MNPS Unit Planning Template
Subject/Course: 4th Grade – Social Studies
Teacher:
Unit/Project Title: Geography
Duration/Dates of Instructional Delivery? ____________________________
Unit/Project Overview (include description of major products & performance both individual
and group):
Students will engage in a variety of activities while reading, creating, and utilizing maps and globes.
They will be able to identify and locate on a map different landforms and landmarks found in the U.S.
The students will together create a book about different landforms and landmarks found in the U.S.
Number of Instructional Days? __20 Days________________________
Unit/Project Resources Needed:

Social Studies – Tennessee textbook

History Pockets: Like in Plymouth Colony

Maps of Colonies and travels from Europe
Unit/Project Entry Event to launch inquiry, engage students:
Public Audience (if applicable):
Unit/Project Overview
Lost Colony of Roanoke
American Indians
Colonists
Fur trade
Military alliances
Treaties
Iroquois
Huron
Resistance
Encroachment
Colony
Location
Geographic features
Founding
Vocabulary List:
Economic
Political
Religion
Social
Primary documents
Representative
Primary documents
Puritan
Quaker
Profit
Indentured Servitude
Jamestown
Plymouth
Long Hunters
Key Standards that will be assessed during this unit of study:
Content Standards:
4.7 Summarize the failure of the lost colony of Roanoke and theorize what happened.
4.8 Describe the early competition between European nations for control of North America and locate the colonization efforts of the English, Dutch, French, and Spanish on a map.
4.9 Compare and contrast the differing views of American Indians and colonists on ownership or use of land and the conflicts between them, including the Pequot and King Philip’s War
in New England.
4.10 Explain the cooperation that existed between the colonists and American Indians during the 1600s and 1700s, including fur trade, military alliances, treaties, and cultural
interchanges.
4.11 Describe the conflicts between Indian nations, including the competing claims for control of land and actions of the Iroquois and Huron.
4.12 Analyze the factors that led to the defeat of the American Indians, including the resistance of Indian nations to encroachment and the effects on native culture.
4.13 Locate the first 13 colonies and explain how their location and geographic features influenced their development and settlement patterns.
4.14 Write informative texts identifying major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of colonies in North America and the reasons for their founding.
4.15 Cite and explain examples from informational text about how economic opportunities and political, religious, and social institutions evolved in the colonial era.
MNPS Unit Planning Template
4.16 Making use of primary documents, analyze the early democratic ideas and practices that emerged during the colonial period, including the significance of representative assemblies
and town meetings and contrast these with the presence of enslavement in all colonies.
4.17 Describe the major religious tenets of the earliest colonies , including: Puritanism in Massachusetts and Quakerism in Pennsylvania.
4.18 Explain various reasons why people came to the colonies, including profit, religious freedom, slavery, and indentured servitude.
4.19 Locate and label on a map the location of Jamestown, Plymouth, New Netherland, New Sweden, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Common Core Literacy Standards:

RI.4.2 Summarize the text (with 4.7)

RI. 4.2 Determine the main idea of a text. (with 4.16)

RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a scientific text by describing what happened and why, using specific information from the text. (with 4.8)

RL.4.9 Compare and contrast similar themes (eg, opposition of good vs. evil). (with 4.9)

RI.4.9 Summarize information from two texts on the same topic in order to speak and write about the subject. (RI.4.9)

RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally or quantitatively. (with 4,13 and 4.19)

W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. (4.14)

RI.4.8 Cite and explain examples from informational text about how economic opportunities and political, religious, and social institutions evolved in the colonial era. (4.18)
21st Century Competencies to be taught and assessed (choose one or two to be assessed and provide evidence)
Note: All 4 competencies can be practiced but only one or two will need to be specifically assessed within the unit.

Collaboration:

Communication (Oral Presentation):

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: .(rubric assessment for postcard)

Creativity: .(rubric assessment for postcard)
Student Learning Targets (content & 21st century competencies needed by students to successfully demonstrate mastery)
I can….

Identify major reasons, major leaders, and groups responsible for the founding colonies in North America.

Identify and label the occupied European territories on a map of the North American continent.

