Grade 4
North American Geography, History, and Peoples
Overview: Students learn about North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) and its peoples from a geographic perspective, expanding map reading, mapmaking, and geographic reasoning skills. They explore guiding questions such as “How have the geographic features of North America shaped its history?” and “What contributions have the various groups that have settled in North America made to the culture of each region?” Each topic has a related supporting question. These questions are included as generative examples to help teachers and students develop their own questions suited to grade-level appropriate texts and experiences.
Source: Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for HIstory and Social Studies (2018)
Unit Folders
NOTE: We are in the process of updating this webpage.
We will keep preserve these resources, as we shift to focus on the new INVESTIGATING HISTORY curriculum.
To begin the year, please explore the resources for an Identity and Community unit helping classrooms explore the question "What is the identity of my community, and how do I fit into it?".
North America: Ancient Civilizations and Geography
What are the physical features and nations of North America? How do archaeologists develop theories about ancient migrations?
Early European Exploration and Conquest
What were the reasons for European voyages across the Atlantic Ocean?
The Northeast
How has the environment shared the development of the Northeast? What contributions have the groups that settled in the Northeast made to the culture of the region?
The Southeast
How has the environment shared the development of the Southeast? What contributions have the groups that settled in the Southeast made to the culture of the region?
The Rapid Westward Expansion of the United States
What was the social, political, geographic, and economic impact of westward expansion? What was the impact on indigenous communities?
The Southwest
How has the environment shared the development of the Southwest? What contributions have the groups that settled in the Southwest made to the culture of the region?
The West
How has the environment shared the development of the West? What contributions have the groups that settled in the West made to the culture of the region?
Place-Based Learning: Using the City as a Classroom
Field Trip Recommendations for Grade 4
Click here to check out more options for Place-Based Learning!
Click here to learn more about the importance of incorporating place-based learning into your instruction!
Recommended Resources
BPS Pacing Guides
History/Social Science Pacing Guides Grades 3-8/High SchoolCurriculum Guide Grade 3
Grade 3- Massachusetts, Home to Many Different PeopleInvestigating History Curriculum Guide
H/SS Content Standards Crosswalk Grade 4 (FINAL)2018 Standards Crosswalk
"Engage your students with the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to illustrate themes and concepts in any discipline." (E/M/H)
"A wide range of multimedia materials that focus on helping students make connections between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives." (M/H)
Geography lesson plans and collections of digitized maps that can be zoomed down to the paper grain! (E/M/H)
"Engaging resources to help make global education an integral part of every student's classroom experience." (E/M/H)
Instructional Strategies
