Fourth Grade Social Studies
Planning for
Unit 7: Our American Government
and
Unit 8: Being a Responsible Spender
by Learning from Our Past
Marlo Mong
March 17, 2009
How do I know what concepts to teach?
Unit 7
• Use your curriculum
map!
– Every piece of
content for the rest
of the year is listed
under a relevant
concept
– These are
suggestions –
make them work
for your class!
• Keep up with it all
using a concept wall.
Unit 8
Our Government
•
•
The First Amendment
– Why? Stronger national government – protect the rights of the people
– Freedoms of expression is not all encompassing!
• Do no harm – including libel & slander
• Be prepared to face the consequences.
Functions of government – Think about it in terms of the federal system of
government – how does sharing power carry out government functions
– Making & enforcing laws: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/lawmaking/example.html
– Managing conflicts & protecting rights: think about the roles of the different
branches of government
– Providing defense: creating and maintaining a strong military force
– Limiting power of people: checks and balances
– Fiscal responsibility: collect taxes to provide public goods & services
• Tax & spending decisions should support the overall health of the economy
• Fiscal responsibility is a shared between national & state governments
Framework Support
The Federal System - National, State, or
Shared Power
•
•
•
Prior to studying our federal system of
government, the teacher may ask "What
does your government do for you?" After
listing student responses, the teacher may
select one response and ask "Does the
federal government or state government
provide this service?”
With a partner, students complete the
Federal System Activity. Following
completion of the partner activity, teacher
and students confirm and adjust answers as
needed. Discussion may follow and lead
into examination of our federal system
using the textbook, the Constitution, and
other resources.
Attachment 4 - Federal System Activity
Framework Support
The Importance of Civic Participation
Select students to participate in the following scene. Have one student ask the question and have other students stand
in front of the class and respond. You may create note cards with dialogue. Students may create their own scenario
illustrating lack of participation.
Scenarios:
•
Do you know the lunch choices for today? No, I haven’t paid attention. (staying informed)
•
Have you made your lunch choice? No, I don’t care. (voting)
•
Will you take the lunch money to the office? No, I don’t think I’ll do that. (volunteering)
•
Will you tell the lunch lady we cannot order lunch because we are out of order forms? No, I don’t think I should do
that. (communicating)
The teacher may follow up scenario asking: Will you (the person in the scene) have lunch today? You may or may not. It
may be what you want or it might not be. This is a simple scene but it portrays a bigger picture of what would happen if
people take the same kind of attitude with public life. In order for our democracy to continue to be strong and to grow,
we (the People) have to take part and be involved in it. Let’s go back through the scene –
1. Was the person informed? No. Is it important for citizens to be informed? (example: selecting a candidate, forming an
opinion on a law/referendum)
2. Did the person select a lunch choice? No. Is it important for a person to vote?
3. Did the person volunteer to get the job done? No. Is it important for people to volunteer within the community?
4. Did the person communicate needs? No. Is it important for citizens to communicate their needs and wants?
The teacher may then have students volunteer to come up and play the role as a cooperative classmate by replacing the
uncooperative with cooperative responses. The teacher may continue lesson with the Citizen Responsibility Activity
attached.
A Guide to Economic Thinking
• Review what students have learned about economics in its historical context
(i.e. specialization in the colonial regions, voluntary exchange between the
Native Americans, colonists, and England)
• Apply the economic concepts in SS4E1 to real life situations.
– Let students give examples of:
• When they have needed to trade with others and the benefit of that
voluntary exchange
• Made a decision based on opportunity cost
• Worked on a group project – What did you specialize in and how did
that increase your productivity?
• Determined price incentive as a:
– Producer of a service – Earning $2 for doing a daily chore vs. $5
for that same chore.
– Consumer of a good – paying $10 for that video game instead of
$20 because it is on sale
Framework Support
Sample Performance Task
Enduring Understandings: Production, Distribution, Consumption and Scarcity
The Island Game!
• Students work in groups to create an island game board that allows players to make choices
and incur opportunity costs. The game board must reflect a specific environment. The object
of the game would be to move one's marker around a circular path on "the island" to
accumulate "wealth." Players may do that by purchasing spaces along the path and charge
others who land there a fee. The person with the most money at the end of the game wins.
• To create the game, students must complete the following:
– create a game board and spaces that reflect the islands geography and limited resources
– set fees to purchase specific game board spaces and fines for landing there; the higher
the purchasing cost, the higher the landing fines
– write simple "laws" or rules to be followed when conducting island business
– determine the amount of money each player will start with
– create a set of hazards or obstacles that landing on
– create a few special circumstances involving the development of a "new technology" for
players to earn more money and spending power
Resources
• http://www.kids.gov/: This is the kids portal for USA.gov. Students can find
links to lots of information about the government.
• http://www.whitehouse.gov/our_government/: Learn about the branches of
our government, federal agencies, state & local governments, and find
resource on this website.
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/: Lots of information about government for kids, K12.
• http://www.kidseconposters.com/index.html: You can find lots of free tools to
teach economics to your students at this website – like children’s literature
with lesson plans & fun songs to teach important economic concepts.
• http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/: This is the lessons section of
econedlink.org. Use this page to search for lessons about specific concepts
in economics.
• http://www.gcee.org/: The Georgia Council for Economics Education is
dedicated to providing the best resources for Georgia’s teachers and
students.
Resources for Integration
Check It Out: The Book
About Banking
By: Neale Godfrey
Publisher: Modern
Curriculum Press
Concept: Saving
http://www.kidseconposters.
com/keb/Title%20List%20Po
ster%20Set%20B/Saving/Ch
eck%20It%20Out.htm
Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last
Sunday
By: Judith Viorst
Publisher: Atheneum 1978
Concept: Saving
http://www.kidseconposters.com/keb/Ti
tle%20List%20Poster%20Set%20B/Savi
ng/Alexander%20Rich%20Last%20Satu
rday.htm
Mailing May
By: Michael Tunnell
Publisher: Harpercollins
Concept: Opportunity Cost
http://www.kidseconposters.com/ke
b/Title%20List%20Poster%20Set%2
0A/Natural%20Resources/Just%20a
%20Dream.htm
Something Special For Me
By: Vera Williams
Publisher: Greenwillow
Concept-Consumers
http://www.kidseconposters.com/keb/
Title%20List%20Poster%20Set%20A/C
onsumers/Something%20Special%20f
or%20Me.htm