Social Studies Expectations by the End of 4th Grade:
Developing the knowledge and skills to make sound judgments, understand historical and contemporary experiences/events, analyze interpersonal and global tensions, and actively participate in the complex world in which they live.
The use of reasoned and reflective thinking to engage and collaborate with others in an increasingly diverse and interdependent world.
4th grade units focus on Colorado history in chronological order.
Unit 1: Before the Borders of Colorado
This unit is a study in the ways that human interactions among people and cultures that have been a part of Colorado’s history have helped shape the area before it was Colorado. Students will examine the major events in Colorado history through the arrival of Europeans, connecting to events in US history that happened at the same time. Through the study of groups such as Paleo-Indians, Ancestral Puebloans, other Native Americans and European explorers, students will consider how the physical places in Colorado changed and developed because of human activity as well as how people use geographic factors in creating settlements. They will consider multiple perspectives in examining the interactions between these groups of people that lived in or migrated to Colorado.
Unit 2: Becoming Colorado
This unit is a study in the ways that continued settlement by various groups in Colorado impacted the people already living there, shaped the land, and led to both positive and negative interactions. Students will analyze primary and secondary sources as they examine the impact of groups who migrated and settled in Colorado as a result of the gold rush, mining, trappers and traders, and westward expansion. Fourth graders will consider the economic factors that led groups of people to migrate to and settle in Colorado. Students study the geography of the area, including the use of geographic tools and grid systems to examine how places have changed and developed over time.
Unit 3: Defining Colorado
This unit is a study in the ways that Colorado moved from a territory to a state. Students examine events, such as the Colorado War and Sand Creek Massacre so they consider how the continued settlement of Colorado and the interactions between groups of settlers and Native Americans led to conflict and disagreement. For example, students could examine how rights and access to water have influenced laws, allegiances, and agreements between individuals and communities across the land of Colorado. Students consider the purposes of government and examine the historical foundation and events that led to the Colorado Constitution and Colorado statehood.
Unit 4: Growth of Colorado
This unit is a study in the ways that Colorado developed as a state. Through the study of industry growth in Colorado, students examine how positive and negative economic incentives led to the expansion of factories, farming, ranching, transportation, nuclear, computer, and the ski industry. Students analyze how geographic factors contribute to the creation of settlements and have adapted to and modified the local physical environment as industry develops. They study and use geographic tools to study Colorado regions.
Unit 5: Colorado Today
This unit is a study in the issues facing Colorado today. Students examine the history, economics, and civics behind some of the major issues in Colorado today. They identify, investigate, and analyze multiple perspectives on civic issues (for example, local laws, government funding, park spaces). They provide supportive arguments for both sides of the issue and discuss how various individuals and groups influence the way an issue is viewed and resolved. In considering Colorado today students will examine the roles in state government and how the government factors into local issues. These studies can be done through the context of a variety of Colorado issues (for example, pine beetles, 1976 Olympics, new energy, or the Chicano movements). Students should be encouraged to engage to make a change through their research, reporting, and writing.