Social Studies — Grade 4

Shifting coastlines

In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.3

In their study of North Carolina's changing coastline during the Paleoindian and Archaic periods, students will determine the positions of the coastline at different times and decide what types of archaeological information has been lost due to rising sea levels.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 Science and Social Studies)

The road taken

This lesson will introduce and reinforce main transportation routes for people and goods in North Carolina. Students will enhance map skills including using cardinal and intermediate directions, using a mileage chart, and planning transportation routes. Students will reinforce their knowledge of resources found in North Carolina as well as name and identify the three regions of North Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

By Margaretc Bryant.

Researching the North Carolina coastal plain

This lesson plan will provide students with a more in-depth knowledge of the animals, industry, and land geography of the coastal plain. Students will conduct research on the internet and in other resources to find information on the vital parts of the coastal plain. The lesson culminates with group presentations of their research and a Venn diagram developed individually comparing the outer and inner parts of the coastal plain.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Development, Science, and Social Studies)

By Ana Sanders and Heather Ennis.

Operation beach teach

This lesson is the introduction to an integrated marine science unit which culminates in an early fall trip to Hammocks Beach State Park. (See attachment: Pre-Activity). The unit is designed to hook students into science and provide joyful learning experiences across the curriculum.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies)

By Melissa Tukey.

North Carolina rivers

Students will locate 28 rivers within the state of NC, noting names and origins of names, directions of flow, navigability, and development of population centers in relation to the rivers.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

By Mike Stevenson.

North Carolina regions

Working in cooperative groups, the students will learn about their assigned regions of North Carolina. A list of questions will be generated. When the research is completed, the students will design a way to orally present the information to the class. This also will integrate Visual Arts and Informational Skills.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Information Skills and Social Studies)

By Patricia Britt.

North Carolina regional travel brochure

The students will cooperatively design travel brochures that describe major physical and cultural characteristics of the regions in North Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Deborah Harrell.

Lighting the maritime path: The geography of North Carolina's lighthouses

In this lesson students will examine images of North Carolina lighthouses from the Built Heritage Collection at North Carolina State University and explore various websites to determine the relative location of eight North Carolina lighthouses and develop an understanding of maritime activities and coastal living.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

By Sonna Jamerson.

The five themes of me

Students will demonstrate their understanding of the five themes of geography through literature-based integrated activities to spotlight how they are represented in each. They will also work on language/writing skills and computer competencies while enjoying a little art along the way!

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Catherine Hazelton.

Finding your way in North Carolina

Students will become familiar with the regions and local features of North Carolina and be able to write directions for others to find these features on a map.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

By Sadie Allran Broome.

Blue Ridge Parkway Travelogue

Students plan and develop a week-long trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway, from beginning to end. The virtual tour culminates in the creation of a travelogue that will outline the trip.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Rachel Elliott.

Resources on the web

Where in North Carolina is . . . ? Teaching latitude and longitude

In this lesson for fourth and fifth grade social studies, students locate the birthplaces of famous North Carolinians on historic maps of North Carolina and describe their locations using latitude and longitude. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Social Studies)

Provided by: UNC Libraries

What we can learn from maps

In this Xpeditions lesson, students examine different types of maps. They look at marine maps and maps of their state's agricultural pattern to learn how maps can be used to provide information about a variety of activities, distributions, and geographical... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

What is geography?

Students work in groups to analyze a website to locate information about a particular country or region, and then create presentations showing how the geographic concepts described in the themes can be used to help solve environmental problems. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Uplink outpost: To the future class of...

In this Xpeditions lesson, students use the interactive feature in Xpedition Hall called Uplink Outpost to discover ways to interpret geography in their community. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Top ten cities

In this Xpeditions lesson, students identify and study the most populous cities in their state, province, or country. They also learn about population distributions. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Planning a road trip

This lesson reviews latitude and longitude and asks students to find the latitude and longitude for several United States cities. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

My North Carolina

Using word association and early maps of North Carolina, students will examine their preconceptions about the state and connect them to what they learn. This assignment acts as a diagnostic assessment. The benefit of using colonial maps rather than a current... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

Provided by: UNC Libraries

Make state maps with MapMachine

In this Xpeditions lesson, students compare and contrast their state with another one using observations they make from National Geographic's MapMachine. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

An introduction to reading North Carolina maps

In this lesson, students are introduced to the language of maps and why maps are important in our world. They are given the opportunity to read simple maps and find major features of more complicated maps. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 Social Studies)

Provided by: UNC Libraries