Grade 4 Social Studies Overview
Course Description
This course focuses on building students’ knowledge of their role and the role of others within their community, state, nation, and world. Geographical tools, historical documents, landmarks, symbols, and cultures are explored as ways to understand the history and development of Pennsylvania.
Course Big Ideas
- There are rights and needs of members in a classroom community.
- There are multiple tools used to locate and describe places and regions on a map, globe, and technology.
- Characteristics of regions are affected by transportation, industry, and economy.
- There are three branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial), and each have their own roles.
- William Penn made important contributions to United States history.
- There are different roles of leaders in authority for school, state, and nation.
- Businesses and entrepreneurs use natural, human, and capital resources.
Course Competencies
- Identify the rights and needs of others in the classroom community.
- Describe how common geographic tools are used to organize and interpret information about people, places, and environment.
- Differentiate between continent, country, state, county, township or borough, and city.
- Identify and describe the 5 regions of Pennsylvania and their locations.
- Identify reasons people settled in Pennsylvania.
- Identify the contributions of William Penn.
- Identify and explain the three branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial).
- Name and describe the roles of leaders in authority for school, state, and a national level.
- Identify traits that are common to successful entrepreneurs
- Define natural, human, and capital resources.
Course Essential Questions
- How do citizens contribute to their school, community, and government?
- Why did people come to America and Pennsylvania?
- How do we locate specific places on earth?
- What is economics and how does it relate to our region?
Course Assessments
- Rubrics
- Projects
- Graphic Organizers
- Nearpods