THIRD GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES CHAPTER THREE STUDY GUIDE
PLEASE KEEP THIS IN YOUR GREEN FOLDER FOR CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.
Name: __________________________________Date:_______________
Test Date: December 15, 2011
Required learning from Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Guidelines.
Test Format: Test on December 15, 2011 you will have to fill in the blank using a word bank (as you
practiced above) and have to match pictures of a landform with word from a word bank. Students
should make flashcards and match them to the definition.
Third Grade Study Guide of Landforms
cape
a small curved or hooked piece of land extending into
an ocean. (Cape Cod)
coast
land along the edge of a sea or ocean.
desert
a large area of dry land.
forest
a large area of trees. (Chicopee State Park)
gulf
a large body of ocean water that is partly surrounded
by land.
harbor
a sheltered area of water where ships may anchor
safely.
(Boston Harbor)
hill
land that rises above land around it.
THIRD GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES CHAPTER THREE STUDY GUIDE
PLEASE KEEP THIS IN YOUR GREEN FOLDER FOR CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.
island
a landform with water all around it. (Nantucket,
Martha’s Vineyard)
lake
a large body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by
land on all sides.
mountain
highest kind of land, higher than a hill.
mountain
range
a row of connected mountains. (Appalachian
Mountains)
ocean
a body of salt water that covers a large area; these
cover 3/4 of the earth's surface. (Atlantic Ocean)
peninsula
a landform that is surrounded only on three sides by
water.
plain
flat land; usually low in elevation.
plateau
A landform with steep sides and a flat top.
river
a large stream of water that flows across the land .
(Connecticut River, Chicopee River)
THIRD GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES CHAPTER THREE STUDY GUIDE
PLEASE KEEP THIS IN YOUR GREEN FOLDER FOR CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.
valley
low land between hills or mountains. (Pioneer Valley)
volcano
a cone shaped mountain formed by molten rock forced
through the earth’s surface.
STUDENT WILL BE REQUIRED TO KNOW THE LANDFORM DEFINITIONS AND IDENTIFY THEM FOR THE TEST.
Vocabulary Terms to Know:
absolute location: exact location of a place.
border: on a map, a line that shows where a state and nation ends.
erosion: The wearing away of the Earth’s surface.
equator: on a map or globe, a line that appears halfway between the North and South Pole.
fuel: a natural resource that is burned to make heat or energy.
geographer: a person who studies the Earth and its people.
geographic tool: help up tell where a place is and what it might look like; used by geographers.
growing season: the time in which plants grow in a place.
hemisphere: half of the globe when it is divided into either northern or southern halves or eastern or
western halves.
landform map: it shows a place’s main physical features; it is used to learn about the geography of a
specific place.
latitude: are lines found on a map or a globe that run east and west. The help measure distance in
degrees (°) north and south of the equator.
longitude: are lines found on a map or globe that north and south. They measure distances east and
west of the prime meridian.
minerals: natural resources that are found underground: gold, iron, copper, and salt.
natural resource: something from nature that people can use, such as trees, water, minerals,
animals, or soil.
nonrenewable resource: these CANNOT be made by people or nature quickly. Minerals are
nonrenewable.
physical feature: a feature of a place’s land, water, climate, or plant life.
prime meridian: The meridian of 0° longitude.
relative location: the location of a place in relation to another place.
renewable resource: a resource that can be made again by nature or people. They can be replaced.
THIRD GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES CHAPTER THREE STUDY GUIDE
PLEASE KEEP THIS IN YOUR GREEN FOLDER FOR CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.
Prime Meridian