the U. S. Capitol?

_____________________________________________

3. What is located at the top of the building?

_____________________________________________

4. Which branch of the government works in the US Capitol?

_____________________________________________

The White House

The address of the White House is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in

Washington, DC. Every president of the United States has lived

in the White House except for George Washington. The house

was not built in time!

The White House has six floors, two basements, two public

floors, and two floors for the First Family. The First Family is

the President and his family. There is an Oval Office where the

President works.

1. Where is The White House located?

_____________________________________________

2. Who works in The White House?

_____________________________________________

3. Which branch of the government works in The White

House?

_____________________________________________

The Supreme Court Building

This building is located in Washington, DC near the Capitol

building. There are sixteen marble columns at the main entrance

of the Court. This is the building is where the Supreme Court

meets. Above the entrance to the Supreme Court Building is

written "Equal Justice Under Law."

1. Where is the Supreme Court building located?

_____________________________________________

2. Who works in the Supreme Court building?

_____________________________________________

3. What does it say above the entrance to the building?

_____________________________________________

4. Which branch of the government works in the Supreme

Court building?

_____________________________________________

The Statue of Liberty

Located in New York, the statue is 151 feet tall

(305 feet if you ad the base and pedestal). The

Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom throughout

the world. The Statue was a gift from the people

of France.

The statue is made of copper and is a woman who

has fought and won her freedom. Her right hand

holds a burning torch that represents liberty. Her

left hand holds a tablet inscribed with the date

"July 4, 1776." She is wearing flowing robes and

the seven rays of her spiked crown symbolize the

seven seas and continent

Pictured below is the Statue of Liberty's 25-foot-long left foot!

Mount Rushmore

In the Black Hills of South Dakota is Mount Rushmore. It

was designed as

to show the

growth and

strength of our

country and its

great leaders. It

is carved out of

rock and is 60-

feet high. The

monument shows

four great U.S.

Presidents.

They are:

George

Washington

Thomas

Jefferson

Theodore

Roosevelt

Abraham

Lincoln

The Flag

The U.S. flag was first flown in 1777 and looked much

different back then! Back then, there were only thirteen

states. Stars were added to the flag as new states

joined the country. Now our flag has 50 stars.

Ever wonder why the flag is red, white, and blue?

White: means purity

Red: means bravery

Blue: means care, determination, and justice

Why stars and stripes? Stars are considered a symbol of

the heavens and the stripe is symbolic of the rays of

light from the sun.

The Bald Eagle

The bald eagle is a large,

powerful, brown bird with a

white head and tail. The

term "bald" does not mean

that this bird lacks

feathers. Instead, it comes

from an old word that means

"marked with white."

The bald eagle was made the

national bird of the United

States in 1782. The bald

eagle can be found in many

places in the U.S., such as on

the President's flag and on

the one-dollar bill.

The bald eagle was chosen because it symbolized

strength, courage, and freedom. Hundreds of years ago

there were as many as 25,000 to 50,000 bald eagles in

North America, but populations have since dropped. Many

eagles were captured for getting too close to poultry or

fishing nets; some were captured for falconry; and many

eagles were poisoned by pesticides. In 1967, the bald

eagle was included on the Endangered Species List.

Federal laws, such as the Bald Eagle Protection Act,

protect the bald eagle and have led to the recovery of

bald eagle populations. In 2007, populations have

improved and the bald eagle was removed from the list.

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Grade 3 Our Nation