Download PENNSYLVANIA AND THE REGIONS OF THE

GRADE 4 - PENNSYLVANIA AND THE REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES
OVERVIEW
For Fourth Grade instructional purposes, units two through five could be covered in quarters
one through four, with map skills integrated throughout the year. The order in which regions are
covered is irrelevant. Emphasis should be placed on the Middle Atlantic region with a focus on
Pennsylvania, since most students would have the greatest familiarity with this area. The age of
the children and the nature of the material indicate a familiarity with this area. The age of the
children and the nature of the material indicate a survey approach. Students in Kindergarten
through Third Grade, who have been instructed according to the Diocesan curriculum, will have
been introduced to components of Pennsylvania and United States geography, history, and
civics. While all should be emphasized in order to effectively utilize the interests of his/her
students and impart Social Studies skills and concepts that are age appropriate.
Current events is an integral part of the curriculum in each grade level and should be
reviewed and discussed on a regular, keeping in perspective the suitability of the topic for the
grade level. Where possible, current events should be related to curriculum and geography.
Catholic history of and impact on the regions should be included in each quarter.
Teachers are encouraged to consult the standards and to remember that empirical learning has
greater impact for most students. Social Studies instruction includes geography, history,
economics, civics, and government.
Diocese of Allentown
Social Studies Curriculum
Fourth Grade
I. Map Skills
Upon completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
A. Location
1. Name/locate seven continents on a map of the world;
2. Name/locate four oceans on a map of the world;
3. locate the major parallels of latitude and meridians or longitude on a map of the world;
B. Latitude/Longitude
1. distinguish between lines of latitude and lines of longitude;
2. use a map grid to locate places on a state and/or region map;
C. Geography
1. distinguish between a physical and a political map;
2. use symbols to read a map;
3. list and describe major landforms in the United States;
4. list and describe major bodies of water in the United States;
5. identify climate types in the United States;
6. define the geographical terms presented for identification
II. The United States of America
A. Physical Geography
1. location
a. central section of North America
b. bordered by Canada to the north; Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south; the
Atlantic Ocean to the east; the Pacific Ocean to the west
2. size
a. in area
b. in population
B. Political Division
comprised of fifty states and the District of Columbia
III. The New England Region of the United States
A. Physical Geography
1. location
a. geographic placement on United States mainland
b. states and capital cities
c. other major cities
2. major landforms
a. Atlantic Coastal Plain
b. Appalachian Highlands
c. Cape Cod
3. major bodies of water
a. Atlantic Ocean
b. Massachusetts Bay
c. Lake Champlain
d. Connecticut River
e. Penobscot River
4. climate: Continental
5. regions
B. Cultural Geography
1. people
a. heritage/ancestry
b. present demographics
2. lifestyles/languages
3. religions
4. economy
5. current events/current issues
IV. The Middle Atlantic Region of the United States
A. Physical Geography
l. location
a. geographic placement on United States mainland
b. states and capital cities
c. other major cities
2. major landforms
a. Atlantic Coastal Plain
b. Appalachian Highlands
3. major bodies of water
a. Atlantic Ocean
h. Allegheny River
b. Chesapeake Bay
i. Monongahela River
c. Hudson River
j. Ohio River
d. Lehigh River
k. Lake Ontario
e. Delaware River
l. Lake Erie
f. Susquehanna River
m. Lake Champlain
g. Potomac River
n. Finger Lakes
4. climate: Continental
5. regions
B. The Geography of Pennsylvania
1. location
a. world hemispheres - northern/western
b. continent - North America
c. country - The United States of America
d. region - Northeast/Middle Atlantic state
e. latitude/longitude
f. time zone
2. boundaries
List and/or sketch the stats that border Pennsylvania
3. major land regions
4. major waterways
a. Eastern and Central Pennsylvania - Delaware, Susquehanna, Lehigh, Juniata,
Schuylkill Rivers
b. Western Pennsylvania - Monongahela, Allegheny, Ohio Rivers
c. Lakes - Erie, Wallenpaupack, Conneaut
5. climate
a. type
b. vegetation
c. soil
6. resources
Identify and name a use for each resource.
