Social Studies – 4th Grade - Unit Overview: Geography and Environmental Literacy, Culture
Objectives:
CONTINUOUS WORK In PROGRESS - Revised 9-3-12
4.G.1 Understand how human, environmental, and technological factors affect the growth and development of North Carolina.
4.G.1.1 Summarize the changes that have occurred in North Carolina since statehood (population growth, transportation,
communication, landscape.
4.G.1.2 Explain the impact that human activity has on the availability of natural resources in North Carolina.
4.G.1.3 Exemplify the interactions of various peoples, places and cultures in terms of adaptation and modification of the
environment.
4.G.1.4 Explain the impact of technology (communication, transportation, inventions, etc.) on North Carolina’s citizens, past and
present.
4.C.1 Understand the impact of various cultural groups in North Carolina
4.C.1.1 Explain how the settlement of people from various cultures affected the development of regions in North Carolina.
4.C.1.2 Explain how the artistic expression of various groups represents the cultural heritage of North Carolina.
Essential Questions:
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How has North Carolina’s population changed since statehood?
How has transportation in North Carolina changed since statehood?
How has the landscape of North Carolina changed since statehood?
How has communication changed since North Carolina became a state?
How have people impacted North Carolina’s natural resources in each region?
How have people adapted to the changes in North Carolina’s environment?
How has technology impacted the citizens of North Carolina over time?
How have people from various cultures influenced the development of North Carolina’s regions?
In what ways do the arts of various groups represent the cultural heritage of North Carolina?
Assessment:
Assessment should be done throughout the unit, as you see student understanding of concepts through class discussion. Short quizzes can be given at any
appropriate time within the unit, based on the essential question of the lesson. Some quizzes are embedded within the unit, but these can be altered at teacher
discretion. By the end of the unit, students should be able to answer all of the essential questions listed above. The goal is the understanding of concepts rather
than memorization of facts.
*NOTE: All note-taking sheets can be copied and hole-punched for students to keep in an organized binder or folder. Since many resources are online, this will
be a way to help students refer back to any part of the unit if necessary.
**NOTE: Any time a lesson calls for chart paper to share responses with the class, substitution of SMART tools, Power Points, Prezis, or other computer-based
publishing is encouraged if possible.
Standard
Essential Question
Lesson
Teacher Preparation
Assessment
Day 1
4.G.1.1 Summarize the
changes that have
occurred in North Carolina
since statehood
(population growth,
transportation,
communication,
landscape.
How has North Carolina’s
population changed since
statehood?
Read text lesson and look
at population data in a
map and in a chart.
Prepare to project map
and chart. Know
discussion points when
reading map/chart. (Ex:
Where did NC’s
population grow the
most? When was there a
boom in NC population?).
Observation from student
discussions.
Day 2
4.G.1.1 Summarize the
changes that have
occurred in North Carolina
since statehood
(population growth,
transportation,
communication,
landscape.
How has transportation in
North Carolina changed
since statehood?
Visit NC maps website.
Review maps and discuss.
Give students handout
and either copy or project
articles, or have students
work on laptops or in
computer lab.
Use of laptops or
computer lab is ideal.
You may collect handout
for assessment.
Day 3
4.G.1.1 Summarize the
changes that have
occurred in North Carolina
since statehood
(population growth,
transportation,
communication,
landscape.
How has the landscape of
North Carolina changed
since statehood?
Read lesson in text and/or
research NC topography
and natural resources to
create map.
Internet access needed
and a copy of NC outline
map for activity.
Completion of page 28 in
text and/or completion of
map with correct labels.
Day 4
4.G.1.1 Summarize the
changes that have
occurred in North Carolina
since statehood
(population growth,
transportation,
communication,
landscape.
How has communication
changed since North
Carolina became a state?
With guided discussion,
students brainstorm ways
North Carolinians have
communicated over time
Copy graphic organizer for
each student
Completion of graphic
organizer.
Day 5-6
Day 7
Standard
Essential Question
Lesson
Teacher Preparation
Assessment
4.G.1.2 Explain the impact
that human activity has on
the availability of natural
resources in North
Carolina.
How have people
impacted North Carolina’s
natural resources in each
region?
