v.12.07
4th Grade
2
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Welcome to Michigan’s Grade Level Content Expectations for Social Studies
The purpose of social studies instruction is to develop social understanding and civic efcacy. The Grade Level
Content Expectations (GLCE) balance disciplinary content and processes and skills that contribute to
responsible citizenship and form a foundation for high school social studies coursework.
The disciplinary knowledge found in this document can be used by students to construct meaning through
understanding of powerful ideas drawn from the disciplines of history, geography, civics and government, and
economics. These ideas can be best supported by assessment and instruction that focuses on the Standards for
Assessment and the Standards for Teaching and Learning found in the Michigan Curriculum Framework.
Effective social studies instruction and assessment incorporate methods of inquiry, involve public discourse and
decision making, and provide opportunities for citizen involvement. Each year, students should receive instruction
that allows them to think and act as historians, geographers, political scientists, and economists. For this type of
thinking to occur, teachers should utilize the following disciplinary processes with their students:
• acquiring, organizing, and presenting social studies information
• conducting investigations on social studies questions
• analyzing public issues in our various communities
• engaging in constructive conversation around social studies topics
• composing cohesive essays expressing a position on public issues
• participating constructively as community members
Respect for the underlying values of a democratic society is developed through effective social studies education.
Rigorous standards provide a framework for designing curriculum, assessment, and effective classroom instruction,
that result in relevant learning experiences.
These content expectations provide the necessary framework for deliberate professional development. Working
collaboratively, teachers, administrators, university personnel, government ofcials, parents, community
organizations, and businesses will prepare Michigan students to become productive 21st century citizens.
The K-8 Social Studies GLCE were developed to meet the following criteria:
Rigor
• challenging enough to equip students to succeed at the next grade level
• represent the essential core content of a discipline – its key concepts and how they relate to each other
Clarity
• more than just plain and jargon-free prose
• widely understood and accepted by teachers, parents, school boards, and others who have a stake in the
quality of schooling
• provide guidance for university faculties who will prepare teachers to convey the expectations, and who
later receive those teachers’ students
Specicity
• enough detail to guide districts in developing curricula and teachers in planning instruction
• address available time for instruction
Focus
• prioritize facts, concepts, and skills that should be emphasized at each grade level
Progression
• move from simple to complex, from concrete to abstract
• delineate a progression of knowledge and skills, rather than repetition from grade to grade
Coherence
• reect a coherent structure of the discipline and/or reveal signicant relationships among the strands, and
how the study of one complements the study of another
• represent a “back-mapping” from the high school expectations to a progression of benchmarks that middle and
elementary school students would need to reach in order to be “on track” for success in college and work
3
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Challenges of Developing Content Expectations in Social Studies
At the national level and in just about every state, establishing standards and benchmarks in the social studies has been a challenging
endeavor, filled with political and pedagogical controversy. Three enduring educational issues have challenged the creation of
standards/content expectations to guide instruction and assessment in Michigan: (1) The challenge of integrating separate disciplines,
(2)The challenge of representing both thinking and substance, and (3) The challenge of determining an effective K-12 scope and
sequence.
First, while everyone recognizes that social studies is an amalgam of four or more disciplines including history, civics, economics
and geography, there is no consensus concerning the appropriate mix of these or the appropriate place of each in the curriculum.
Critical questions about the relationship among the content areas or even the relative amount of each area in the standards and
eventually in the curriculum have not been resolved. Therefore, one critical challenge is to find ways to make connections within
and across content areas.
Second, social studies educators face a problem in trying to reflect both disciplinary “thinking” and “substance” in standards
documents. This is particularly true in history and civics where people want students to develop more sophisticated ways to think
about contemporary issues and to draw upon specific knowledge of the past and the present in their thinking. So, standards and
content expectations must include both thinking and knowledge expectations in such a combination that can effectively guide
teachers, curriculum designers, and, of course, assessors.
When standards documents stress “thinking” at the expense of “substance,” teachers and educational critics often argue these
appear vague and offer little guidance for deciding what content should be taught and tested. Teachers often complain that the
mandated tests assess content not specified in standards or benchmarks.
On the other hand, standards that specify more substantive detail face their own critics who argue that such detail is too prescriptive
and gives too much content to be effectively assessed in large-scale, multiple-choice dominated exams. A second challenge, therefore,
is to provide more substance to meet the criticism that Michigan’s standards were too vague without losing sight of the central
purposes for offering social studies to our students.