Compare and contrast the purposes of each European nations’ desire to colonize North America/differing views of American Indians and colonists on ownership or use of land
and how it caused conflicts.

Explain the cooperation that existed between the colonists and American Indians during the 1600s and 1700s.

Identify/describe the conflicts between Indian nations.

Identify the factors that led to the defeat of the American Indians.

Explain how geographic features influenced their development and influenced their settlement patterns.

Identify economic opportunities evolved in the colonial era, political religious, and social institutions evolved in the colonial era.

Identify/Explain/Contrast/Analyze early democratic ideas and practices that emerged during the colonial period. Describe the major beliefs of the early Puritans in
Massachusetts.
MNPS Unit Planning Template
Enduring Understandings:
Essential Question/Driving Question:
Places near and far have a variety of differences and share similarities.
How do the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the colonists help the group meet its needs and solve
problems?
Social Studies
Final Product (s)/
Individual and Group
Summative
Assessment (How will
students demonstrate
mastery at the end of
the unit?)
Learning Progression of Concepts
and Skills (Learning Targets)
In which order will the concepts and
skills be taught during this unit of
study?
Checkpoints/Formative Assessment of
Student Mastery of Concepts and Skills
What formative assessments will be used to
ensure students are on track?
Instructional Activities for ALL learners
provided by teacher or other experts; includes
opportunities for reflection, lesson scaffolds,
tools and materials aligned to learning
targets and formative assessments.
Writing Piece as a
Colonist:
*As a culminating
activity, TLW take
the perspective of a
colonist and
4.13 Locate the first 13 colonies
and explain how their location and
geographic features influenced
their development and settlement
patterns.
TLW use a variety of maps to locate
the 13 colonies and discuss reasons
colonists might have moved to the
particular regions.
https://www.superteacherworksheets.c
om/maps/north-americablank_WMZDQ.pdf

Nonlinguistic
Representations
https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudi
es/ushistory/thirteencolonies/

Summarizing and
Notetaking
4.19 Locate and label on a map the
location of Jamestown, Plymouth,
New Netherland, New Sweden,
and the Massachusetts Bay
Colony.
4.7 Summarize the failure of the
lost colony of Roanoke and
theorize what happened.
TTW establish a key on the maps that
show which colonies are Quaker and
Puritan colonies.
TTW read the read aloud Roanoke:
The Lost Colony and/or Readworks
passage to summarize the lost colony
and discuss different theories as to
what happened.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA
Z8QJgFHOg&safe=active
Social Studies Textbook:
Page 114-115
Roanoke: The Lost Colony (An Unsolved
Mystery from History)
http://mrnussbaum.com/13-colonies/
http://www.ck12.org/user:a2FyZW4ubGF
3c29uQHRjc2VkdS5uZXQ./book/Tennesse
e-4th-Grade-Social-Studies-The-Historyof-America-to-1850/section/4.1/
ReadWorks Passage:
http://www.readworks.org/passages/colo
nization-revolutionary-war-roanoke-lostcolony
High Probability Instructional Strategies:
Align each instructional activity and/or tool
with one or more of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Similarities and Differences
Summarizing and Notetaking
Nonlinguistic Representations
Cooperative Learning
Generating and Testing Hypothesis
Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
Homework and Practice
Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
MNPS Unit Planning Template
RI.4.7 Interpret information
presented visually, orally or
quantitatively. (with 4,13 and
4.19)
4.18 Explain various reasons why
people came to the colonies,
including profit, religious
freedom, slavery, and indentured
servitude.
4.8 Describe the early competition
between European nations for
control of North America and
locate the colonization efforts of
the English, Dutch, French, and
Spanish on a map.
TLW read close read passage “About
Colonial America” to discuss different
reasons for coming to America.
TLW review Prezi whole class
regarding reasons colonists came to
America.
TLW utilize website to analyze
reasons for colonization and conflict
that it created as result.
https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudi
es/ushistory/thirteencolonies/
Similarities and
Differences
http://mrnussbaum.com/13-colonies/
https://prezi.com/1kqdgyzwdmjd/reas
ons-colonists-came-to-the-new-world/
http://teachinghistory.org/historycontent/ask-a-historian/25447
TLW complete graphic organizer
(Founding of Colonies) to
TLW refer to PPT “Cooperation and
Conflicts Between Colonists and
Indian Nations” to cite examples.
RI.4.8 Cite and explain examples
from informational text about how
economic opportunities and
political, religious, and social
institutions evolved in the colonial
era. (4.18)
RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures,
ideas, or concepts in a scientific
text by describing what happened
and why, using specific
information from the text. (with
4.8)
4.15 Cite and explain examples
from informational text about how
economic opportunities and
political, religious, and social
institutions evolved in the colonial
era.
TTW read close reading passage:
“About the First Settlements”
If You Lived in Colonial Times by Ann
McGovern
You Wouldn’t Want to be an American
Similarities and
Differences
MNPS Unit Planning Template
Colonist by Jacqueline Morley
RI.4.8 Cite and explain examples
from informational text about how
economic opportunities and
political, religious, and social
institutions evolved in the colonial
era. (4.18)
4.17 Describe the major religious
tenets of the earliest colonies,
including: Puritanism in
Massachusetts and Quakerism in
Pennsylvania.
TLW compare and contrast different
leaders that led to the beginning of
each religion.
Social Studies Text:
Chapter 5, Page 136
Nonlinguistic
Representations
http://mrnussbaum.com/13-colonies/
TLW use comparison/contrast
graphic organizer to compare and
contrast Puritan and Quaker beliefs.
TLW create brochure to describe
Puritan beliefs.
4.16 Making use of primary
documents, analyze the early
democratic ideas and practices
that emerged during the colonial
period, including the significance
of representative assemblies and
town meetings and contrast these
with the presence of enslavement
in all colonies.
TLW review Prezi to discuss how
democracy was established.
RI. 4.2 Determine the main idea of
a text. (with 4.16)
TLW use table top main idea graphic
organizer to determine the main
idea/details of the text.
4.9 Compare and contrast the
differing views of American
Indians and colonists on
ownership or use of land and the
conflicts between them, including

