1. The Read

Title: Where in the World is Utah?

Welcome to the Summit, 4th Graders!

You live in a state that is famous for having "multiple personalities." Utah isn't just one kind of place; it is actually three different geographic regions smashed together.

1. The Rocky Mountains: In the northeast (like the Uintas), we have tall, snowy peaks and forests.

2. The Colorado Plateau: In the south, we have red rocks, arches, and deep canyons.

3. The Great Basin: In the west (where we live!), it is a desert bowl. Rivers flow in, but they don't flow out to the ocean.

Just like Mount McKinley (Denali) towers over Alaska, our mountains define who we are. They provide our water, our recreation, and our beauty. This summer, pay attention to the land. Are you in the red rocks? The snowy peaks? or the salty flatlands?

Standard 4.R.5: Refer to details and evidence in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (RL & RI)

Standard 4.R.6: Read a variety of text types, including those from diverse cultures to determine a theme or main idea and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize texts using textual evidence. (RL & RI)

2. Vocabulary Power

• Region: An area of land that has similar features (like weather or land shapes).

• Plateau: A high, flat area of land (like a table mountain).

• Basin: A bowl-shaped area of land where water collects.

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Question: Which of the three regions do you think is the hardest to live in? Why? (Maybe the desert because of heat/water? Or mountains because of cold?).

• Observation: Look at the license plates on cars today. Utah has "Greatest Snow on Earth" (Mountains) and "Delicate Arch" (Plateau). We show off our regions!

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "Salt Dough Relief Map"

• Mission: Make a 3D map of Utah.

• Make Dough: Mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water.

• Sculpt: Shape it into Utah (a rectangle with a notch in the top right).

• Build: Pinch up mountains down the middle (Wasatch Range) and across the top (Uintas). Dig out a bowl for the Great Salt Lake.

• Dry & Paint: Let it dry and paint the mountains white and the deserts brown.

Standard 4.1.3 Describe how the physical geography of Utah has both negative and positive consequences on our health and safety (for example, inversions, earthquakes, aridity, fire, recreation).

1. The Read

Title: The Red Planet in our Backyard

When NASA wants to practice landing rovers on Mars, where do they go? They come to Utah!

The desert near Hanksville, Utah, looks so much like Mars that scientists built a research station there. It is called the Mars Desert Research Station. Scientists put on space suits and pretend they are living on the Red Planet to test their equipment.

Utah is also where the giant solid rocket boosters for the Space Shuttle were built (by ATK in Promontory, now known as Northrup Grumman). If you have ever felt the ground shake from a rocket test, you know the power of Utah engineering.

We might be far from the launch pads in Florida, but the road to space starts right here in the high desert.

Standard 4.R.5: Refer to details and evidence in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (RL & RI)

Standard 4.R.6: Read a variety of text types, including those from diverse cultures to determine a theme or main idea and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize texts using textual evidence. (RL & RI)

2. Vocabulary Power

• Analog: Something that is similar to something else. ( The Utah desert is a "Mars Analog").

• Rover: A robot vehicle designed to explore the surface of a planet.

• Engineering: Using science and math to build machines and structures.

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Question: If you were selected to go to Mars, but you could never come back to Earth, would you go? Why or why not?

• Local Connection: Ask your parents if they remember seeing the Space Shuttle boosters being tested. It looked like a sideways volcano!

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "The Egg Drop Lander"

• Mission: NASA engineers have to land delicate rovers without crashing.

• The Payload: A raw egg.

• The Lander: Build a device using straws, tape, balloons, or cotton balls to protect the egg.

• The Drop: Drop it from the top of a slide or a ladder.

• The Check: Did the egg survive the landing? If not, redesign and launch again!

1. The Read

Title: The 10-Mile Day

You know that the Transcontinental Railroad met at Promontory Summit. But do you know who built it?

It wasn't just machines. It was thousands of immigrants.

The Union Pacific (from the East) hired many Irish immigrants and Civil War veterans. The Central Pacific (from the West) hired thousands of Chinese workers.

These Chinese workers were incredible. They hung in baskets over cliffs to blast rock. They worked through avalanches in the snow. They were the heroes of the railroad.

One day, the two teams had a contest to see who could lay the most track in one day. The Chinese and Irish crews worked together to lay 10 miles of track in a single day! That record has never been broken.

Standard 4.R.5: Refer to details and evidence in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (RL & RI)

Standard 4.R.6: Read a variety of text types, including those from diverse cultures to determine a theme or main idea and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize texts using textual evidence. (RL & RI)

2. Vocabulary Power

• Immigrant: A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.