Finally, there is the challenge of creating a sensible and educationally sound K-12 scope and sequence. For many years, states required
the full run of U.S. history in grades 5, 8 and 11. Critics argued this privileged breadth over depth, and urged dividing historical
content into three sections for students to study in more depth in 5
th
, 8
th
and 11
th
grades. Still others argued that this arrangement
was asking very young students(e.g., 5
th
graders) to study, remember, and be able to use very sophisticated concepts and events five
or six years later when they were studying U.S. history in high school. Most advanced courses rely upon earlier grades to develop
foundational skills and knowledge, but do not expect earlier grades to help students achieve the sophisticated study possible in
high school. Thus they begin their studies of U.S. history at the “beginning.” In short, social studies educators have developed three
different and compelling patterns for structuring the scope and sequence in social studies.
The standards and expectations that follow represent the best efforts of the various writing and review committees to provide
the integration, coherence, and the scope and sequence that will guide instruction and assessment in Michigan.
4
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
DESIGNING AN ALIGNED CURRICULUM
This document is intended to support dialogue at the school and district level that results in rigorous and relevant
curriculum that will prepare students for college and the workplace.
As stakeholders (e.g., teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, community members, students, local legislative
representatives) work with these standards, they should consider the following questions:
• How are these content standards and expectations reected in our curriculum and instruction already?
• Where may the curriculum and instruction be strengthened to more fully realize the intent of these standards
and expectations?
• What opportunities do these standards and expectations present to develop new and strengthen existing
curriculum, leading to instructional excellence?
• How might the standards and expectations be implemented as we take into account what we know about our
students, school, and community?
• How might the effectiveness with which our students and schools are meeting the standards and content
expectations be assessed?
• How might school-based assessments (e.g., student portfolios, school-based writing assessments, teacher or
classroom research, district-level assessments) be used to make data-driven decisions about teaching and learning?
Through dialogue about questions such as these, and building upon the multitude of existing strengths in our
current high schools, voices of all stakeholders will participate in the important and continuing process of shaping
instructional excellence in Michigan schools and preparing students for college and the workplace.
In 2002, the Michigan State Board of Education adopted the Policy on Learning Expectations. These Expectations and
the High School Content Expectations are intended to work together to prepare Michigan’s students to face new
challenges in an ever-changing world, and provide them with the knowledge and skills needed for future success and
to be productive citizens. Students will be prepared to:
• Gather Information • Think and Communicate Critically
• Understand Information • Learn and Consider Issues Collaboratively
• Analyze Issues • Learn Independently
• Draw and Justify Conclusions • Create Knowledge
• Organize and Communicate Information • Act Ethically
THE GOALS OF SOCIAL STUDIES
Social Studies is the integrated study of the social sciences to prepare young people to become responsible citizens.
Responsible citizens display social understanding and civic efficacy. Social understanding includes knowledge of the human
condition, how it has changed over time, the variations that occur in different physical environments and cultural settings,
and the emerging trends that appear likely to shape the future in an interdependent world. Civic efficacy is the readiness
and willingness to assume responsibilities of citizenship, knowing how, when, and where to make informed and reasoned
decisions for the public good in a pluralistic, democratic society.
2ESPONSIBLE#ITIZENSHIP
(ISTORY
#IVICS
'EOGRAPHY
%CONOMICS
$ISCIPLINARY
+NOWLEDGE
4HINKING
3KILLS
$EMOCRATIC
6ALUES
#ITIZEN
0ARTICIPATION
Michigan Social Studies
Curriculum Framework
5
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
ACTIVE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS
Our constitutional democracy requires active citizens. Responsible citizenship requires students to participate
actively while learning in the classroom. Instruction should provide activities that actively engage students so that
they simultaneously learn about civic participation while involved in the civic life of their communities, our state,
and our nation. The social studies curriculum prepares students to participate in political activities, to serve their
communities, and to regulate themselves responsibly.
The Responsible Citizen
• Uses knowledge of the past to construct meaningful understanding of our diverse cultural heritage and inform
his/her civic judgments (Historical Perspective)
• Uses knowledge of spatial patterns on earth to understand processes that shape both the natural environments
and the diverse societies that inhabit them (Geographic Perspective)
• Uses knowledge of American government and politics to make decisions about governing his/her community
(Civic Perspective)
• Uses knowledge of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services to make personal,
career and societal decisions about the use of scarce resources (Economic Perspective)
• Uses methods of social science investigation to answer questions about society (Inquiry)
• Knows how, when, and where to construct and express reasoned positions on public issues (Public Discourse
and Decision Making)
• Acts constructively to further the public good (Citizen Involvement)
USING SOCIAL STUDIES TO DEVELOP DIGITAL-AGE PROFICIENCIES
The use of technology is critical for responsible citizenship. Citizens must know how to read and comprehend
narratives from a variety of sources, understand and use data effectively, as well as know how to compile and
present valid and reliable data. The development of vocabulary, critical to understanding and communication, is
an important component of the social studies curriculum. Finally writing, especially expository, informational and
persuasive writing, is an empowering skill needed by all citizens. The ability to clearly communicate one’s ideas and
reasoned viewpoints is the hallmark of a responsible citizen.