Show and discuss PDF
from NCDENR titled
“North Carolina’s Natural
Network”
Print a copy of PDF for you Several options
to highlight important
throughout PDF.
information to discuss –
particularly from pages 3-9
for discussion. Decide
which, if any, follow up
activities you want to do
for assessment,
independent or small
group work.
4.G.1.3 Exemplify the
interactions of various
peoples, places and
cultures in terms of
adaptation and
modification of the
environment.
How have people adapted
to the changes in North
Carolina’s environment?
Using “North Carolina’s
Natural Network” page 10,
discuss mixed-use
developments and land
conservation.
Print a copy of PDF for you
to highlight important
information to discuss –
particularly on page 10 for
discussion. Decide which,
if any, follow up activities
you want to do for
assessment, independent
or small group work.
Several options
throughout PDF.
4.G.1.4 Explain the impact
of technology
(communication,
transportation, inventions,
etc.) on North Carolina’s
citizens, past and present.
How has technology
impacted the citizens of
North Carolina over time?
Read and discuss Unit 8.
Lesson 2 in Harcourt SS
text.
Prepare discussion
questions.
Completion of text page
264
Standard
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Social Studies:
4.G.1.1
4.G.1.2
4.G.1.3
ELA:
RI4.9
RI4.10
FS4.4a
W4.4
W4.9a
W4.9b
W4.10
SL4.1a
SL4.1c
SL4.1d
L4.3a
L4.6
4.C.1 Understand the
impact of various cultural
groups in North Carolina
Essential Question
Lesson
Integrated Project
Teacher Preparation
Gather books, articles,
websites, or other
research materials for
project. You may have to
schedule extra computer
lab (or laptop use) time.
Options include grouping
students for sharing of
information and
resources. Decide on
groups according to your
class needs.
How have people from
various cultures
influenced the
development of North
Carolina’s regions?
Day 14
4.C.1 Understand the
impact of various cultural
groups in North Carolina
How have people from
various cultures
influenced the
development of North
Carolina’s regions?
Day 15
4.C.1.2 Explain how the
artistic expression of
various groups represents
the cultural heritage of
North Carolina.
In what ways do the arts
of various groups
represent the cultural
heritage of North
Carolina?
Day 16
4.C.1.2 Explain how the
artistic expression of
In what ways do the arts
of various groups
Assessment
See Rubric for project.
various groups represents
the cultural heritage of
North Carolina.
represent the cultural
heritage of North
Carolina?
Day 17
4.C.1.2 Explain how the
artistic expression of
various groups represents
the cultural heritage of
North Carolina.
In what ways do the arts
of various groups
represent the cultural
heritage of North
Carolina?
Assessment
Day 18
4.C.1.2 Explain how the
artistic expression of
various groups represents
the cultural heritage of
North Carolina.
In what ways do the arts
of various groups
represent the cultural
heritage of North
Carolina?
NC Culture Fair
Day 19
4.C.1.2 Explain how the
artistic expression of
various groups represents
the cultural heritage of
North Carolina.
In what ways do the arts
of various groups
represent the cultural
heritage of North
Carolina?
NC Culture Fair
Day 20
4.C.1.2 Explain how the
artistic expression of
various groups represents
the cultural heritage of
North Carolina.
In what ways do the arts
of various groups
represent the cultural
heritage of North
Carolina?
Celebration NC Culture
Fair
Depending on the needs of your students, possible vocabulary words for instruction. Word Wall activities link on CMAPP under Elementary Social Studies
Resources. Examples: Frayer Model, Give One/Get One, Word of the Day, Write About It …etc
Word
population
natural resource
transportation
communication
locomotion
industrialists
suburban
sustainability
technology
Definition
pop·u·la·tion [pop-yuh-ley-shuhn] noun 1. the total number of persons inhabiting a country, city, or any district or area
noun
1. Something, such as a forest, a mineral deposit, or fresh water, that is found in nature and is necessary or useful to humans
trans·por·ta·tion noun 1. the act of transporting. 2. the state of being transported.
com·mu·ni·ca·tion noun 1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated. 2. the imparting or interchange of
thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.
lo·co·mo·tion noun 1. the act or power of moving from place to place.
in·dus·tri·al·ist noun 1. a person who owns or is involved in the management of an industrial enterprise
Adjective 2. of, pertaining to, or characterized by industrialism
sub·ur·ban adjective 1. pertaining to, inhabiting, or being in a suburb or the suburbs of a city or town. 2. characteristic of a suburb or
suburbs.
sus·tain·a·bil·i·ty noun 1. the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.