• Laborer: A person doing unskilled manual work for wages.

• Commerce: The activity of buying and selling, especially on a large scale.

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Critical Thinking: The workers were paid very little and had dangerous jobs. Do you think they knew they were making history?

• Math: If they laid 10 miles in one day, and a mile is 5,280 feet... that is over 52,000 feet of heavy iron rail moved by hand!

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "Spike Driving Competition"

• Mission: Test your hammer accuracy (Safely!).

• Setup: Get a piece of scrap wood, a hammer, and some nails.

• The Test: How many hits does it take you to drive a nail all the way in? (Be careful of your thumbs!).

• The Pro: The railroad workers could drive a spike with just 3 big swings. Can you get it in 10?

Standard 4.3.6 Describe how and why humans have changed the physical environment of Utah to meet their needs (for example, reservoirs, irrigation, climate, transcontinental railroad) between 1847-1896.

1. The Read

Title: The Mystery of the Mud

In central Utah, there is a place called the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. It is a mystery that scientists are still trying to solve.

In this one spot, they have found over 12,000 bones. But here is the weird part: Almost 75% of the bones belong to predators like the Allosaurus.

Usually, there are way more plant-eaters than meat-eaters. So why were all the meat-eaters here?

The leading theory is the "Predator Trap." Scientists think there was a sticky mud pit. A plant-eater got stuck. An Allosaurus saw an easy free lunch and jumped in to eat it... and got stuck too! Then another Allosaurus came... and another.

It is the densest collection of Jurassic dinosaur bones in the entire world!

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

2. Vocabulary Power

• Quarry: A place where stone or materials (or fossils!) are dug out of the ground.

• Carnivore: An animal that feeds on flesh.

• Theory: An idea used to explain facts or events (a scientific best guess).

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Question: Do you agree with the "Predator Trap" theory? Can you think of another reason why so many dinosaurs would die in one spot? (Maybe a poisoned water hole? A flood?)

• Scale: The Allosaurus was 28 feet long. Measure 28 feet in your driveway. That is a BIG lizard.

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "Sticky Situation"

• Mission: Understand how a tar pit/mud trap works.

• Mix: Mix cornstarch and water in a bowl to make "Oobleck" (it acts like a solid when you hit it, but a liquid when you pour it).

• Test: Put a small plastic toy in. Try to pull it out fast. Does the goop hold on? That is suction!

1. The Read

Title: The Long Road to Statehood

We celebrate July 4th for the whole country. But Utah has its own special date: January 4, 1896.

That is the day Utah finally became the 45th state.

It wasn't easy! Utah tried to become a state many times, but the government in Washington D.C. said "No." They didn't like some of the local laws and customs. It took 47 years of asking before Utah was finally invited to join the club.

When the news arrived, people fired cannons and rang bells all over Salt Lake City. They made a giant American flag that was 150 feet long to hang on the Temple.

Being a state meant Utah could vote for the President and send people to Congress. It meant we were truly part of the team.

Standard 4.R.5: Refer to details and evidence in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (RL & RI)

Standard 4.R.6: Read a variety of text types, including those from diverse cultures to determine a theme or main idea and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize texts using textual evidence. (RL & RI)

2. Vocabulary Power

• Constitution: The set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works.

• Representative: A person chosen to speak and act for others (like in Congress).

• Statehood: The status of being a recognized state in the US.

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Question: Why is it better to be a "State" than a "Territory"? (States get to vote; Territories usually just have to follow the rules without a say).

• Symbolism: Utah's symbol is the Beehive. It stands for "Industry" (working hard together like bees). Do you think that is a good symbol for us?

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "Design a State Quarter"

• Mission: Every state has a special quarter. Utah's has the Golden Spike on it.

• Design: Draw a circle. Design a NEW quarter for Utah.

• Include: What would you put on it? Arches? Skiing? A Dinosaur? The Great Salt Lake?

• Motto: Add a short phrase (like "Life Elevated").

Standard 4.3.4 Identify the political challenges that delayed Utah’s statehood, and explain how these challenges were overcome.

1. The Read

Title: Living Under Water

Look out your window at the mountains. Do you see a flat "shelf" or line going across the side of the mountain? It looks like a bathtub ring.

That is exactly what it is!

15,000 years ago, the valley we live in was filled with water. It was a giant freshwater lake called Lake Bonneville. It was almost 1,000 feet deep!

