Social Studies 4 A
Course Summary
This Social Studies course focuses on the study of five unique geographic regions of the United States:
the Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West. The course text is Scott
Foresman’s Regions. In this course, the student will explore each region in depth in order to understand
the distinctive features of the regions, as well as the common threads that unite the country. The
student will explore the people, land, and events that shaped the history of each region. Short stories,
biographies, poetry, case studies, songs, and other resources emphasize the role of the individual in the
community, as well as the concept of change over time. Multimedia resources, including
Teachlet® tutorials, videos, and interactive Web sites, enhance and support the content. The student
will learn geographic concepts such as place, location, and human interaction with the environment.
Geography skills lessons are incorporated throughout the course.
Objectives derived from Pearson Education programs © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All
rights reserved.
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U.S. Constitution Day (L)
 Explain the importance of the U.S. Constitution
 Discuss James Madison's role in the creation of the U.S. Constitution
 Explain why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution
1. Living in the United States
1. Regions and Landforms
 Identify the major five regions of the United States; describe the major
landforms of each region in the United States
 Explain the difference between regional and state boundaries
2. Climate
 Explain the difference between weather and climate
 Describe the climate of each region in the United States; describe the major
types of climates around the world
 Describe the three main factors that affect the climate of an area
3. Map and Globe Skills: Reading Inset Maps
 Identify the purpose of inset maps
 Interpret information in inset maps
4. Regional Resources
 Explain how each region's resources shaped the industries that grew there
 Explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources
 Explain how people can be considered resources
5. Americans All
 Describe what is known about the people who were living in America when
Columbus arrived
 Explain why explorers and settlers came to North America
 Explain how the land belonging to the United States grew from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
6. We the People
 Explain what the Constitution is and why it is important
 Identify the three levels of government
 Describe the responsibilities of each of the three branches of government
 Explain how the Constitution can be changed
7. The Strengths of Our Freedoms
 Identify two ways that a person can become a citizen of the United States
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Identify three types of services that are paid for by taxes
Identify at least three responsibilities of U.S. citizens
Explain why voting is an important responsibility in the United States
The Land of Plenty
 Explain what might have drawn the first Americans to North America
 Explain why Americans decided to move westward in the 1800s
 Describe what happened in the late 1800s to change the way people lived and
worked
Trade: Then and Now
 Describe how goods and services were traded by barter
 Explain how a business makes a profit
 Explain the difference between supply and demand
Transportation and Communication
 Explain what it means for regions to be economically interdependent
 Describe what globalization is and why countries of the world depend on each
other
 Describe how fast transportation and communication have made national and
world trade possible
Unit Review
 Review the main ideas and terms from Unit 1
 Prepare for the Unit 1 test
Unit Test
There are no objectives for this lesson.
2. The Northeast
1. The Beautiful Northeast
 Identify the two Great Lakes between which Niagara Falls is located
 Identify the two main features for which Niagara Falls is known
 Identify the three main mountain ranges in the Northeastern part of the
Appalachian Mountains
 Identify the two states in the Northeast that do not border the Atlantic Ocean
2. Resources of the Northeast
 Identify key steps in the production of maple syrup
 Explain why grapes grow well in certain areas of the Northeast
 Identify the largest lake of the Finger Lakes
 Explain why water is essential to the production and growth of cranberries
3. Plentiful Sea
 Define the name of the people who fish Chesapeake Bay
 Explain how pollution from a factory gets into Chesapeake Bay
 Explain why Chesapeake Bay is important to the Northeast
 Describe actions a resident of the Chesapeake Bay area could take to help
preserve the bay
4. Then and Now
 Describe how and why places change over time
5. The Narragansett People
 Describe key events that affected the Narragansett way of life once European
settlers arrived
 Define sachem
 Describe what goods the Europeans and Native Americans traded
 Explain why the Iroquois Confederacy was established
6. The Land of New Beginnings
 Identify events leading from the colonization up to the founding of the United
States
 Identify cities in the Northeast that have been capitals of the United States
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Identify the city in the Northeast where most European immigrants arrived in
the 1800s
 Explain why immigrants came to the United States
Using a Vertical Time Line
 Analyze a vertical time line to acquire information
Taking a Stand
 Explain similarities and differences between the abolitionist movement and the
women's rights movement
 Explain the meaning of the word abolitionist; identify important women's
rights reformers
 Explain why reformers fought to win voting rights for women
Cities Grow and Change
 Explain why Northeastern cities developed where they did
 Identify and explain the importance of places that make tourism a major
industry in Northeastern cities
 Describe how Pittsburgh's industries, like those of other Northeastern cities,
have changed over the years
 Describe the relationship between the people and the economies of
Northeastern cities
Northeast Landmarks
 Identify objects and places of interest in the Northeast
Citizen Heroes: Capturing History
 Describe how citizens of New York City have shown responsibility on and after
September 11, 2001
Unit 2 Portfolio
 Use the writing process to take notes, create a draft, and prepare a published
copy of the report
 Use the Internet or other library resources to conduct research
 Identify the contributions of a famous immigrant
Unit Review
 Review the main ideas and terms from Unit 2
 Prepare for the Unit 2 test
Unit Test
There are no objectives for this lesson.
3. The Southeast
1. Reading Social Studies: Main Ideas and Details
 Analyze information by identifying the main idea and details
2. Coastal Plains to the Mountains
 Identify and describe major landforms in the Southeast
 Explain how barrier islands are formed
3. Map and Globe Skills: Reading Elevation Maps
 Explain how to use an elevation map
 Use an elevation map to compare and contrast landform elevations in the
Southeast
4. Sunlight and Storms
 Describe the climate of the Southeast
 Examine hurricanes in the Southeast
 Explain the function of lighthouses
 Explain how hurricanes form
 Describe the effects of hurricanes
5. Wildlife and Resources
 Describe the importance of protecting endangered species
 Identify ways in which resources of the Southeast are used
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Identify a renewable and a nonrenewable resource found in the Southeast
Explain why coal is an important resource in the Southeast
The Cherokee
 Describe how the Cherokee lived before Europeans came to North America
 Evaluate how Cherokee culture changed after Europeans came to the
Southeast
 Identify the Trail of Tears and describe its impact on the Cherokee
 Explain how the North Carolina Cherokee support themselves and keep their
culture alive today
Early History of the Southeast
 Identify important explorers of the Southeast and the areas they explored
 Locate the earliest European settlements in the Southeast
 Identify early leaders from the Southeast and describe their contributions to
the United States
 Evaluate the impact of agriculture in the Southeast
Citizen Heroes: Speaking Out
 Identify the contributions of Sarah and Angelina Grimke to the antislavery
movement
The Nation Divided
 Identify two causes of the Civil War
 Explain the effects of the Civil War on the Southeast; describe how the
Southeast changed during Reconstruction
 Analyze the development of the civil rights movement
 Describe the contributions of Rosa Parks to the civil rights movement
 Distinguish between fact and opinion
The Glittering Cities
 Describe the first gold rush in the United States
 Explain why Atlanta is an important transportation center
 Identify the causes of growth in Southeastern cities
The Southeast
 Identify characteristics of the Southeast region of the United States
Unit Review
 Review the main ideas and vocabulary of the unit
Unit Test
There are no objectives for this lesson.