2. Environmental Science - the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting
long-term ecological balance: The committee is developing sustainability standards for products that use energy.
tech·nol·o·gy 1. the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life,
society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.
Cited from www.dictionary.com
Day 1
Since 1789, North Carolina’s population has expanded and diversified
Concepts:
Change, Population
Resources:
Harcourt Social Studies book: Unit 5, Lesson 1
Map: Historic and Projected population 1790-2030 http://www.npg.org/states/nc.htm
Chart of population in 2000 http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/fko/booklet/page6.htm - population
Process:
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Read and discuss Unit 5, lesson 1 from Harcourt Social Studies book
o Pay particular attention to concentration of population in the different regions – discuss with students
Display historic population map that shows growth over time.
o Discuss the reasons why the state has grown (improvements in transportation, business oriented state government, enterprise of industrialists,
etc.)
Another display of census information that shows state population since statehood in another way.
Optional Activity/Discussion (if time permits):
 Explore the growth of Wake County’s population over time at http://www.wakegov.com/planning/population/default.htm
Day 2
Since becoming a state in 1789, North Carolina’s transportation has changed.
Concepts:
Change, Transportation
Resources:
Lesson taken from: http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/ncmaps/car_k12.html
The lesson is best done in the computer lab or with laptops. If not available, use a laptop/projector and read the articles together.
Process:
1. Ask students to name what they think the most life-changing invention of the 20th century was. List their answers on the board, and try to encourage them to
think of inventions from the beginning of the century (such as the telephone rather than the computer).
2. Remind students what transportation was like in the 19th century, when people typically used horses or railroads to travel. Have a short discussion about
what life was like because of those modes of transportation. Ask them to imagine what the first car must have seemed like to a person living in 1910.
3. Play the Documenting the American South excerpt from Ralph Waldo Strickland's conversation in which he describes seeing an automobile for the first time,
in 1910. To find the excerpt, go to the Ralph Waldo Strickland interview website, click on the mp3, and fast-forward to minute 21:13. The excerpt runs
about a minute and a half. http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/H-0180/menu.html
4. For the next portion of the lesson, students chould have their own computers. Give them a copy of the handout and ask them to read the following two Web
sites giving a history of the impact of the automobile on America
 The Invention of the American Vacation: The Automobile http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/barnes/hford.html
 The History of the Automobile http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/automobile/history.html
5. If the readability of the sites is too difficult, summarize the contents using this PowerPoint presentation.
6. The handout asks them to answer questions about the Web sites and then to use two North Carolina maps from NC Maps to analyze the effect the car had on
the state.
Assessment: You may collect the handout for assessment. It is best to discuss their answers after they are finished.
How the Car Changed North Carolina
Name _________________________________________
A Worksheet Prepared for Use with North Carolina Maps: http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/ncmaps/
From your reading, name three important ways the invention of the automobile changed the lives of people living in America:
a.____________________________
b.____________________________
c.__________________________
Go to the NC Maps Web site: http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/ncmaps,341
This is a map from 1872 showing railroad paths through North Carolina. Towns shown in bold along the railroad tracks were most easily
traveled to. For each of the towns below, circle the name if it was accessible by railroad.
Asheville
Greensborough
Winston
Ashborough
Wadesborough
Charlotte
Greenville
Wilmington
3. The more railroad tracks that ran through a town, the bigger the town was. Name the two biggest towns in North Carolina in 1872.
a._________________________ b.____________________
4. Go to the NC Maps Web site: http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/ncmaps,937
This is a map from 1920 showing highways paved or cut through
North Carolina. The lines on the map are the roads, and the bigger the name of the town, the bigger the town was. Name three towns
that people could use roads to get to that they couldn't take a train to in 1872.
a._________________ b.____________________ c.__________________
5. Just like with railroads, the bigger the town was, the more roads led in and out of it. According to the 1920 map, what are the two
biggest towns in 1920?
a.____________________________ b.__________________________
6. Why do you think Asheville is so much bigger on the 1920 map than the 1872 map? What do people usually go to Asheville for?