“The current and future health of America’s 21st Century Economy depends directly on how broadly and deeply Americans
reach a new level of literacy—21st Century Literacy—that includes strong academic skills, thinking, reasoning, teamwork skills,
and proficiency in using technology.” —21st Century Workforce Commission National Alliance of Business
In order to thrive in a digital economy, students will need digital-age prociencies. These prociencies include:
• Basic, scientic, technological, nancial, economic, and civic literacy
• Visual and information literacy
• Cultural literacy and global awareness
• Adaptability, ability to manage complexity, and self-direction
• Curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking
• Higher order thinking and sound reasoning
• Teaming and collaboration
• Personal and social responsibility
• Interactive communication
• Prioritizing, planning, and managing for results
• Effective use of real-world tools
• High quality results with real-world application
6
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Understanding the Organizational Structure
The Grade Level Content Expectations for Grades K-8 and the High School Content Expectations for
Social Studies are organized by discipline and standard using national standards structures as indicated in
the chart below.
Themes Representing National Standards (K-4)
Eras Representing National Standards (5-12)
History Geography Civics/Government Economics
National Standards for
Historical Thinking
National Geography
Standards
National Civics
Standards
National Economics
Standards (NAEP Categories)
H1 The World in Temporal Terms:
Historical Habits of Mind
1.1 Temporal Thinking
1.2 Historical Analysis and Interpretation
1.3 Historical Inquiry
1.4 Historical Understanding
1.5 Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision
Making
H2 Living and Working Together in Families and
Communities, Now and Long Ago
H3 The History of Michigan and the Great
Lakes Region
H4 The History of the United States
H5 The History of Peoples from Many
Cultures Around the World
Thematic Analysis of
U.S. History Eras 1-9
U1 Beginnings to 1620
U2 Colonization and
Settlement
U3 Revolution and the
New Nation
U4 Expansion and
Reform
U5 Civil War and
Reconstruction
U6 The Development of an
Industrial, Urban, and
Global United States
U7 The Great Depression
and World War II
U8 Post-World War II
United States
U9 America in a New
Global Age
(P3, P4)
Social Studies Knowledge, Processes, and Skills
K1 General Knowledge [College-Readiness]
P1 Reading and Communication [Close and Critical Reading; Analysis; Interpret Primary and Secondary Sources; Argumentation]
P2 Inquiry, Research, and Analysis [Information Processing; Conducting Investigations; Problem-Solving; Technology Use]
P3 Public Discourse and Decision Making
P3.1 Identifying and Analyzing Public Issues
P3.2 Discourse Regarding Public Issues
P3.3 Persuasive Writing on a Public Issue
P4 Citizen Involvement
Global Analysis of
World History Eras
1-8 from three
pespectives
• Cross-temporal/Global
• Interregional /Comparative
• Regional
W1
Beginnings of Human
Society
W2
Early Civilizations and
Cultures and the
Emergence of Pastoral
Peoples
W3 Classical Traditions,
World Religions,
and Major Empires
W4 Expanding and
Intensified Hemispheric
Interactions
W5 Emergence of the First
Global Age
W6 An Age of Global
Revolutions
W7
Global Crisis and
Achievement
W8
The Cold War and Its
Aftermath (P3, P4)
G1 The World in Spatial
Terms: Geographical
Habits of Mind
1.1 Spatial Thinking
1.2 Geographical Inquiry
and Analysis
1.3 Geographical
Understanding
G2
Places and Regions
2.1 Physical Characteristics
of Place
2.2 Human Characteristics
of Place
G3 Physical Systems
3.1 Physical Processes
3.2 Ecosystems
G4 Human Systems
4.1 Cultural Mosaic
4.2 Patterns of Human
Settlement
4.3 Forces of
Cooperation and
Conflict
4.4 Economic
Interdependence
G5 Environment and
Society
5.1 Humans and the
Environment
5.2 Physical and Human
Systems
G6 Global Issues Past and
Present
6.1 Global Topic
Investigation and
Issue Analysis (P2)
C1 Conceptual Foundations
of Civic and Political Life
1.1 Nature of Civic Life
1.2 Forms of Government
C2 Values and Principles of
American Democracy
2.1 Origins
2.2 Foundational Values and
