Mrs. Wheeler's Social Studies

4th Grade Social Studies: Taken From "What to Expect in 4th Grade" Brochure

The grade 4 social studies program builds on the students’ understanding of families, schools, and communities and highlights the political institutions and historic development of their local communities with connections to New York State and the United States. The study of local government will introduce students to the structure and function of the different branches and the roles of civic leaders. Students continue to learn about the rights, responsibilities, and duties of citizenship.

Students study about the significant people, places, events, and issues that influenced life in their local communities. The grade 4 program will consider the following themes and events at the local level: Native American Indians of New York State, the European encounter, the colonial and Revolutionary War period, the new nation, and the period of industrial growth and development in New York State. This chronological framework will help students to organize information about local history and connect it to United States history.

First Pre-European InhabitantsofNewYork State: Haudenosaunee andAlgonquins

Four Worldsmeet in America: Native American, Dutch, English andFrench

Pre-revolutionary War andRevolutionary Times: Native Americans, British andNewYork Patriotsor Loyalists

Growth ofNewYork State andthe Nation

Government/CivicsofToday

•  Democratic Values are the basis for the New Nation

The federal and state Constitutions were developed for organizing the functions of government to safeguard individual liberties

Active Citizenship is an integral part of Democracy