7. How did the invention of the automobile change the lives of people in North Carolina? Where could they travel that they couldn’t
before? What towns prospered because people had cars?
North Carolina Maps is a comprehensive, online collection of historic maps from the North Carolina State Archives, North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Outer Banks History Center. North Carolina Maps is made
possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as
administered by the State Library of North Carolina. Visit North Carolina Maps online at
http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/ncmaps.
Day 3
Since becoming a state in 1789, North Carolina’s geography has changed.
Concept:
Change, Natural Resources
Resources:
Harcourt Social Studies: Unit 1, Lesson 4
Blank map of NC
Internet access
Process:
Read and discuss lesson, paying particular attention to how the land is modified for use or to reach resources.
Using maps, books, and the internet, have students create and label a map of North Carolina with topography and natural resources.
Map can be found here: http://www.netstate.com/states/maps/images/nc_outline.gif
Assessment
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Lesson 4 Review – Harcourt text page 28
Completed topography map with labeled natural resources
Day 4
Advances in technology offer opportunities and new problems
Concept:
Change, Communication
Resources:
Harcourt Social Studies text Unit 8, Lesson 1
Graphic organizer
Process:
Read and discuss lesson in Harcourt text.
Have students brainstorm ways we communicate on graphic organizer. Encourage them to “start at the beginning” going back to when North Carolina was first
settled until present time. Have them fill in the graphic organizer with your guidance.
Students may work in groups for discussion and brainstorming.
Have students share their charts to promote further discussion of ways we communicate.
Time permitting, have students predict new ways to communicate in the future
Assessment:
Completion of graphic organizer.
Communication in North Carolina
Type of
Communication
How did it work?
Benefits
Challenges
Communication in North Carolina
Type of
Communication
How did it work?
Teacher Guide
Benefits
Challenges
Message was easy to understand
Message was often changed with
each retelling (exaggerated or
incorrect)
Took a long time. If something
happened to the ship, letters
weren’t delivered
Deliveries could only happen
where the trains stopped
Needed electricity and someone
who understood the code
Could take a long time depending
on quality of roads
Require electricity
Word of Mouth
People told the message to
others to pass on
Ships
Letters were delivered to the ship Provided written documentation
based on the ship’s destination
for families and businesses
Railroad
Letters were delivered to cities or
towns based on train stops
Signals were sent over wires by
electrical signals
Letters were carried via horse,
wagon or cars (later)
News and information is
broadcast over the “air”
Voices were transmitted over
wires
Faster than ships and could
deliver without waterways
Delivered messages very quickly
Air
Planes deliver packages and
letters across great distances
Satellite/Cell phone
Packages and letters could be
delivered anywhere in a matter of
hours
Instantaneous communication
Poor signals due to weather or
communication tower location
Object orbits earth that receives
information from earth and then
sends it back to a specific location
A network that links computers
People use the internet for work,
around the world for the
entertainment and to find
exchange of information and
information from their homes
ideas
Telegraph
Roads
Radio/Television
Telephone
Internet
Letters could be delivered to
places that did not have a railway
Information is relayed to the
masses very quickly
People could speak to each other
across miles
Sometimes more than one person
used a line and calls weren’t
private
Could be costly
Safety of personal information
and depending on network
speed, transfer of information
can be bogged down
Day 5 -6
Human activity depletes natural resources
Concepts:
Population, Natural Resources
Resources:
Online PDF: http://www.onencnaturally.org/PDFs/00screen.pdf
Process:
Day 5: Read and discuss PDF pages 3-9
Day 6: Read and discuss PDF page 10
Assessment:
There are several activities throughout the PDF that allow for small group or individual activities to be completed in school for assessment or at home for
enhanced activities.
Day 7
Technology has an impact on the growth and development of a state.
Concepts:
Change, Transportation, Population, Communication, Natural Resources
Resources:
Harcourt SS text - Unit 8. Lesson 2
Process:
Read and discuss Unit 8, lesson 2.