Principles
C3 Structure and Functions
of Government
3.1 Structure and Functions
3.2 Powers and Limits
3.3 State and Local
Governments
3.4 System of Law and
Laws
3.5 The Policy Process
3.6 Characteristics of
Nation States
C4 Relationship of the United
States to Other Nations
and World Affairs
4.1 U.S. Foreign Policy
4.2
International
Institutions and Affairs
4.3
Conflict and
Cooperation
Between
and Among Nations
C5 Citizenship in the United
States
5.1 The Meaning of
Citizenship
5.2 Becoming a Citizen
5.3 Rights
5.4 Responsibilities
5.5
Dispositions
C6 Citizenship in Action
6.1 Civic Inquiry and
Public Discourse (P3)
6.2 Participating in Civic
Life (P4)
E1
The Market Economy
1.1 Individual, Business,
and Government
Choices
1.2 Competitive Markets
1.3 Prices, Supply, and
Demand
1.4 Role of Government
E2 The National Economy
2.1 Understanding
National Markets
2.2 Role of Government
in the United States
Economy
E3 International Economy
3.1 Economic Systems
3.2 Economic
Interdependence –
Trade
E4 Personal Finance
4.1 Decision Making
K-12 Organizational Chart
7
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
➞
6 – E 2 . 3 . 1
Understanding Social Studies GLCE Coding
Each Social Studies GLCE is made up of four parts: the grade, the standard category, the standard, and the expectation.
K-4 Expectations are organized by discipline and standard category, standard, and expectation.
Kindergarten Example K – G1.0.2 = Kindergarten, 1st Geography Standard Category, 2nd Expectation
4th Grade Example 4 – C5.0.3 = Grade 4, 5th Civics Standard Category, 3rd Expectation
(The “0” is used as a place holder and indicates that K-4 expectations are organized using the standards categories,
and do not use the standard codes listed in the K-12 organizational chart.)
5th and 8th Grades focus on an integrated study of United States History. The expectations are organized by U.S.
History and Geography (USHG) Era. The code indicates the era, the standard, and the expectation.
5th Grade Example 5 – U3.2.1 = Grade 5, 3rd USHG Era, 2nd Standard, 1st Expectation
6th and 7th Grades focus on an integrated study of the world. The expectations are organized by discipline and
standard category (or World History and Geography (WHG) Era), standard, and expectation.
6th Grade Example 6 – E2.3.1 = Grade 6, 2nd Economics Standard Category, 3rd Standard, 1st Expectation
7th Grade Example 7 – W2.2.4 = Grade 7, 2nd WHG Era, 2nd Standard, 4th Expectation
A parenthesis at the end of an expectation presents a reference to the National Geography Standards or the civics,
economics, or history standards that are used in the document (C1, E3, etc., as listed on page 6). The references
indicate integration of the content.
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
INTEGRATED UNITED STATES HISTORY
EASTERN HEMISPHERE STUDIES
WESTERN HEMISPHERE STUDIES
INTEGRATED UNITED STATES HISTORY
UNITED STATES STUDIES
MICHIGAN STUDIES
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
FAMILIES AND
SCHOOLS
MYSELF AND
OTHERS
HIGH SCHOOL
3 Credits as Required Electives
WORLD HISTORY
AND GEOGRAPHY
(Eras 4-8)
1 Credit Required
U.S. HISTORY
AND GEOGRAPHY
(Eras 6-9)
1 Credit Required
CIVICS
.5 Credit Required
ECONOMICS
.5 Credit Required
AP
COURSES
OTHER
SOCIAL
STUDIES
ELECTIVES
SEQUENCE OF STUDY
K-7 Expanding Horizons
5-12 Disciplinary Focus
Expectation
Grade
➞
Standard Category
Standard
➞
➞
8
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Using the K-8 Social Studies GLCE: Things to Remember
There are a number of important considerations for teachers to keep in mind as they use Grade Level
Content Expectations to plan instruction. It is important to remember that this document
•
Uses historical, spatial, civic, and economic thinking –The expectations require
students to think – compare, contrast, argue – using social studies concepts and habits of
mind. The expectations call upon students to use such thinking to analyze and interpret
information in developing their understanding. These expectations do not intend to stress
memory over meaning or coverage over understanding. While knowledge of names and
denitions is essential, high quality teaching and learning demands a great deal more than just
the mastery of discrete collections of facts or terms.
•
Requires active, social studies inquiry – In using social studies concepts and habits of
mind, students should engage in active, disciplined inquiry, analysis, and argumentation. Learning
involves purposeful investigations within a community that has established goals, standards,
criteria, and procedures for study. It entails learning how to read, write, and use the social
studies to understand and participate in the world around us. This calls upon students to frame
important social studies problems and questions; to locate and analyze appropriate evidence
and data; and to apply social studies concepts and principles to build reasoned and evidence-
based interpretations, arguments, or decisions. In short, social studies instruction should
provide Michigan students with the kind of reasoned and informed decision making that should
characterize each citizen’s participation in American society.
•
Represents Content Expectations and not Pedagogical Organization –This
document lists content expectations for students. It does not establish suggested organization
for teaching or learning this content. For example, this document is not presenting
expectations in a suggested instructional sequence. The expectations do not represent
single lessons, a day’s worth of instruction, or even a unit. Michigan teachers and curriculum
coordinators can combine expectations to structure meaningful learning experiences for their
students. For example, a teacher could use a compelling historic, geographic, civic, or economic
issue or problem to organize weeks of study, while coherently employing many content
expectations.
•
Differentiates between required and suggested (e.g.) content – The expectations
specify teachable content in two different ways. On numerous occasions, the expectations
will offer examples for teachers to help clarify teachable content. Typically, these examples
or suggestions appear in parentheses. The document always identies such optional content
with an “e.g.” or “for example.” These are simply suggestions and teachable options. Teachers
may use other examples to meet the expectations. In short, these examples are not required
content. In other places, the expectations identify specic content that students should study.
This content is never preceded by “e.g.” or “for example.” Unlike the optional examples, a
statewide assessment might assess the required content.
Using the K- 8 Social Studies GLCE
9
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Using a familiar context for ve and six year olds, kindergartners learn about
the social studies disciplines (history, geography, civics and government, and
economics) through the lens of “Myself and Others.” Accordingly, each discipline
focuses on developing rudimentary understandings through an integrated
approach to the eld.
Kindergarten
K-5 Grade-Specic Contexts
Myself and Others
In rst grade, students continue to explore the social studies disciplines of
history, geography, civics and government, and economics through an integrated
approach using the context of school and families. This is the students’ rst
introduction to social institutions as they draw upon knowledge learned in
kindergarten to develop more sophisticated understandings of each discipline.
First
Families and
Schools
In second grade, students continue the integrative approach to social studies
through the context of the local community. This the rst time students are
introduced to a social environment larger than their immediate surroundings
and they draw upon knowledge learned in previous grades to develop more
sophisticated understandings to explore the social studies disciplines of history,
geography, civics and government, and economics.
Second
The Local
Community
Third grade students explore the social studies disciplines of history, geography,
civics and government, and economics through the context of Michigan studies.
Building on prior social studies knowledge and applying new concepts of each
social studies discipline to the increasingly complex social environment of their
state, the third grade content expectations help prepare students for more
sophisticated studies of their country and world in later grades.
Third
Michigan Studies
Using the context of the United States, fourth grade students learn signicant
social studies concepts within an increasingly complex social environment.
They examine fundamental concepts in geography, civics and government, and
economics through the lens of Michigan history and the United States.
Fourth
United States
Studies
The fth grade social studies content expectations mark a departure from the
social studies approach taken in previous grades. Building upon the geography,
civics and government, and economics concepts of the United States mastered
in fourth grade and historical inquiry from earlier grades, the fth grade
expectations begin a more disciplinary-centered approach concentrating on
the early history of the United States. Students begin their study of American
history with American Indian peoples before the arrival of European explorers
and conclude with the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791. Although the
content expectations are organized by historical era, they build upon students’
understandings of the other social studies disciplines from earlier grades and
require students to apply these concepts within the context of American history.
Fifth
K- 5 Overview
Integrated
American
History
10
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
History
Geography
Civics and
Government
Economics
K-5 Social Studies Overview Chart
Public Discourse,
Decision Making,
and Citizen
Involvement
Living and
Working Together
Use historical thinking
to understand the past
in the local community.
Michigan History
Use historical thinking
to understand the past
in Michigan.
United States
History
Use historical thinking
to understand the
history of the United
States in the following
eras:
• Beginnings to 1620
• Colonization and
Settlement
• Revolution and the
New Nation to 1791
The World in
Spatial Terms
Use geographic
representations to
acquire, process, and
report information
from a spatial
perspective.
Places and
Regions
Understand how
regions are created
from common
physical and human
characteristics.
Human Systems
Understand how
human activities help
shape the Earth’s
surface.
Environment and
Society
Understand the effects
of human-environment
interactions.
Purposes of
Government
Explain why people
create governments.
Values and
Principles of
American
Democracy
Understand values
and principles
of American
constitutional
democracy.
Structure and
Function of
Government
Describe the structure
of government in the
United States and
how it functions to
serve citizens.
Role of the
Citizen in
American
Democracy
Explain important
rights and how, when,
and where American
citizens demonstrate
their responsibilities
by participating in
government.
Market Economy
Use fundamental
principles and
concepts of economics
to understand
economic activity in a
market economy.
National
Economy
Use fundamental
principles and
concepts of economics
to understand
economic activity in
the United States.
International
Economy
Use fundamental
principles and
concepts of economics
to understand
economic activity in
the global economy.
Identifying and
Analyzing Public
Issues
Clearly state a
problem as a public
policy issue, analyze
various perspectives,
and generate and
evaluate possible
alternative resolutions.
Persuasive
Communication
Communicate a
reasoned position on
a public issue.
Citizen
Involvement
Act constructively to
further the public
good.
K - 5 Overview
28
GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
United States Studies Grade Four
Using the context of the United States, fourth grade students learn signicant social studies concepts within an increasingly complex
social environment. They examine fundamental concepts in geography, civics and government, and economics through the lens of
Michigan history and the United States. Expectations that particularly lend themselves to being taught through a historic, geographic,
civic, or economic lens are denoted.
History
Fourth grade students use examples from Michigan history (from statehood to the present) as a case study for learning about United
States geography, economics, and government. Teachers are encouraged to use examples from Michigan history beyond statehood to
teach geographic, civic, and economic concepts.
Geography
Students draw upon their knowledge of spatial awareness, regions, human systems, and human-environment interactions to
create more sophisticated understandings of these concepts within the context of the United States. By focusing on the work of
geographers, students explore the types of questions geographers ask and the tools they use to answer these questions. Students
learn that maps can be used to describe elevation and climate, as well as to analyze patterns of population density. In preparation
for the study of American history, students concentrate on the geography of the United States. Students expand their knowledge
of human systems using case studies and stories to understand push and pull factors of migration and the inuence of migration
on culture within the United States. Students deepen their understanding of human-environment interactions by assessing positive
and negative effects of human activities on the physical environment of the United States. The rm understanding of United States
geography established in fourth grade prepares students for the study of American history in fth grade and world geography in
grades six and seven.
Civics and Government
Fourth grade students learn how the United States government works. Students examine the purposes of government as set
forth in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, how our current form of government functions to serve those purposes, and the
probable consequences of not having government, rules, or laws. Building upon their understanding of the structure and functions
of government in Michigan, students use examples to explore how the powers of the federal government are limited. Students also
begin to understand that the federal and state governments have different powers as a foundation for learning about federalism in
fth grade. Concepts of governmental taxing and spending are expanded from previous grades as students apply these concepts to
the federal government. Students explore how key concepts such as popular sovereignty, rule of law, checks and balances, separation
of powers, and individual rights serve to limit the power of government and how these ideas are manifested in the Constitution and
Bill of Rights. Students learn how government affects their daily lives by identifying examples of rights guaranteed by the Constitution
and Bill of Rights. Students explain why all rights have limits, describe the relationship between rights and responsibilities, and
investigate ways people can work together to promote the values and principles of American democracy.
Economics
Fourth grade students continue to deepen their understanding of economic principles with a focus on the characteristics of market
economies. They move beyond applying the economic concepts of scarcity, choice, and opportunity costs in personal economic
decisions and begin to think like an economist, identifying the types of questions economists ask. Economic decision making is
examined by applying the concepts of price, competition, and incentives. Students develop an understanding of specialization, division
of labor, competition, and interdependence and explore their effects on productivity. Moreover, the circular ow model is introduced
in fourth grade, providing a foundation for future studies in economics. Students build upon their knowledge of governmental taxing
and spending as they explore why certain public goods are not privately owned. Students also take an increasingly sophisticated look
at the global economy as the expectations explore the impact of global competition on the national economy.
Public Discourse, Decision Making, and Citizen Involvement
Students deepen their understanding of public issues and the importance of citizen action in a democratic republic. Using the
context of the United States, fourth grade students identify public policy issues facing citizens in the United States, use graphic data
and other sources to analyze information about the issue, and evaluate alternative resolutions. By utilizing examples, students expand
their understanding of how conicts among core democratic values often lead people to want different resolutions to a public policy
question. Students demonstrate competency in expressing their own opinions relative to a public issue in the United States and
justify their opinions with a reasoned argument with increasing complexity. This foundational knowledge is built upon throughout the
grades as students use their knowledge of how, when, and where to communicate and become more procient in communicating
positions on sophisticated public issues with a reasoned argument.
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GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
United States Studies Grade Four
Social Studies Content Expectations Grade Four
HISTORY
H3 History of Michigan (Beyond Statehood)
Use historical thinking to understand the past.
4 – H3.0.1 Use historical inquiry questions to investigate the development of Michigan’s major economic
activities (agriculture, mining, manufacturing, lumbering, tourism, technology, and research) from
statehood to present. (C, E)
•
What happened?
• When did it happen?
• Who was involved?
• How and why did it happen?
• How does it relate to other events or issues in the past, in the present, or in the future?
• What is its signicance?
4 – H3.0.2 Use primary and secondary sources to explain how migration and immigration affected and
continue to affect the growth of Michigan. (G)
4 – H3.0.3 Describe how the relationship between the location of natural resources and the location of
industries (after 1837) affected and continues to affect the location and growth of Michigan cities.
(G, E)
4 – H3.0.4 Draw upon stories, photos, artifacts, and other primary sources to compare the life of people in
towns and cities in Michigan and in the Great Lakes region during a variety of time periods from
1837 to the present (e.g., 1837-1900, 1900-1950, 1950-2000). (G)
4 – H3.0.5 Use visual data and informational text or primary accounts to compare a major Michigan
economic activity today with that same or a related activity in the past. (E)
4 – H3.0.6 Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to construct a historical narrative about the
beginnings of the automobile industry and the labor movement in Michigan. (G, E)
4 – H3.0.7 Use case studies or stories to describe the ideas and actions of individuals involved in the
Underground Railroad in Michigan and in the Great Lakes region. (See 8-U4.2.2; 8-U4.3.2;
8-U5.1.5; USHG 7.2.4) (G, C, E)
4 – H3.0.8 Describe past and current threats to Michigan’s natural resources; describe how Michigan worked
in the past and continues to work today to protect its natural resources. (G, C, E)
4 – H3.0.9 Create timelines (using decades after 1930) to sequence and describe important events in
Michigan history; annotate with connections to the past and impact on the future.
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GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Social Studies Content Expectations Grade Four
GEOGRAPHY
G1 The World in Spatial Terms
Use geographic representations to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
4 – G1.0.1 Identify questions geographers ask in examining the United States (e.g., Where it is? What is it
like there? How is it connected to other places?).
4 – G1.0.2 Use cardinal and intermediate directions to describe the relative location of signicant places in
the United States.
4 – G1.0.3 Identify and describe the characteristics and purposes (e.g., measure distance, determine relative
location, classify a region) of a variety of geographic tools and technologies (e.g., globe, map,
satellite image).
4 – G1.0.4 Use geographic tools and technologies, stories, songs, and pictures to answer geographic
questions about the United States.
4 – G1.0.5 Use maps to describe elevation, climate, and patterns of population density in the United States.
G2 Places and Regions
Understand how regions are created from common physical and human characteristics.
4 – G2.0.1 Describe ways in which the United States can be divided into different regions (e.g., political
regions, economic regions, landform regions, vegetation regions).
4 – G2.0.2 Compare human and physical characteristics of a region to which Michigan belongs (e.g., Great
Lakes, Midwest) with those of another region in the United States.
G4 Human Systems
Understand how human activities help shape the Earth’s surface.
4 – G4.0.1 Use a case study or story about migration within or to the United States to identify push and
pull factors (why they left, why they came) that inuenced the migration. (H)
4 – G4.0.2 Describe the impact of immigration to the United States on the cultural development of
different places or regions of the United States (e.g., forms of shelter, language, food). (H)
G5 Environment and Society
Understand the effects of human-environment interactions.
4 – G5.0.1 Assess the positive and negative effects of human activities on the physical environment of the
United States.
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GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Social Studies Content Expectations Grade Four
CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT
C1 Purposes of Government
Explain why people create governments.
4 – C1.0.1 Identify questions political scientists ask in examining the United States (e.g., What does
government do? What are the basic values and principles of American democracy? What is the
relationship of the United States to other nations? What are the roles of the citizen in American
democracy?).
4 – C1.0.2 Explain probable consequences of an absence of government and of rules and laws.
4 – C1.0.3 Describe the purposes of government as identied in the Preamble of the Constitution.
C2 Values and Principles of American Democracy
Understand values and principles of American constitutional democracy.
4 – C2.0.1 Explain how the principles of popular sovereignty, rule of law, checks and balances, separation of
powers, and individual rights (e.g., freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of press)
serve to limit the powers of the federal government as reected in the Constitution and Bill of
Rights.
4 – C2.0.2 Identify situations in which specic rights guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights are
involved (e.g., freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of press).
C3 Structure and Functions of Government
Describe the structure of government in the United States and how it functions to serve citizens.
4 – C3.0.1 Give examples of ways the Constitution limits the powers of the federal government
(e.g., election of public ofcers, separation of powers, checks and balances, Bill of Rights).
4 – C3.0.2 Give examples of powers granted to the federal government (e.g., coining of money, declaring
war) and those reserved for the states (e.g., driver’s license, marriage license).
4 – C3.0.3 Describe the organizational structure of the federal government in the United States (legislative,
executive, and judicial branches).
4 – C3.0.4 Describe how the powers of the federal government are separated among the branches.
4 – C3.0.5 Give examples of how the system of checks and balances limits the power of the federal
government (e.g., presidential veto of legislation, courts declaring a law unconstitutional,
congressional approval of judicial appointments).
4 – C3.0.6 Describe how the President, members of the Congress, and justices of the Supreme Court come
to power (e.g., elections versus appointments).
4 – C3.0.7 Explain how the federal government uses taxing and spending to serve the purposes of
government.
C5 Roles of the Citizen in American Democracy
Explain important rights and how, when, and where American citizens demonstrate their responsibilities by
participating in government.
4 – C5.0.1 Explain responsibilities of citizenship (e.g., initiating changes in laws or policy, holding public ofce,
respecting the law, being informed and attentive to public issues, paying taxes, registering to vote
and voting knowledgeably, serving as a juror).
4 – C5.0.2 Describe the relationship between rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
4 – C5.0.3 Explain why rights have limits.
4 – C5.0.4 Describe ways citizens can work together to promote the values and principles of American
democracy.
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GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Social Studies Content Expectations Grade Four
ECONOMICS
E1 Market Economy
Use fundamental principles and concepts of economics to understand economic activity in a market economy.
4 – E1.0.1 Identify questions economists ask in examining the United States (e.g., What is produced?
How is it produced? How much is produced? Who gets what is produced? What role does
the government play in the economy?).
4 – E1.0.2 Describe some characteristics of a market economy (e.g., private property rights, voluntary
exchange, competition, consumer sovereignty, incentives, specialization).
4 – E1.0.3 Describe how positive and negative incentives inuence behavior in a market economy.
4 – E1.0.4 Explain how price affects decisions about purchasing goods and services (substitute goods).
4 – E1.0.5 Explain how specialization and division of labor increase productivity (e.g., assembly line). (H)
4 – E1.0.6 Explain how competition among buyers results in higher prices and competition among sellers
results in lower prices (e.g., supply, demand).
4 – E1.0.7 Demonstrate the circular ow model by engaging in a market simulation, which includes
households and businesses and depicts the interactions among them.
4 – E1.0.8 Explain why public goods (e.g., libraries, roads, parks, the Mackinac Bridge) are not privately
owned. (H)
E2 National Economy
Use fundamental principles and concepts of economics to understand economic activity in the United States.
4 – E2.0.1 Explain how changes in the United States economy impact levels of employment and unemployment
(e.g., changing demand for natural resources, changes in technology, changes in competition). (H)
E3 International Economy
Use fundamental principles and concepts of economics to understand economic activity in the global economy.
4 – E3.0.1 Describe how global competition affects the national economy (e.g., outsourcing of jobs,
increased supply of goods, opening new markets, quality controls).
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GRADES K-8 SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT EXPECTATIONS V. 12/07 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PUBLIC DISCOURSE, DECISION MAKING, AND CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT (P3, P4)
P3.1 Identifying and Analyzing Public Issues
Clearly state a problem as a public policy issue, analyze various perspectives, and generate and evaluate possible
alternative resolutions.
4 – P3.1.1 Identify public issues in the United States that inuence the daily lives of its citizens.
4 – P3.1.2 Use graphic data and other sources to analyze information about a public issue in the United
States and evaluate alternative resolutions.
4 – P3.1.3 Give examples of how conicts over core democratic values lead people to differ on resolutions
to a public policy issue in the United States.
P3.3 Persuasive Communication About a Public Issue
Communicate a reasoned position on a public issue.
4 – P3.3.1 Compose a brief essay expressing a position on a public policy issue in the United States and
justify the position with a reasoned argument.
P4.2 Citizen Involvement
Act constructively to further the public good.
4 – P4.2.1 Develop and implement an action plan and know how, when, and where to address or inform
others about a public issue.
4 – P4.2.2 Participate in projects to help or inform others.
Social Studies Content Expectations Grade Four
