Social Studies Standards Grade 4

A. GEOGRAPHY:
PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS

Content Standard

Students in Wisconsin will learn about geography through the study of the relationships among people, places, and environments.

Performance Standards

By the end of grade four, students will:

A.4.1 Use reference points, latitude and longitude, direction, size, shape, and scale to locate positions on various representations of the earth's surface

A.4.2 Locate on a map or globe physical features such as continents, oceans, mountain ranges, and land forms, natural features such as resources, flora, and fauna; and human features such as cities, states, and national borders

A.4.3 Construct a map of the world from memory, showing the location of major land masses, bodies of water, and mountain ranges

A.4.4 Describe and give examples of ways in which people interact with the physical environment, including use of land, location of communities, methods of construction, and design of shelters

A.4.5 Use atlases, databases, grid systems, charts, graphs, and maps to gather information about the local community, Wisconsin, the United States, and the world

A.4.6 Identify and distinguish between predictable environmental changes, such as weather patterns and seasons, and unpredictable changes, such as floods and droughts, and describe the social and economic effects of these changes

A.4.7 Identify connections between the local community and other places in Wisconsin, the United States, and the world

A.4.8 Identify major changes in the local community that have been caused by human beings, such as a construction project, a new highway, a building torn down, or a fire; discuss reasons for these changes; and explain their probable effects on the community and the environment

A.4.9 Give examples to show how scientific and technological knowledge has led to environmental changes, such as pollution prevention measures, air-conditioning, and solar heating

B. HISTORY:
TIME, CONTINUITY, AND CHANGE

Content Standard

Students in Wisconsin will learn about the history of Wisconsin, the United States, and the world, examining change and continuity over time in order to develop historical perspective, explain historical relationships, and analyze issues that affect the present and the future.

Performance Standards

By the end of grade four, students will:

B.4.1 Identify and examine various sources of information that are used for constructing an understanding of the past, such as artifacts, documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, paintings, architecture, oral presentations, graphs, and charts

B.4.2 Use a timeline to select, organize, and sequence information describing eras in history

B.4.3 Examine biographies, stories, narratives, and folk tales to understand the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people, place them in time and context, and explain their relationship to important historical events

B.4.4 Compare and contrast changes in contemporary life with life in the past by looking at social, economic, political, and cultural roles played by individuals and groups

B.4.5 Identify the historical background and meaning of important political values such as freedom, democracy, and justice

B.4.6 Explain the significance of national and state holidays, such as Independence Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and national and state symbols, such as the United States flag and the state flags

B.4.7 Identify and describe important events and famous people in Wisconsin and United States history

B.4.8 Compare past and present technologies related to energy, transportation, and communications and describe the effects of technological change, either beneficial or harmful, on people and the environment

B.4.9 Describe examples of cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups, and nations

B.4.10 Explain the history, culture, tribal sovereignty, and current status of the American Indian tribes and bands in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Historical Eras and Themes

While studying Wisconsin history, students in grades 4-12 will learn about: 1. the prehistory and the early history of Wisconsin's native people
2. early explorers, traders, and settlers to 1812
3. the transition from territory to statehood, 1787-1848
4. immigration and settlement
5. Wisconsin's role in the Civil War, 1860-1865
6. mining, lumber, and agriculture
7. La Follette and the Progressive Era, 1874-1914
8. the world wars and conflicts
9. prosperity, depression, industrialization, and urbanization
10. Wisconsin's response to 20th century change

Historical Eras and Themes

While studying United States history, students in grades 5-12 will learn about:

1. the prehistory and early history of the Americas to 1607
2. colonial history and settlement, 1607-1763
3. the American Revolution and the early national period, 1763-1815
4. the paradox of nationalism and sectionalism in an expanding nation, 1815-1860
5. the Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877
6. the growth of industrialization and urbanization, 1865-1914
7. World War I and America's emergence as a world power, 1890-1920
8. prosperity, depression, and the New Deal, 1920-1941
9. World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnamese conflict, 1941-1975
10. the search for prosperity and equal rights in Cold War and post-Cold War America, 1945-present

Historical Eras and Themes

While studying world history, students in grades 5-12 will learn about:

