Social Studies Curriculum
Grade 4 - Unit 1
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September - November
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December - February
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March - June
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Three Worlds Meet in New York (Geography and Native Americans)
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Colonial America and Revolutionary War |
Formation of our National and Local Government
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Industrial Revolution, Erie Canal and Immigration
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Themes, Understandings And Overarching Essential Questions For This Unit
Theme 1: Individual Development and Cultural Identity
- Understanding: All people are similar. All people are different.
- Essential Question: How does culture explain who we are?
Theme 2: Development, Movement and Interaction of Cultures
- Understanding: All cultures and people have some things in common and some things that are different.
- Essential Questions: How are we similar? How are we different?
Theme 4: Geography, Humans and the Environment
- Understanding: Where we live affects how we live.
- Essential Question: How does where someone lives affect how they live?
Theme 8: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
- Understanding: Decisions are based on needs, wants and consequences.
- Essential Question: How do our needs and wants affect our decisions?
Theme 10: Global Connections and Exchange
- Understanding: Interactions between groups of people can benefit some, while harming others.
- Essential Question: How does interaction between cultures and nations help some and hurt others?
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Specific Essential Questions For This Unit
Theme 1: Individual Development and Cultural Identity
- What was the life of the Iroquois like?
Theme 2: Development, Movement and Interaction of Cultures
- Why did Europeans come to America, New York?
Theme 4: Geography, Humans and the Environment
- How does the geography of the United States shape the culture of each region?
- How does the relationship of Native Americans and the land compare to the European relationship with land?
Theme 8: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems and Theme 10: Global Connections and Exchange
- How did contact between the Native Americans and Europeans impact each economically?
- How did contact between the Native Americans and Europeans impact each culture?
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By The End Of This Unit Students Should Know
Theme 1: Individual Development and Cultural Identity
- Key Ideas: Iroquois and other Native American groups had a well-established culture before the Europeans arrived.
- Key Vocabulary: Iroquois Confederacy, confederacy, clan, clan mother, council, sachem, wampum, long house, wigwam, Haudenosaunee, smoke hole, ancestor, artifact, archaeologist, venison, elder, three sisters, prehistory, heritage, breechcloth, moccasins, League of Nations (Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga).
- Key People and Places: Deganawida, Hiawatha
Theme 2: Development, Movement and Interaction of Cultures
- Key Ideas: Europeans came to the Americas for economic, social and political reasons.
- Key Vocabulary: freedom, persecution, missionary, independent, trade, explorer, natural resources.
- Key People and Places: Christopher Columbus, Giovanni da Verrazano, Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, Henry Hudson, Atlantic Ocean, New York Bay, Hudson River, Quebec, Lake Champlain, New Netherland
Theme 4: Geography, Humans and the Environment
- Key ideas: The geography of the United States shapes the culture of each region. The geographic regions of the United States. New is influenced by its rivers and as an Atlantic Sea Port.
- Key Vocabulary: landform, river, plain, plateau, geography, border, bay, tributary, mouth, source, glacier, valley, Ice Age, mountain
Theme 8: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems and Theme 10: Global Connections and Exchange
- Key Ideas: Contact between the Native Americans and Europeans impacted each group culturally and economically. The Native Americans and the European had different relationships with the land.
- Key Vocabulary: cultural diffusion, colony, economy, Dutch West India Company, trade,hunter-gatherer, tomahawk, hatchet, spear, bow and arrow, canoe, cradleboard, snowshoe, sinew, tanning leather
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By The End Of This Unit Students Should Be Able To
Theme 1: Individual Development and Cultural Identity
- Identify important aspects of native American and Iroquois culture.
- Interpret primary and secondary sources to explain what Iroquois life was like before the arrival of Europeans.
Theme 2: Development, Movement and Interaction of Cultures
- Identify important European explorers.
- Compare and contrast the social and political cultures of the Iroquois and European explorers and settlers.
Theme 4: Geography, Humans and the Environment
- Identify the geographic regions and important landforms of the United States.
- Identify important geographic features and locations of New York.
Theme 8: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems and Theme 10: Global Connections and Exchange
- Evaluate the economic, social and political impact of contact between Europeans and Native Americans.
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Enrichment Resources
Suggested Books
- Andrejko, Joan et al. New
York State Activity Book Grade Four. New York: Harcourt Brace &
Company, 1993. (Out of Print)
- Banks, James A. et
al. New York Adventures in Time and Place. New York:
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, 1998.
- Benchley, Nathaniel. Small Wolf. USA:
Harper Trophy, 1994. An I Can Read Book, Level 3. (Level J)
- Bierhorst, John, ed. The Naked Bear: Folktales
of the Iroquois. (Out of Print)
New York: William Morrow & Co., 1987.
- Brundin, Judith A. The Native People of the
Northeast Woodlands: An Educational Resources Publication. New York:
Museum of the American Indian, 1990. (Out of Print)
- Cohlene, Terri. Little Firefly: An Algonquian
Legend. USA: Troll Associates, 1990. (Level P)
- Doherty, Craig A. and Katherine M. The Iroquois.
New York: Franklin Watts, 1991.
- Dominic, Gloria. Song of the Hermit Thrush: An
Iroquois Legend. USA: Troll Associates, 1996.
- Duvall, Jill. The Tuscarora. Chicago,
Illinois: Childrens Press, 1991.
- Duvall, Jill. The Seneca. Chicago,
Illinois: Childrens Press, 1991. (Also has titles of other tribes.) (Out
of Print)
- Freed, Stanley A. “Lacrosse: Yesterday and Today.”
Cobblestone (Nov. 1994), pp 32-35. (Out of Print)
- Gaines, Richard M., Gray-Kanatiiosh, Barbara A., Algonquin.
Checkerboard Books, 2000. (Out of Print)
- Holling, Holling Clancy. Paddle to the Sea.
Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1969.
- Horizons. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2004. (Out of
Print)
- Killoran, James et al. Learning About New York
State. Lake Ronkonkoma, NY: Jarrett Publishing Co., 2000. (Out of
Print)
- Killoran, James et al. New York: Its Land and
People. Lake Ronkonkoma, NY: Jarrett Publishing Co., 1997. (Out of
Print)
- Larkin, F. Daniel et al. New York Yesterday and
Today. Morristown, NJ: Silver-Burdett & Ginn, 1990. (Out of Print)
- Levine, Ellen. If You
Lived With the Iroquois. New York,
Scholastic, 1998. (Level M)
- Maestro, Betsy and Guilio. Discovery of America.
New York, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1991.
- Ney, Marian W. Indian America: A Geography of
North American Indians. Cherokee, NC: Cherokee Publications, 1977.
- Quiri, Patricia Ryon. The Algonquians. New
York: Franklin Watts, 1992
- Ridington, Jillian and Robin. People of the
Longhouse. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 1982.
- Robbins, Mari Lu. Native American: Tales and
Activities. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, 1996.
- Rubins, Diane Teitel. Native Americans:
Project, Games, and Activities. USA: Troll Associates, 1994. (Out of
Print)
- Seabury, Debra and Peeples, Susan. Ready-to-Use
Social Studies Activities For the Elementary Classroom. West Nyack,
NY: The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1989.
- Sesso, Gloria and Charles
Welles Feder. The New York State Story.
Austin, TX:Steck-Vaughn Company, 2002.
- Shaw, Maura. Pedro’s Journal. Shawangunk
Press: 1994. (Out of Print)
- Spizzirri, Linda, ed. An Educational Read and
Color Book of the Northeast Indians. Rapid City, SD: Spizzirri
Publishing Co., 1982. (Out of Print)
- Siegel, Beatrice. Indians of the Northeast
Woodlands. New York: Walker & Co., 1992.
- Shenandoah, Joanne and George, Douglas, M. Skywoman:
Legends of the Iroquois. Santa Fe, NM: Clear Light Publishers, 1998.
(Q)
- Tehanetorens. Tales of the Iroquois.
Rooseveltown, NY: Akwesasne Notes, 1976.
Internet Resources
Welker, Glen. American Indian Resource Directory. 13 July 2004. The purpose of Resource Directory is to provide general administrative Tribal contacts, unique cultural information and links to additional locations that provide information about American Indian tribes and their resources. Two legends at this site are:
Stone E Productions. 11 November 2004. "Chipmunk and Bear Legend." http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore56.html A collection of Native American legends.
"Sky Woman, Mohawk Creation Story. 10 July 2011. Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. http://www.pequotmuseum.org/ExhibitGalleries/ArrivalofthePeople/SkyWoman.htm Tells the Native American legend of Sky Woman.
Native American Lore Index Page. StoneE Productions. 13 July 2004. www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/loreindx.html Links to stories of Native American lore. Iroquois Nation. 13 July 2004. www.crystalinks.com/iroquois.html A wealth of factual information, artifacts, pictures and legends.
A Mohawk Iroquois Village: An Exhibit at the New York State Museum. 13 July 2004 www.nysm.nysed.gov/IroquoisVillage/ The site includes an area on an Iroquois Village, The Three Sisters, Iroquois Longhouse, Building a Longhouse Model, a Mohawk Iroquois Village circa 1600, some Iroquois artifacts, and eyewitness accounts.
Elementary Test Prep Center. Oswego School District. 13 July 2004. http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ss4.cfm The school district has posted lessons, practice, interactive games, Constructed Response Questions, teacher resources, and literature connections devised by its teaching staff.
Hall of Explorers. Virtualology. 13 July 2004. www.virtualology.com/virtualmuseumofhistory/hallofexplorers/ Contains pictures and a biography of most world explorers.
A Mohawk Iroquois Village. New York State Museum. 3 October 2010. http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/IroquoisVillage/constructiontwo.html This is a lengthy article about longhouses: how they are built, their structure, and purpose.
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