How does geography influence growth and development?
What are the political systems and how do individuals participate in local and state government?
How has immigration impacted New York State throughout its history?
In what ways does New York State history reflect a changing world?
How did New York’s economy evolve over time?
How did shifts in patterns of interaction shape people’s lives, cultures, and environments?
Do New York's physical features and location shape the world of its inhabitants?
New York State provided an ideal geographic setting for Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans to develop unique cultures and diverse social, political, and economic interactions.
How does geography influence the growth and development of NY?
How does the environment shape peoples’ way of life?
How does a group of people express their way of life through legends?
What were the social and economic changes that took place in the New World with the settlement of New Netherland?
Titles may include the following:
Map Skills by Jan Kennedy
All Around New York-Regions & Regions by Mark Stewart
Eastern Woodlands Indians by Mir Tamim Ansary
If You Lived With The Iroquois by Ellen Levine
The Iroquois, The Six Nations Confederacy by Mary Englar
The Iroquois League by Joanne Randolph
Corn is Maize by Aliki
Early Explorers in NY-Native Americans and Europeans by Lynn George
Samuel de Champlain by Trish Kline
Explorers-Searching for Adventure by Gare Thompson
Students will:
identify important bodies of water.
identify important landforms.
read, interpret, and compare various maps.
use a graphic organizer.
compare and contrast various genre of literature.
select and use strategies for note taking, organizing and categorizing information.
analyze, interpret and apply information from various primary and secondary documents to predict, make inferences and draw conclusions.
create a timeline.
write journal entries, letters, creative stories and poetry.
respond to a variety of listening selections.
use various writing prompts.
use 2 sources to write an essay.
do research on the Internet and from print and visual resources.
New York State Social Studies Framework
Key Ideas: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
Conceptual Understandings: 4.1a, 4.1b, 4.2a, 4.2b 4.2c, 4.3a, 4.3b
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
4R1, 4R2, 4R3, 4R4, 4R5, 4R6, 4R7, 4R8, 4R9
4W2, 4W3, 4W5, 4W7
4SL1, 4SL2, 4SL3, 4SL4, 4SL6
How did colonial life and the American Revolution shape our society?
Colonial attitudes about government led to a call and battle for independence from European control.
What was life in New Netherland like before and after Peter Stuyvesant became governor?
What contributions were made by the Dutch colonists and how did they influence our society?
How was life different during colonial times than it is today?
What were the major events that led to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War?
How did Colonial attitudes about government lead to a call and battle for independence from European control?
Titles may include the following:
Colonial America 1600-1750 by Sundance Publishing
If You Lived in Colonial Times by Scholastic
13 Colonies: New York
The History of NY Colony, 1624-1776 by Roberta Wiener
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Scholastic
New York as a Dutch Colony by Janey Levy
Projects About The American Revolution by Marian Broida
Sybil Ludington:The Call to Arms by V.T. Dacquino
Students will:
use a map.
use a timeline.
write a letter, compare/contrast essay and poetry.
use a graphic organizer.
analyze, interpret and apply information from a variety of genre.
take notes from various sources and incorporate their notes into a written response.
access information from the Internet and text resources.
analyze various documents to predict, make inferences and draw conclusions.
evaluate the credibility of websites and other sources.
New York State Social Studies Framework
Key Ideas: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
Conceptual Understandings: 4.1a, 4.1b, 4.2a, 4.2b 4.2c, 4.3a, 4.3b
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
4R1, 4R2, 4R3, 4R4, 4R5, 4R6, 4R9
4W1, 4W2, 4W3, 4W6, 4W7
4SL1, 4SL4
How do the citizens of New York interact with their national and state government?
National and New York State government share many common goals and powers but also reserve some powers of their own.
What are the goals that are shared by the National and New York State governments?
How does New Your State reserve some of its own power?
Title may include the folowing:
New York and the New Nation by Orli Zuravicky
We the People, The Citizen & The Constitution By Center for Civic Education
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by D. Catrow
Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by E. Levy
A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by B. Maestro
Students will:
use a graphic organizer.
analyze, interpret and apply information from a variety of resources.
take notes.
access information from the Internet and text resources.
analyze various documents to predict, make inferences, and draw conclusions.
compare/contrast.
New York State Social Studies Framework
Key Ideas: 4.4
Conceptual Understandings:
4.4a, 4.4b, 4.4c, 4.4d 4.4e
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
4R1, 4R2, 4R4, 4R7, 4R9
4W1, 4W2, 4W4, 4W7
4SL1, 4SL2, 4SL4
Can individuals make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers?
Who were the “winners” and who were the “losers” in the Industrial Revolution?
Geographic, technological, and human factors contributed to NY becoming a leading commercial center.
Diverse groups in NY have led calls for economic equality and social justice.
The way Americans travel and communicate have changed because of innovative New Yorkers.
How did the geographic, technological, and human factors contribute to NY becoming a leading commercial center?
What diverse groups have led calls for economic quality and social justice in NY? How have they attempted to influence change?
Titles may include the following:
Every Book is a Social Studies Book by Andrea S. Libresco
...If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island by Ellen Levine
Journey to Ellis Island-How My Father Came to America by C. Bierman
Immigrant Kids by R. Freedman
When Jesse Came Across the Sea by A. Hest
Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by B. Maestro
Grandfather’s Journey by A. Say
Students will:
read and interpret graphs and maps.
analyze photographs and paintings.
understand cause/effect relationships.
draw conclusions from historical facts.
predict outcomes.
interpret data.
take notes.
use graphic organizers.
write persuasive, narrative, and informational essays.
analyze, interpret and apply information from expository text.
New York State Social Studies Framework
Key Ideas: 4.5, 4.6, 4.7
Conceptual Understandings: 4.5a, 4.5b, 4.5c, 4.6a, 4.6b, 4.6c, 4.6d, 4.6e, 4.6f, 4.6g, 4.7a, 4.7b
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
4R1, 4R3, 4R4, 4R5, 4R6, 4R7, 4R9
4W1,4W2, 4W3, 4W6, 4W7
4SL1, 4SL4