grade 4 GSE social studies curriculum
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER: Unit 1 - Revolutionary War
Events leading to Revolutionary War: French and
Indian War, British Imperial Policy that led to the
Stamp Act, slogan "no taxation without
representation," Sons of Liberty, Daughters of Liberty, Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party
Writing of the Declaration of Independence:
who wrote it, how it was written, why it was
necessary, and how it was a response to tyranny
and the abuse of power
How colonies and British attempted to use physical geography of each battle site to its benefit
Major events of the Revolution and factors leading to American victory: Battles of Lexington and Concord, Saratoga and
Yorktown
Key individuals: King George III, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, Patrick
Henry, Paul Revere, black regiments, and John Adams
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: Unit 2 - Government of a New Nation
Weaknesses of government established by Articles of Confederation
Major leaders of Constitutional Convention: James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington
Major issues of debate: weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, rights of states (federal system), Great Compromise, slavery (Three-Fifths Compromise)
3 branches of government, their functions, connections, checks and balances, separation of power, relation to states
Bill of Rights and how it limits power of government, reasons for inclusion in Constitution of 1791
Natural rights in Declaration of Independence (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)
Freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment
Popular sovereignty and the Preamble
Functions of government: making/enforcing laws, managing conflicts and protecting rights, defending nation, limiting
power of authority figures, fiscal responsibility
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: Unit 3 - Expansion of a New Nation
Causes of War of 1812 - burning of Capitol and White House, and writing of the Star Spangled Banner
Impact of American expansion on American Indians: Trail of Tears, Little Big Horn, forced relocation to reservations
Territorial expansion: Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark expedition, acquisition of Texas (the Alamo and independence), Oregon (Oregon Train), and California (Gold Rush and the development of mining towns)
Impact of steamboat, steamboat locomotive, and telegraph
Locate Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Plains, Continental Divide, The Great Basin, Death Valley, Gulf of Mexico,
St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes
Locate New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Erie Canal
DECEMBER/JAN: Unit 4 - Civil War
Effects of Uncle Tom's Cabin, John Brown's raid
Slavery and states' rights - increased tensions between North and South
Causes of the Civil War
Effects of war on North and South
Industrial places in the North and the South
Fort Sumter, South Carolina; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - major battles
Atlanta Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, Appomattox Court House
Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ullyses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, William T, Sherman
Abolitionist movements: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass
Suffrage movements: Elizabeth Cady Staton, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony
Trade, opportunity cost, voluntary exchange
JAN/FEB: Unit 5 - Reconstruction
Purpose of 13th, 14th, 15th amendments
Explain how slavery was replaced by sharecropping, how freed blacks were denied rights as citizens
Due process and civil rights - Jim Crow laws
Civic participation
Effects of war on North and South
Reconstruction and its effect on the Southern economy
Jim Crow customs
Freedmen's Bureau
Sharecropping
Opening mines
Building factories
Replacing devastated fields
Change in economic direction of the South
Gettysburgh, Pennsylvania
Industrial locations
MARCH/APRIL: Unit 6 - Being a Responsible Spender
Elements of personal budget
Importance of saving and spending
MAY: Enrichment
Events leading to Revolutionary War: French and
Indian War, British Imperial Policy that led to the
Stamp Act, slogan "no taxation without
representation," Sons of Liberty, Daughters of Liberty, Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party
Writing of the Declaration of Independence:
who wrote it, how it was written, why it was
necessary, and how it was a response to tyranny
and the abuse of power
How colonies and British attempted to use physical geography of each battle site to its benefit
Major events of the Revolution and factors leading to American victory: Battles of Lexington and Concord, Saratoga and
Yorktown
Key individuals: King George III, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, Patrick
Henry, Paul Revere, black regiments, and John Adams
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: Unit 2 - Government of a New Nation
Weaknesses of government established by Articles of Confederation
Major leaders of Constitutional Convention: James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington
Major issues of debate: weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, rights of states (federal system), Great Compromise, slavery (Three-Fifths Compromise)
3 branches of government, their functions, connections, checks and balances, separation of power, relation to states
Bill of Rights and how it limits power of government, reasons for inclusion in Constitution of 1791
Natural rights in Declaration of Independence (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)
Freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment
Popular sovereignty and the Preamble
Functions of government: making/enforcing laws, managing conflicts and protecting rights, defending nation, limiting
power of authority figures, fiscal responsibility
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: Unit 3 - Expansion of a New Nation
Causes of War of 1812 - burning of Capitol and White House, and writing of the Star Spangled Banner
Impact of American expansion on American Indians: Trail of Tears, Little Big Horn, forced relocation to reservations
Territorial expansion: Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark expedition, acquisition of Texas (the Alamo and independence), Oregon (Oregon Train), and California (Gold Rush and the development of mining towns)
Impact of steamboat, steamboat locomotive, and telegraph
Locate Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Plains, Continental Divide, The Great Basin, Death Valley, Gulf of Mexico,
St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes
Locate New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Erie Canal
DECEMBER/JAN: Unit 4 - Civil War
Effects of Uncle Tom's Cabin, John Brown's raid
Slavery and states' rights - increased tensions between North and South
Causes of the Civil War
Effects of war on North and South
Industrial places in the North and the South
Fort Sumter, South Carolina; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - major battles
Atlanta Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, Appomattox Court House
Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ullyses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, William T, Sherman
Abolitionist movements: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass
Suffrage movements: Elizabeth Cady Staton, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony
Trade, opportunity cost, voluntary exchange
JAN/FEB: Unit 5 - Reconstruction
Purpose of 13th, 14th, 15th amendments
Explain how slavery was replaced by sharecropping, how freed blacks were denied rights as citizens
Due process and civil rights - Jim Crow laws
Civic participation
Effects of war on North and South
Reconstruction and its effect on the Southern economy
Jim Crow customs
Freedmen's Bureau
Sharecropping
Opening mines
Building factories
Replacing devastated fields
Change in economic direction of the South
Gettysburgh, Pennsylvania
Industrial locations
MARCH/APRIL: Unit 6 - Being a Responsible Spender
Elements of personal budget
Importance of saving and spending
MAY: Enrichment