Social Studies

Overview: Using the context of the United States, fourth grade students learn significant social studies concepts within an increasingly complex social environment. They examine fundamental concepts in geography, civics and government, and economics organized by topic, region, or issue.

WEST REGION

Southwest Region Essential Question: What are the features that have drawn people to the West?

Objectives

Identify reasons why the West has attracted people.
Apply map skills to locate nine important sites in the West.
Trace the path of a tour through the West on a map of the region.
Describe the physical and human features of the West.

SOUTHWEST REGION

Southwest Region Essential Question: How have geography and history shaped life in the Southwest?

OBJECTIVES

Work cooperatively with others to create a product that showcases the history and geography of the Southwest.
Tell the story of a geographic place through multiple perspectives.
Trace the path of a tour through the Southwest on a map of the region.

SOUTHEAST REGION

Focus Question: What factors have shaped the culture of the Southeast?

OBJECTIVES

Apply map skills to locate nine important places in the Southeast.
Use a map of the region to trace the route of a tour through the Southeast.
Describe the major physical and human features of the Southeast.
Identify the difficulties that early colonists faced in Jamestown, Virginia; some different southeastern musical traditions; and the ways in which life in America has changed since the civil rights movement.

NORTHEAST REGION

Focus Question: What are the different parts of the northeast region like?

OBJECTIVES

Categorize key elements of the economy, geography, government, history, and people of the Northeast.
Use a map of the region to trace the route of a tour through the Northeast.
Identify the advantages and disadvantages of democracy, mass production, and laws.
Analyze working conditions in the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts.

MIDWEST REGION

Midwest Region Essential Question: Why do we call the Midwest “America’s Heartland”?

OBJECTIVES

Describe the major physical and human features of the Midwest.
Apply map skills to locate nine important sites in the Midwest.
Use a map of the region to trace the route of a tour through the Midwest.
Categorize key elements of the economy, geography, transportation, history, and people of the Midwest over time.
Use textual and visual clues to identify photographs of nine key landmarks in the Midwest.

MICHIGAN HISTORY

Essential Question: How can I use historical thinking to understand the past in Michigan?

EXPLORING THE REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES

In this unit, students will learn how geographers study regions. They'll use what they know about location, direction, scales, symbols, latitude, and longitude to help them study maps of the five regions.

GOVERNMENT

Fourth graders are exploring WHAT government is, WHY we have a government, and HOW the federal, state, and local governments are similar.

DISCOVERING THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Students are exploring the social sciences. They're having to think like economists, geographers, political scientists, and historians as they study artifacts. The rest of this year will build from these four areas of social studies: Economy, Geography, History, and Government.

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