a. minerals (coal, natural gas, oil, limestone, cement, slate, sandstone, clay, talus stone,
cobalt)
b. land (field crops, plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat products)
c. water
C. Cultural Geography
1. people
a. heritage/ancestry
b. present demographics
2. lifestyles/languages
3. religions
4. economy
5. current events/current issues
V. The Historical Development of Pennsylvania
A. Prehistoric, Historic, and Present-Day Native American Groups and their Contributions to
Pennsylvania
1. descendants of immigrants from Asia
a. Allegewi
b. Lenni-Lenape
c. Mengwe
2. Delawares (Lenape), Shawnee, Nanticoke, and Conoys
3. Iroguois (Mengwe)
4. The United American Indians of the Delaware Valley
5. Pooles
B. Early European Exploration of and Contributions to Pennsylvania
1. Swedes
a. Johan Printz/Tinicum (island - mouth of Schuylkill River), 1643
b. log cabins, cows, handcrafts, Santa Lucia Day
2. Dutch
a. Peter Stuyvesant’s takeover of Tinicum Island
b. St. Nicholas, Dutch Colonial houses, ice skates, “Dutch oven”
3. Finns
4. English
a. William Penn and the Quakers/Philadelphia
b. “holy experiment”
c. “the Walking Purchase”
d. schools, English-style houses, town names, state government
5. German-speaking peoples
a. Germantown
b. Ephrata cloisters
c. Moravians/Bethlehem, Nazareth
d. Amish
e. Hessians
f. art, music, manufacturing, customs
6. Welsh, Irish, Scots-Irish
a. highway
b. St. David’s Day
c. Catholic influence: colleges, hospitals, orphanages
d. St. Patrick’s Day
e. log houses
7. Other European groups
8. Asians
9. Africans
C. Historical Movements leading to Statehood of Pennsylvania
l. colonization
2. Revolutionary War
3. Constitutional Convention
D. Development and Contributions of the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania
VI. The Government of Pennsylvania
A. Capital: Harrisburg
1. purpose
2. state buildings
B. Counties
1. purpose
2. location
3. local
a. Northampton
b. Lehigh
c. Berks
d. Bucks
e. Carbon
g. Montgomery
h. Chester
i. Delaware
j. Philadelphia
k. Monroe
f. Schuylkill
C. Branches
1. executive
2. legislative
3. judicial
D. History
1. structure of early government: Commonwealth
2. state constitution
3. governors
E. Rights and Responsibilities of Pennsylvania Citizens
1. rights - personal, political, economic
2. responsibilities - personal, civic
F. Units Within the State
1. family
2. city
3. county
4. townships, boroughs
5. diocese
6. interrelationship of units
G. State Symbols
1. flag
2. seal
3. motto: “Virtue, Liberty and Independence”
4. flower: mountain laurel
5. bird: ruffed grouse
6. tree: hemlock
7. insect: firefly
8. animal: white-tailed deer
9. fish: brook trout
10. nickname: Keystone State
VII. The Economy of Pennsylvania
VIII. The Present-Day People and Culture of Pennsylvania
IX. The Southeast Region of the United States
A. Physical Geography
1. location
a. geographic placement on United States mainland
b. states and capital cities
c. other major cities
2. major landforms
a. Appalachian Mountains
b. Piedmont Plateau
c. Coastal Plain: Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico
3. major bodies of water
a. Atlantic Ocean
f. Mississippi River
b. Gulf of Mexico
g. Arkansas River
c. Chesapeake Bay
h. Red River
d. Tampa Bay
i. Tennessee River
e. Lake Okeechobee j. Ohio River
k. James River
4. climate
5. regions
B. Cultural Geography
1. people
a. heritage/ancestry
b. present demographics
2. lifestyles/languages
3. religions
4. economy
5. current events/current issues
X. The Midwest Region of the United States
A. Physical Geography
1. location
a. geographic placement on United States mainland
b. states and capital cities
c. other major cities
2. major landforms
a. Great Plains
b. Central Lowlands
c. Ozark-Ouachita Highlands
d. Black Hills
e. Badlands
3. major bodies of water
a. Lake Superior
g. Arkansas River
b. Lake Michigan
h. Mississippi River
c. Lake Huron
i. Red River
d. Lake Erie
j. Illinois River
e. Missouri River
k. Ohio River
f. Platte River
4. climate
5. regions
B. Cultural Geography
1. people
a. heritage/ancestry
b. present demographics
2.
3.
4.
5.
lifestyles/languages
religions
economy
current events/current issues
XI. The Southwest Region of the United States
A. Physical Geography
1. location
a. geographic placement on United States mainland
b. states and capital cities
c. other major cities
2. major landforms
a. Gulf Coastal Plain
b. Rocky Mountain Range
c. Grand Canyon
d. Painted Desert
3. major bodies of water
a. Gulf of Mexico
b. Galveston Bay
c. Rio Grande River
d. Colorado River
e. Pecos River
f. Red River
g. Arkansas River
h. Lake Mead
4. climate
5. regions
B. Cultural Geography
1. people
a. heritage/ancestry
b. present demographics
2. lifestyles/languages
3. religions
4. economy
5. current events/current issues
XII. The West Region of the United States and the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska
A. Physical Geography
1. location
a. geographic placement on United States mainland
b. states and capital cities
c. other major cities
2. major landforms
a. Rocky Mountain Range
h. Sierra Nevada Mountains
b. Great Plains
i. Central Valley
c. Great Basin
d. Colorado Plateau
e. Cascade Range
f. Death Valley
g. Mojave Desert
3. major bodies of water
a. Missouri River
b. Colorado River
c. Snake River
d. Great Salt Lake
e. Lake Tahoe
f. Columbia River
g. Sacramento River
4. climate
5. regions
B. Cultural Geography
1. people
a. heritage/ancestry
b. present demographics
2. lifestyles/languages
3. religions
4. economy
5. current events/current issues
j. Coast Ranges and Lowlands
k. Brooks Range
l. Alaska Range (Mt. McKinley)
m. Islands of Hawaii
h. Yukon River
i. San Francisco Bay
j. Gulf of California
k. Puget Sound
l. Bering Strait and Bering Sea
m. Gulf of Alaska
n. Pacific Ocean