Assessment:
Correct completion of p. 264 in text.
Days 8-12
Assessment / Integration of ELA and SS
Concepts:
Change, Transportation, Population, Communication, Natural Resources
Resources:
Computer access for each student
Media center time for researching
Copy of project directions and rubric
Process:
Distribute project direction packet to each student. Explain to students that they will be taking what they know about geography and growth of North Carolina
and that they will be working in groups (teacher should assign groups for differentiation purposes).
Assessment:
Grade using rubric.
Geography and Environmental Literacy Project
Name: _________________________________________
Parent Signature: ________________________________________________________
Homeroom Teacher: _____________________________
Research Report Due Date: _____________________________
Presentation Date: ______________________________
You have just studied North Carolina’s geography and environment. Now, you are going to work on a group project where your group will share how humans
have a negative or positive impact on our state. You will choose a place in a North Carolina region and learn how it has changed over time. You will include how
the land has changed, how the interaction of people have influenced that place, how the environment has been modified, which natural resources are being
used and what ways conservation can be practiced. Then, you are going to present your information using Power Point, Prezi, or any other presentation tool you
have learned this year. Be creative!
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Part 1: Choose a place you’d like to research. Some examples include: rivers, coastal lands, parks, historic sites, cities
Part 2: Divide the researching tasks among your group. Your teacher will help you if you need it.
Part 3: Complete the attached graphic organizer to help you take notes from your research. Please be sure you are just taking notes and NOT copying
information directly from your research. Notes do not have to be in complete sentences. Please fill in the sources of your information on the chart. Use
another sheet of paper if you need more room.
Part 4: Once you have completed your plan meet with your group to share resources and discuss your plan. Add more information to your plan by using
the new resources and information you learned from your group.
Part 5: Using your notes on the graphic organizer, complete a draft of your part IN YOUR OWN WORDS. The draft should have headings based on the
topic of each slide.
Part 6: Have a writing conference with your teacher to edit and revise your draft.
Part 7: Publish a final copy by typing your research report according to your teacher’s directions.
Part 8: Present your report to the class.
**NOTE** This packet and your draft should be turned in along with your final copy of the report. Please staple in the following order (from top to
bottom): Final copy, draft, packet.
Notes for Geography and Environmental Literacy Project
Topic
How the land changed
over time
How the interaction
of people have
influenced the place
How the environment
has been modified
Natural Resources
and Conservation
How people are a
negative and a
positive influence on
the place
Who?
Notes
Sources
Presentation Plan for Geography and Environmental Literacy Project
Title
How the land changed over time
How the interaction of people have influenced
the place
How the environment has been modified
Natural Resources and Conservation
How people are a negative and a positive
influence
Sources Used
Rubric for Geography and Environmental Literacy Project – Part 1
ELA
Read the research
Standard
RI4.10 - By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of
the range.
W4.9a- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.
FS4.4a - Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
Plan
SL4.1a - Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that
preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
SL4.1c - Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that
contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
SL4.1d - Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
Draft
W4.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
RI4.9 - Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.
Edit and Revise
L4.6 - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,
including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and
that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal
preservation).
L4.3a - Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. Choose words
and phrases to convey ideas precisely.
Publish
W4.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
Grade
Rubric for Geography and Environmental Literacy Project – Part 2
Social Studies
Standard
How the land changed over
time
4.G.1.1 Summarize the changes that have occurred in North Carolina since statehood
(population growth, transportation, communication, landscape.
How the interaction of
people have influenced the
place
4.G.1.2 Explain the impact that human activity has on the availability of natural resources in
North Carolina.
How the environment has
been modified
4.G.1.3 Exemplify the interactions of various peoples, places and cultures in terms of
adaptation and modification of the environment.
Natural Resources and
Conservation
4.G.1.2 Explain the impact that human activity has on the availability of natural resources in
North Carolina.
How people are a negative
and a positive influence on
the place
4.G.1.2 Explain the impact that human activity has on the availability of natural resources in
North Carolina.
Grade
Presentation Rubric for Geography and Environmental Literacy Project – Part 3
Technology
Standard
Quality of Presentation
SL.4.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized
manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or
themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Enhancements to
Presentation
SL.4.5. Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to
enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
Grade