Cues, Questions, and
Advance Organizers
https://prezi.com/qjhkmuqwpv0o/h
ow-democratic-was-colonialamerican-society-why-was-it-app/
Create a Venn diagram,
comparing and contrasting the
differing views of American
Indians and colonists on
Summarizing and Notetaking
Social Studies Text:
Chapter 5, Page 116-117, page 148,
page 150-153
Similarities and
Differences
MNPS Unit Planning Template
the Pequot and King Philip’s War
in New England.
4.10 Explain the cooperation that
existed between the colonists and
American Indians during the
1600s and 1700s, including fur
trade, military alliances, treaties,
and cultural interchanges.
4.11 Describe the conflicts
between Indian nations, including
the competing claims for control
of land and actions of the Iroquois
and Huron.
4.12 Analyze the factors that led to
the defeat of the American
Indians, including the resistance
of Indian nations to encroachment
and the effects on native culture.
RI. 4.2 Determine the main idea of
a text. (with 4.16)

ownership or use of land. Visible
Thinking Routine: Tug of War –
Who do you agree with, the
American Indians or the
colonists?
TLW engage in discussion
regarding conflicts.
TLW determine the main idea of the
informational texts
4.14 Write informative texts
identifying major leaders and
groups responsible for the
founding of colonies in North
America and the reasons for their
founding.
Informative Writing Piece-see
Writers’ Workshop
How will differentiation occur?
What interdisciplinary connections will students make?
Learning activities throughout the unit will occur through
partner activities, group activities, along with activities on
their own (teacher will assist when needed).
Students will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of learning
activities throughout this unit, along with the opportunity to collaborate
with one another. They will end the unit by writing an opinion piece as a
colonist stating why they decided to move to a particular colony.
MNPS Unit Planning Template
Week One:

Map Features
o Cardinal Directions
o Intermediate Directions
o Map Symbols/Key
o Grid
o Parts of a Globe (Hemispheres, Poles, Prime Meridian, Equator)
o Map vs. Globe
Week Two:




Earth’s features
o Continents
o Bodies of Water (oceans, rivers, lakes)
Landforms
Regions
Landmarks
Week Three/Four:

Trip Across the United States booklet