These two projects were created for third grade social studies. Both are differentiated, and offer a wide range of interesting choices for your students.
The All American Diner and Famous Americans projects can be tweaked so that they best suit your needs time wise. Both can be independent projects.
BLOOMS- Creating, Evaluating, Analyzing, Applying
HOTS
Differentiated Menu
Social Studies
GATE
Civics
VA SOL 3.11
Venn Diagram
Research
Writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1a, W3.1b, W3.4, W3.8, W3.10