1. prehistory to 2000 BC
2. early pastoral civilizations, nonwestern empires, and tropical civilizations
3. classical civilizations, including China, India, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, 1000 BC to 500 AD
4. multiple religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism) and civilizations to 1100 AD
5. expansion and centralization of power, including the decline of feudalism, 1000-1500 AD
6. the early modern world, 1450-1800 AD
7. global unrest, change, and revolution, 1750-1850 AD
8. global encounters, industrialization, urbanization, and imperialism, 1850-1914 AD
9. wars, revolutions, and ideologies, 1900-1945 AD
10. post-industrialism, global interdependence, and fragmentation in the contemporary world, 1945-present

C. POLITICAL SCIENCE AND CITIZENSHIP:
POWER, AUTHORITY, GOVERNANCE, AND RESPONSIBILITY

Content Standard

Students in Wisconsin will learn about political science and acquire the knowledge of political systems necessary for developing individual civic responsibility by studying the history and contemporary uses of power, authority, and governance.

Performance Standards

By the end of grade four, students will:

C.4.1 Identify and explain the individual's responsibilities to family, peers, and the community, including the need for civility and respect for diversity

C.4.2 Identify the documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, in which the rights of citizens in our country are guaranteed.

C.4.3 Explain how families, schools, and other groups develop, enforce, and change rules of behavior and explain how various behaviors promote or hinder cooperation

C.4.4 Explain the basic purpose of government in American society, recognizing the three levels of government

C.4.5 Explain how various forms of civic action such as running for political office, voting, signing an initiative, and speaking at hearings, can contribute to the well-being of the community

C.4.6 Locate, organize, and use relevant information to understand an issue in the classroom or school, while taking into account the viewpoints and interests of different groups and individuals

D. ECONOMICS:
PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, EXCHANGE, CONSUMPTION

Content Standard

Students in Wisconsin will learn about production, distribution, exchange, and consumption so that they can make informed economic decisions.

Performance Standards

By the end of grade four, students will:

D.4.1 Describe and explain of the role of money, banking, and savings in everyday life

D.4.2 Identify situations requiring an allocation of limited economic resources and appraise the opportunity cost (for example, spending one's allowance on a movie will mean less money saved for a new video game)

D.4.3 Identify local goods and services that are part of the global economy and explain their use in Wisconsin

D.4.4 Give examples to explain how businesses and industry depend upon workers with specialized skills to make production more efficient

D.4.5 Distinguish between private goods and services (for example, the family car or a local restaurant) and public goods and services (for example, the interstate highway system or the United States Postal Service)

D.4.6 Identify the economic roles of various institutions, including households, businesses, and government

D.4.7 Describe how personal economic decisions, such as deciding what to buy, what to recycle, or how much to contribute to people in need, can affect the lives of people in Wisconsin, the United States, and the world

E. THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES:
INDIVIDUALS, INSTITUTIONS, AND SOCIETY

Content Standard

Students in Wisconsin will learn about the behavioral sciences by exploring concepts from the discipline of sociology, the study of the interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions; the discipline of psychology, the study of factors that influence individual identity and learning; and the discipline of anthropology, the study of cultures in various times and settings.

Performance Standards

By the end of grade four, students will:

E.4.1 Explain the influence of prior knowledge, motivation, capabilities, personal interests, and other factors on individual learning

E.4.2 Explain the influence of factors such as family, neighborhood, personal interests, language, likes and dislikes, and accomplishments on individual identity and development

E.4.3 Describe how families are alike and different, comparing characteristics such as size, hobbies, celebrations, where families live, and how they make a living

E.4.4 Describe the ways in which ethnic cultures influence the daily lives of people

E.4.5 Identify and describe institutions such as school, church, police, and family and describe their contributions to the well being of the community, state, nation, and global society

E.4.6 Give examples of group and institutional influences such as laws, rules, and peer pressure on people, events, and culture

E.4.7 Explain the reasons why individuals respond in different ways to a particular event and the ways in which interactions among individuals influence behavior

E.4.8 Describe and distinguish among the values and beliefs of different groups and institutions

E.4.9 Explain how people learn about others who are different from themselves

E.4.10 Give examples and explain how the media may influence opinions, choices, and decisions.

E.4.11 Give examples and explain how language, stories, folk tales, music, and other artistic creations are expressions of culture and how they convey knowledge of other peoples and cultures

E.4.12 Give examples of important contributions made by Wisconsin citizens, United States citizens, and world citizens

E.4.13 Investigate and explain similarities and differences in ways that cultures meet human needs

E.4.14 Describe how differences in cultures may lead to understanding or misunderstanding among people

E.4.15 Describe instances of cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups, and nations, such as helping others in famines and disasters

02/27/06 res