Social Studies — Grade 4

Spirituals and the power of music in slave narratives

In this lesson for grade 4, students will learn about the importance of music in the lives of slaves by reading slave narratives and listening to recordings.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Music Education and Social Studies)

By Dayna Durbin Gleaves.

Quilts

This lesson plan in designed to be one part of a fourth grade social studies unit on the Appalachian Mountains. It is based on the mountain custom of quilt making. This plan uses the book The Quiltmakers Gift by Jeff Brumbeau. It also uses the book internet site and other related sites. Enrichments of this lesson would be to display quilts, have a real quilt maker visit, have the class create their own paper quilt, etc.

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

By Barbara Waters.

Observing connections: North Carolina pottery and face jugs (Lesson 3)

This is the third lesson in a series of three in which students are creating art based on their observations: Lesson 1 Observing connections—art, poetry and the environment; Lesson 2 Observing connections—changing landscapes; Lesson 3 Observing connections—North Carolina pottery and face jugs.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)

By Lisa Mitchell.

Native American music: Two North Carolina tribes

In this lesson plan, students will listen to songs from two North Carolina tribes. Students will learn about the music through listening, analyzing, singing, moving, and playing instruments.

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

By Merritt Raum Flexman.

Mending pottery

In Intrigue of the Past, page 2.9

Students will mend broken pottery to learn what archaeologists learn by mending pottery.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)

Artifact classification

In Intrigue of the Past, page 2.4

Students will use pictures of artifacts or objects from a teaching kit to classify artifacts and answer questions about the lifeways of a group of historic Native Americans.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Social Studies)

Resources on the web

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

History in quilts

Students will recognize how people from different cultures and time periods have passed down the tradition of quiltmaking. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities