Download Grade 4 Social Studies

Grade 4
Social Studies
Regions of the United States
Canada
Mexico
Ancient China
Regions of the United States
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Use map and globe skills to determine absolute locations
(latitude and longitude) of places studied. (G)
Interpret a map using information from its title, compass rose,
scale, and legend. (G)
Observe and describe national historic sites and describe their
function and significance (e.g.. Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln
Memorial, Smithsonian Museums, Library of Congress, White
House, Capitol, Washington Monument, National Archives,
Arlington National Cemetery, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Iwo
Jima Memorial, Mount Vernon) (H,C)
On a map of North America, locate the United States, the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the
Mississippi and Rio Grande Rivers, the Great Lakes, Hudson
Bay, and the Rocky and the Appalachian Mountain Ranges (G).
Locate the current boundaries of the United States, including
Alaska and Hawaii. Locate the major regions of the United
States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (G)
Identify the states, state capitals, and major cities in each
region. (G)
Describe the climate, major physical features, and major natural
resource in each region. (G)
Identify and describe unique features of the United States (e.g.
the Everglades, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, the
Redwood Forest, Yellowstone Park, and Yosemite National
Park) (G)
Identify the five different European countries (France, Spain,
England, Russia, and the Netherlands) that influenced different
regions of the present U.S. at the time the New World was
being explored and describe how their influence can be traced
to place names, architectural features, and language. (H,G)
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Describe the diverse nature of the American people and the
contributions to the American culture made by various ethnic
groups in each region of the United States. (H, G)
Resources
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Geography in Our World
Travel Across America Series. Washington, D.C.:
National Geographic, 2002.
Math in Our World Reference Book – World Tour Section
Lillis, Julie Seyfert. A Day in the Life of Washington,
D.C. New York: Harcourt.
Atlases, globes, wall maps
Individual blank United States maps for each student.
Massachusetts Standards Correlation Guide;
“Massachusetts Studies Weekly – People and Places.”
Scott-Foresman Reading Series
Leveled Readers
“Home on the Range” (BL) 4.2.2
“On a Ranch” (A) 4.2.2
“A World Tour of Culture” (BL) 4.2.3
“Geography Shapes Our World” (A) 4.2.3
“Lumberjacks” (BL) 4.2.4
“Florida Everglades” (BL) 4.1.1
“Price of a Pipeline” (A) 4.3.5
“Lewis and Clark” (OL) 4.1.2
“Two Great Rivers” (A) 4.1.2
“The Long Trip West” (BL) 4.1.2
“This Land is Our Land” (BL) 4.1.5
“The Amazing Geography of the West” (OL) 4.1.5
Anthology
“Coyote School News” 4.2.2
“Lewis and Clark and Me’ 4.1.2
“Letters Home from Yosemite” 4.1.5
“Because of Winn-Dixie” 4.1.1
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“Grandfather’s Journey” 4.1.3
“Marven of the Great Northern Woods” 4.2.4
Websites Recommended:
http://www.mrdonn.org/states.html#FIFTY
www.weblessons.com
www.sfsocialstudies.com/indextwo.html#
Essential Questions
1. What are the major physical features of the regions of the
United States?
2. What are the climate regions of the United States?
3. What are the fifty states?
4. What are the capitals and major cities of the United States?
5. What are the major monuments and historical sites in
Washington, D.C.?
6. What contributions have immigrants made to the culture of
America?
7. How does immigration contribute to the diverse nature of the
American people?
8. How have the countries of France, Spain, England, Russia,
and the Netherlands influenced different regions of the
present United States?
Assessment
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Given a teacher-created assessment, children will
demonstrate their knowledge of the contributions made by
various immigration groups in the pertinent regions of the
United States.
Given a blank map of the U.S., students will locate,
identify, and label the states, capitals, and major cities.
Given a blank map of the U.S., students will create a map
key to illustrate the major physical features and climate
regions of the United States.
Given a major monument or historical site in Washington,
D.C., students will research and report to classmates.
Canada
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On a map of North America, locate Canada, its provinces,
and major cities. (G)
Describe the climate, major physical characteristics, and
major natural resources of Canada and explain their
relationship to settlement, trade, and the Canadian money.
(G,E)
Describe the major ethnic and religious groups of modern
Canada. (G, H, C, E)
Identify when Canada became an independent nation and
explain how independence was achieved. (H, G)
Identify the location of at least two Native American tribes in
Canada (e.g. Kwakiutl and Micmac) and the Inuit nation and
describe their major features.
