Social Studies — Grade 4

A Siouan village

In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.6

In their study of an excavated village site, students will record observations about a site feature and infer how past peoples used individual features and the site as a whole. They will also summarize how archaeologists use observation and inference to determine past lifeways.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

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.

Naval stores

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 3.3

Introduction From early Colonial times until the Civil War, the naval industry was important to North Carolina. The term naval stores describes all products of the gum of the pine tree. The name itself explains its use in the shipbuilding industry....

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

By Gazelia Carter.

Name that point!

In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.4

In their study of projectile points (i.e., spear points or “arrowheads”) dating to the Archaic period in North Carolina, students use activity sheets to compare projectile point attributes and to identify and classify points based on clearly defined variables. They will also match projectile points to a chronology and determine when the points were made and why the information is important to archaeologists.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

Interstate highways from the ground up

This lesson gives students a first-hand opportunity to hear about the planning and effort it takes to build a highway by through an oral history of a North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) resident engineer.

Format: lesson plan (multiple pages)

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.

Culture everywhere

In Intrigue of the Past, page 1.3

In their study of culture, students will use a chart to show the different ways that cultures meet basic human needs and recognize that archaeologists study how people from past cultures met basic needs by analyzing and interpreting the artifacts and sites that they left behind.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Creating your own rock art

In Intrigue of the Past, page 5.4

Students will use regional rock art symbols or their own symbols to cooperatively create a rock art panel. They will also use a replica of a vandalized rock art panel to examine their feelings about rock art vandalism and discuss ways to protect rock art and other archaeological sites.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)

Artifact ethics

In Intrigue of the Past, page 5.5

In their study of archaeological issues students will use ethical dilemmas to examine their own values and beliefs about archaeological site protection. They will also evaluate possible actions they might take regarding site and artifact protection.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 Guidance and Social Studies)

Archaeobotany

In Intrigue of the Past, page 2.6

Students will use pictures of seeds, an activity sheet, and a graph to identify seven seeds and the conditions in which they grow. They will also infer ancient plant use by interpreting archaeobotanical samples and determine changing plant use by Native North Carolinians by interpreting a graph of seed frequency over time.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 and 8 Science and Social Studies)

Resources on the web

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

Mapping your state's culture

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the concept of culture. They learn about interesting aspects of North Carolina's culture, including arts, recreation, folklore, and cultural diversity. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic