Fourth Grade Social Studies

Kansas Standard by Grade Level

for

Civics-Government, Economics, Geography, and History

  CIVICS-GOVERNMENT – 4^th Grade
Civics-Government Standard: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of governmental
systems of the United States and other nations with an emphasis on the U. S. Constitution, the necessity for the rule of law, the civic values of the American republican government, and the rights, privileges, and responsibilities to become active participants in the democratic process.

Benchmark 1: The student understands the rule of law as it applies to state and national governments.

Indicators:
The student:
6 D 1. explains the purpose of rules and laws and why they are important in school, state, and nation.
6 D 2. applies criteria useful in evaluating rules and laws (i. e., criteria: common good vs. individual rights, possible to follow).
3. names the capital of Kansas and the United States and defines the purpose of a capital.

Benchmark 2: The student understands the shared ideals and the diversity of American society and political
culture.

Indicators:
The student:
1. understands that civic values are influenced by people's beliefs and needs (e. g., need for safety, health, and well-being).
6 D 2. describes the similarities and unique qualities of cultures in the United States .

Benchmark 3: The student understands how the U. S. Constitution allocates and restricts power and responsibility in the government.

Indicators:
The student:
6 D 1. identifies the three branches of government and their primary functions (i. e., legislative, judicial, executive).
2. identifies the powers and responsibilities in each branch of government (e. g., President, Chief Justice, Speaker of the House, Vice President/ President pro tempore).

Benchmark 4: The student identifies and examines the rights, privileges, and responsibilities in becoming an active civic participant.

Indicators:
The student:
6 D 1. understands the responsibilities and rights of the individual in groups; such as, family, peer group, class, school, state, and national governments.
6 D 2. knows that effective informed citizenship is a duty of each citizen (i. e., jury service, voting, running for office, community service).

Benchmark 5: The student understands various systems of governments and how nations and international
organizations interact.

Indicators:
The student:
1. describes the basic purposes of government (using powers to provide and enforce rules for a society to live by, protect rights). (state & national)
2. recognizes how and why the world is divided into nations.
6 D 3. identifies the characteristics of a republic, a democracy, and a monarchy.

ECONOMICS – 4^th Grade
Economics Standard: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of major economic concepts,
issues, and systems of the United States and other nations; and applies decision making skills as a consumer, producer, saver, investor, and citizen in an interdependent world.

Benchmark 3: The student analyzes how different economic systems, institutions, and incentives affect
people.

Indicators:
The student:
6 D 1. defines imports and exports and gives examples of each.

GEOGRAPHY – 4^th Grade

Geography Standard: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of the spatial organization of Earth's surface and relationships among people, places, and physical and human environments in order to explain the interactions that occur in our interconnected world.

Benchmark 1: Maps and Location: The student uses maps, graphic representations, tools, and technologies to locate, use, and present information about people, places, and environments.
Indicators: The student:
1. uses map legends, scale, and distance to answer geographic questions.

° 2. uses grid systems to locate places on maps and globes (e. g., basic alpha-numeric, latitude/ longitude coordinates).

3. identifies major landforms and bodies of water (e. g., continents, mountains, plains, islands, peninsulas, rivers, oceans) on maps, globes, and aerial photos to answer simple geographic questions related to their relative locations.
6 D 4. locates major physical and political features of Earth from memory (see Appendix 2 for assessment items).

° 6. analyzes the locations of places to suggest why particular locations are used for certain
human activities (e. g., residential, commercial, recreational, community services, agricultural, industrial).

Benchmark 2 -Regions: The student analyzes the spatial organization of people, places, and environments
that form regions on Earth's surface.

Indicators:
The student:
6 D 1. identifies and compares the physical characteristics of Kansas and regions of the United States (i. e., location, land and water features, climate, vegetation, resources; Southeast, Northeast, Plains, Rocky Mountains , Southwest Pacific, Northwest, Alaska , Hawaii ).
° 2. describes the physical processes that shape the characteristics of regions (e. g., erosion, mountain building, precipitation).
6 D 3. identifies and compares the human characteristics of Kansas and regions of the United States (i. e., people, religions, languages, customs, economic activities, housing, foods, customs; Southeast, Northeast, Great Plains , Rocky Mountains , Southwest, Pacific Northwest , Alaska , Hawaii ).
6 D 4. describes the human activities that shape the characteristics of regions (i. e., mining, farming, manufacturing, migration, settlement, road and railroad building).

Benchmark 3: Physical Systems: The student understands Earth's physical systems and how physical
processes shape Earth's surface.

Indicators:
The student:
° 1. identifies and describes the physical components of Earth's atmosphere, land, water, and biomes (e. g., temperature, precipitation, wind, weather, climate; mountains, hills, plateaus, plains, river valleys, peninsulas, islands; oceans, lakes, rivers, aquifers; plants, animals, habitats).
2. describes how Earth's position relative to the Sun affects conditions and activities on Earth (e. g., length of day, seasons, summer and winter activities, clothing, housing).
3. explains the functions and dynamics of ecosystems (e. g., food chains, water, link between flora, fauna, and environment).
° 4. describes plants and animals associated with specific biomes (e. g., desert, wetland, mountain, grassland, forest, tundra).

Benchmark 5: Human-Environment Interactions: The student understands the effects of interactions
between human and physical systems.

Indicators:
The student:
° 1. identifies the positive and negative impacts of past, present, and future human activities on the physical environment (e. g., loss of habitat, mining, farming, chemical uses, community development, improved transportation).
3. identifies and suggests responses to critical present-day issues related to the use of natural resources (e. g., depletion, conservation, pollution).

KANSAS HISTORY – 4^th Grade

History Standard: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of significant individuals, groups, ideas, events, eras, and developments in the history of Kansas, the United States, and the world,
utilizing essential analytical and research skills.

Benchmark 1: The student understands the importance of the experiences of groups of people.
Indicators:
The student:
6 D 1. compares reasons that brought settlers to Kansas (i. e., geographic, political, economic, religious).
° 2. identifies at least five immigrant groups that settled in Kansas during the late 19th and 20th centuries (e. g., English, German, German-Russian, French, Swedish, Croatian, Serbian, Mexican, African American, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian).
3. explains contributions made by immigrant groups to Kansas (e. g., Mexican-Americans and the railroad, German-Russians and wheat production).
° 4. describes the everyday life of a Kansas settler using literature, stories, letters, diaries, and/ or other primary sources.  

Benchmark 3: The student understands the variety of ways land has been used in Kansas over time.
Indicators:
The student:
1. compares the changes in land usage of his/ her town and/ or county in Kansas since settlement using local documents.
2. compares and contrasts land use in his/ her community to other areas in Kansas.

Benchmark 4: The student understands the impact of exploration and migration upon the history of Kansas.
Indicators:
The student:
3. describes the interactions between different cultural groups on the trails and railroads (e. g., Mexican, American, American Indian).
6 D 4. lists hardships that travelers encountered on the Santa Fe and Oregon-California Trails (i. e., lack of water, mountains and rivers to cross, weather, need for medical care, size of wagon).
5. describes the development of trails, railroads, and highway systems to connect Kansas to the rest of the country.  

UNITED STATES AND WORLD HISTORY – 4^th Grade

History Standard: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of significant individuals, groups, ideas, events, eras, and developments in the history of Kansas, the United States, and the world,
utilizing essential analytical and research skills.

Benchmark 1: The student understands the significance of the contributions of important individuals and major developments in history.

Indicators:
The student:
1. researches to determine the historical contributions of important local and regional individuals.
2. researches the contributions of various individuals (e. g., Lewis and Clark, Eli Whitney, George Washington Carver, Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Clara Barton, Wright Brothers, Rosa Parks, Chief Joseph). 

Benchmark 3: The student understands the significance of events, holidays, documents, and landmarks,
which are important in United States history.

Indicators: The student:
1. identifies important documents in U. S. history (e. g., the Declaration of Independence, the U. S. Constitution, Mayflower Compact).

Benchmark 4: The student engages in historical thinking skills.
Indicators:
The student:
1. creates and uses personal and historical timelines.
6 D 2. identifies artifacts and documents as either primary or secondary sources of historical data.
3. describes how historians and archeologists use different methods to study the past (e. g., historians use documentary evidence and archeologists use physical evidence).
4. defines decade and century.

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