Identify the major language groups in Canada, their
geographic location, and the relations among them. (H,G)
Resources
Assorted DVDs
Website:
www.weblessons.com
Essential Questions
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What are the provinces and major cities of Canada?
What is the climate, major physical characteristics and major
natural resources of Canada and explain their relationship to
settlement, trade, and the Canadian economy?
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What are the major ethnic and religious groups of modern
Canada?
How and when did Canada become an independent nation?
What are the locations and the major social features of the
Kwakiutl and Micmac tribes and the Inuit nation?
What are the major language groups of Canada and their
geographic location?
Assessment
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Given a teacher-created assessment, children will
demonstrate their knowledge of the geographic locations of
the Canadian provinces and their capitals.
Given a Canadian province, students will create travel
brochures.
Mexico
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On a map of North America, locate Mexico and its major
cities. (G)*
Describe the climate, major physical characteristics, and
major natural resources of Mexico and explain their
relationship to the Mexican economy. (G)
Identify the language, major religion, and peoples of Mexico.
(H)
Identify when Mexico became an independent nation and
describe how independence was achieved (H,G)
Resources
Assorted DVDs
Supples, Kevin. Mexico. Washington, D.C.: National
Geographic, 2002.
Website: http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/index_kids.html
www.weblessons.com
Essential Questions
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Where is Mexico and where are its major cities?
What are the climate, major landforms and major natural
resources of Mexico?
What is the national language of Mexico, and what is its
major religion?
How and when did Mexico become an independent nation?
Assessment
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Given a teacher-created assessment, students will
demonstrate their knowledge of the geographic locations of
the Mexican states and their capitals.
Given a blank flipbook, students will demonstrate their
knowledge of Mexican climate, major landforms, major
natural resources, history, and major religion.
Ancient China
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On a map of Asia, locate China, the Huang He (Yellow)
River and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Rivers, and the Himalayan
Mountains. (G)
Describe the topography and climate of eastern Asia,
including the importance of mountain ranges and deserts,
and explain how geography influenced the growth of
Chinese civilization. (G, E)
Describe the ideographic writing system used by the Chinese
(characters, which are symbols for concepts/ideas) and how
it differs from an alphabetic writing system. (H)
Describe important technologies of China such as bronze
casting, silk manufacture, and gunpowder. (H, E)
Identify who Confucius was and describe his writings on
good government, codes of proper conduct, and relationships
between parent and child, friend and friend, husband and
wife, and subject and ruler. (H, C)
Describe how the First Emperor unified China by subduing
warring factions, seizing land, centralizing government,
imposing strict rules, and creating with the use of slave labor
large state building projects for irrigation, transportation, and
defense (e.g., the Great Wall). (H, C, E)
After visiting a museum, listening to a museum educator in
school, or conducting research in the library, describe an
animal, person, building, or design depicted in an ancient
Chinese work of art. (H, G)
Resources
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Supples, Kevin. China. Washington, D.C.: National
Geographic, 2002.
China Packet (compiled by Anne Sullivan)
Assorted DVDs
Website: www.weblessons.com
Essential Questions
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Where are the Huang He (Yellow) River, Chang Jiang
(Yangtze) River, and the Himalayan Mountains, located in
the country of China?
How has the topography and climate of eastern Asia
influenced the growth of Chinese civilization?
What is the writing system of China?
What are some important technological contributions of
China? (gunpowder, bronze casting, and silk manufacturing)
Who was Confucius and why were his teachings important?
What is the importance of the first Emperor of China?
What is commonly depicted in ancient Chinese works of art?
Assessment
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Given a blank map of China, students will locate and identify
major physical features.
Given a Venn diagram, students will compare/contrast the
culture of Ancient China to today’s culture.
Given a blank scroll, students will create illustrations
depicting typical images from ancient Chinese art.
Given a Confucius saying, children will determine its
significance.
FOURTH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES WISH LIST
 Updated globes and wall maps
 Large blank maps of the U.S. for each student to color and
label.
 National Geographic – “Travels Across America” Classroom
Set of 5 Regions – National Geographic School Publishing
 National Geographic Civilizations Past to Present (China and
Mexico) - National Geographic School Publishing
 Assorted literacy books TBA by literacy team
 Massachusetts Studies Weekly, People and Places – weekly
newspaper stressing the MA frameworks for fourth graders
(student cost is $4.70 per year)