If you were standing at McKinley Elementary back then, you would be underwater.

Eventually, the lake broke through a dam in Idaho and drained out (the Bonneville Flood). Most of the water evaporated, leaving behind the puddles we see today: The Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake.

That "shelf" on the mountain is the old beach where the waves used to crash.

Standard 4.R.5: Refer to details and evidence in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (RL & RI)

Standard 4.R.6: Read a variety of text types, including those from diverse cultures to determine a theme or main idea and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize texts using textual evidence. (RL & RI)

2. Vocabulary Power

• Shoreline: The line along which a large body of water meets the land.

• Erosion: The wearing away of land by water, wind, or ice.

• Ancient: Belonging to the very distant past.

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Observation: Next time you drive along the foothills, point out the "Bonneville Shoreline." It is very straight and flat.

• Science: Why is the Great Salt Lake salty if Lake Bonneville was fresh? (When water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind. Over 15,000 years, the salt piled up!).

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "Erosion Experiment"

• Mission: See how water shapes land.

• Build: Make a small hill of dirt or sand in the yard.

• Pour: Slowly pour a cup of water over the top.

• Watch: See how the water cuts "canyons" into the dirt? That is erosion.

• Flood: Dump a whole bucket at once. That is the Bonneville Flood!

1. The Read

Title: The Boy Who Changed the World

By 4th Grade, you know about inventions. But let's look at the science of Philo Farnsworth's TV.

Before Philo, people tried to make "mechanical televisions" with spinning wheels. They were blurry and noisy.

Philo realized you couldn't use moving parts to capture a moving image fast enough. You needed something faster than wheels. You needed Electrons.

He figured out how to use a magnet to shoot a beam of electrons back and forth across a screen—thousands of times a second. It happens so fast that your eye gets tricked into seeing a whole picture.

He drew this complex scientific diagram on his chemistry blackboard in high school when he was 15. His teacher kept that drawing for years, and it helped Philo prove HE invented it when a big company tried to steal the idea!

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

2. Vocabulary Power

• Patent: A government license that gives you the right to be the only one to make or sell your invention.

• Visionary: Someone who can imagine the future with great wisdom.

• Electron: A tiny particle of electricity.

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Question: Philo's teacher helped him win his court case. Who is a teacher that has helped you?

• Debate: Is TV a "good" invention or a "bad" invention? (It gives us news and movies, but it also makes us sit still too much. What do you think?)

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "Stop Motion Animation"

• Mission: Understand how "moving pictures" work.

• Draw: Get a pad of sticky notes (or a notebook).

• Frame 1: Draw a stick figure on the last page.

• Frame 2: On the next page, draw the same figure moving his arm just a little bit.

• Repeat: Do this for 20 pages.

• Flip: Flip the pages fast. Does your person move? You just made a cartoon!

1. The Read

Title: The View from 4th Grade

You made it! You have summited the summer.

4th Grade is a special year. In Utah schools, 4th Grade is when you stop "learning to read" and start "reading to learn." You are becoming an independent scholar.

This summer, you learned about the geography of our state, the engineering of the railroad, the mysteries of dinosaurs, and the courage of astronauts.

As you pack your bag for the first day of school, remember the Pioneers (both the ones in covered wagons and the ones in space rockets). They faced the unknown with courage. They didn't know what was over the next mountain, but they kept walking.

You are a pioneer of your own life. Be brave. Ask questions. And help your classmates up the trail.

See you at the top!

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

2. Vocabulary Power

• Independent: Not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence (doing it yourself!).

• Scholar: A specialist in a particular branch of study (a student who loves learning).

• Perseverance: Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

Standard 4.R.8: Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic and content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

3. Talk About It

• Goal Setting: What is a "Mountain" you want to climb this year? (Examples: Learning long division? Making the soccer team? Reading Harry Potter?).

• Advice: If you saw a Kindergartener crying on the first day, what would you do?

Standard 4.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations, using age-appropriate vocabulary, on topics, texts, and issues.

Standard 4.SL.3: Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting.

4. The Challenge: "The 4th Grade Manifesto"

• Mission: Write a declaration.

• Draft: Write 3 promises to yourself for the school year.

  1. I promise to... (Example: Turn in my homework).

  2. I promise to... (Example: Be kind to new kids).

  3. I promise to... (Example: Ask for help when I'm stuck).

• Sign: Sign your name at the bottom like John Hancock. Tape it to your mirror.