Fourth Grade Social Studies Guiding Questions

Unit 1: Map Skills-Examining the United States’ Place in the World 1.Can students identify and interpret various types of maps? 2.Can students locate and label locations on a map or globe using lines of latitude and longitude? 3.Can students explain what causes the Earth’s surface to change?

Unit 1 Continued 4.Can students discuss how people impact their environment and in what way people depend on the environment? 5.Can students explain what influences patterns of land use and settlement? 6.Can students identify the differences among countries, states, parishes, and cities?

Unit 2: Geographic and Cultural Characteristics of Regions 1.Can students understand various maps and attributes in locating United States regions? 2.Can students use geographic tools to compare characteristics of various areas? 3.Can students explain the effects of natural events of people in regions?

Unit 2 Continued 4.Can students discuss the cultural identities of various people in the U.S. and the impact on their cultural heritage? 5.Can students identify physical and human characteristics of regions?

Unit 3: The Movement of People 1.Can students compare the beliefs, customs, and traditions of various cultures and how they may have changed over time? 2.Can students identify and discuss early explorers and explorations in North America?

Unit 3 Continued 3.Can students recognize the cause and effects of voluntary and involuntary migrations to and within the United States? 4.Can students locate the best place for human settlement based on a map and given information?

Unit 3 Continued 5.Can students construct and interpret a timeline, as well as compare and contrast primary and secondary sources?

Unit 4: The Movement of Ideas: Scientific Contributions and Culture 1.Can students describe the influence of cultural elements on America’s national heritage? 2.Can students identify cultural elements, beliefs, and significant historical achievements of various cultures around the world?

Unit 4 Continued 3.Can students identify historical figures and achievements from around the world and describe the impact of their contributions on society?

Unit 5: The Movement of Goods and Resources 1.Can students demonstrate a basic understanding of the economy, the role of markets, and ways of transporting goods? 2.Can students identify the significance of natural resources to the people and the economy? 3.Can students differentiate economic activities from the local region, state, and national levels?

Unit 5 Continued 4.Can students identify natural, human, and capital resources? 5.Can students identify and use key vocabulary to define basic economic concepts? 6.Can students demonstrate a basic understanding of the cyclical economic relationship among individuals, households, businesses, and governments?

Unit 6: Our Government 1.Can students identify the various roles the government plays in the community and the rights of the citizens? 2.Can students define the roles of both elected and appointed officials and how they serve the community on the local, state, and national levels?

Unit 6 Continued 3.Can students explain the need for government and identify the three major branches of government? 4.Can students explain how government uses taxes to pay for goods and services?

Unit 7: Growth of a Nation 1.Can students explain the importance of events, ideas, and leaders significant to the nation’s development and American democratic principles? 2.Can students identify leaders and their influence in the early development of America?

Unit 7 Continued 3.Can students explain the important ideas presented in American historical documents and how they are evidenced in daily lives? 4.Can students list the similarities and differences between the Louisiana Constitution and the U.S. Constitution?

Unit 7 Continued 5.Can students discuss civic responsibilities and traits of good citizenship as it relates to solving a national issue and the preservation and improvement of democracy? 6.Can students explain the concept of nation, the role of the United Nations, and ways nations interact?

Unit 8: Making Economic Choices 1.Can students identify the roles by banks, governments, and businesses in their daily lives? 2.Can students demonstrate how choices and decisions in using cash, checks, or credit cards affect their lives?

Unit 8 Continued 3.Can students identify the trade-offs a person makes in making economic decisions? 4.Can students explain how the rise and fall of prices affect budgets?

Unit 9: Producers and Consumers 1.Can students create a proposal based on the four questions all producers must answer on a product of interest? 2.Can students explain the various roles careers have on society and the advantages of training and increasing one’s skills and knowledge?

Unit 9 Continued 3.Can students identify what happens to a business when it takes a risk for profit and how goods are affected by supply and demand?