Grade 4

History Students examine the connections of their own environment and cultural diversity with the past and develop an understanding of how people and events of the past and present influence what happens in the world.

Geography Students explore geographic relationships between physical, environmental characteristics and distinctive cultural features of their community, state, nation and world.

Civics/Government Students learn that they are citizens of their community, nation and world and the importance of the contributions they make to be a responsible, engaged citizen. Students gain understanding in how people create, interact with, and change structures of power, authority and governance that protect the rights of people.

Economics Students explore how people organized and use resources and depend on one another for the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

Production and Consumption

Discipleship Students understand the impact of Catholic faith on all aspects of the study of interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, past and present.

Historical Thinking and Skills

Heritage

Spatial Thinking and Skills

Places and Regions

Human Systems

Civic Participation and Skills

Rules and Laws

Roles and Systems of Government

Economic Decision Making Skills

Scarcity

Markets

Financial Literacy

Evangelization

Social Justice

Living the Faith

Create and interpret timelines to sequence information, show relationships among people, events, and movements representing eras and important events in Wisconsin history including settlement of Catholic immigrants

Identify and use a variety of community resources to understand the past (i.e. stories, artifacts, maps, and pictures)

Summarize and explain the significance of key documents in Wisconsin’s development from a United States territory to statehood

Research Wisconsin’s modern growth emphasizing manufacturing, new technologies, transportation and global connections

Distinguish fact from opinion and fact from fiction in historical documents and other information resources and identify the central question each narrative addresses

Read and interpret primary and secondary source accounts that pertain to a problem confronting people during the founding of Wisconsin

Using primary and secondary sources to examine historical accounts about an issue of the time, reconstruct the literal meaning of the passages by identifying who was involved, what happened, where it happened, what events lead to these developments and what consequences or outcomes followed

Write and illustrate descriptions of local communities and regions in Wisconsin, past and present

Identify and explain the significance of Wisconsin symbols and state flag 

Give examples and describe important social contributions by Wisconsin citizens and institutions

Identify and describe important events and famous people that influenced Wisconsin’s development

Research and describe the contributions of important Wisconsin artists, writers, and inventors to the state’s cultural landscape

Relate the history of Native Americans in Wisconsin (i.e. cultural contributions, cooperation and interdependence, tribal sovereignty and current status)

Identify the causes of removal or relocation of Native American Indian groups in Wisconsin , their resettlement and the impact on the tribes

Explain the significance of immigrants to Wisconsin including the Catholic heritage 

Describe the transformation of Wisconsin through immigration and through developments in agriculture, industry, and transportation

Compare and contrast social, economic, political and cultural changes in contemporary Wisconsin life and in the past

Give examples of Wisconsin’s agricultural, industrial, political and business development in the nineteenth century

Identify and describe important events and movements that changed life in Wisconsin in the twentieth century

Use globes, maps, atlases, grid systems, technological resources and charts to gather and interpret information

Identify physical and natural features using a map key

Use reference points, latitude/longitude, cardinal/ordinal directions and map scales to locate physical and human features on a map

Estimate distances between two places on a map using scale of mile, cardinal and intermediate directions when referring o relative location

Create maps of Wisconsin at different times in history showing regions and major physical and cultural features; give examples of how people in Wisconsin have modified their environment over time

Read and interpret thematic maps such as transportation, population and products to acquire information about Wisconsin, past and present

Identify major changes in the state and explain the causes and effect (i.e. ice age)

Locate and name all 50 United States

Identify and describe the location of the state capital, major cities and rivers in Wisconsin, and place these on a blank map of the state

Compare and contrast one city/state/region to another

Identify United States boundaries, geographic landforms and natural resources

Map and describe the physical regions of Wisconsin including the driftless area and identify and explain major natural resources and crop regions

Explain how glaciers shaped the landscape of Wisconsin and their impact

Describe Wisconsin’s landforms (lithosphere), water features (hydrosphere) and plants and animals (biosphere)

Explain the effect of the Earth/sun relationship on the climate of Wisconsin

Paraphrase how current issues impact people, places and environments (CST 7)

Describe and give examples of ways in which people interact with the physical environment, including use of land, location of communities and types of shelters

Identify the challenges in the physical landscape of Wisconsin to early settlers and modern day economic development

 Identify immigration patterns and describe the impact diverse ethnic and cultural groups have on Wisconsin

Explain the importance of major transportation routes, including rivers and Great Lakes, in the exploration, settlement and growth of Wisconsin and in the state’s location as a crossroad of America

Explain the effect of climate on population, transportation, industry, recreation

Give examples of civic responsibility in response to current events

Identify and explain the individual’s responsibility to family, peers, church and community (i.e. the need for civility, respect for diversity, etc.)

Identify and discuss current events of Wisconsin

Give examples of how citizens can participate in their state government and explain the right and responsibility of voting

Define and provide examples of civic virtues in a democracy

Use a variety of information resources to take a position or recommend a course of action on a public issue relating to Wisconsin’s past or present

Explain the need for laws and policies in a family, community, state and nation

Identify different rules and laws and explain the reason

Summarize rules/laws and describe consequences for breaking them

Identify and state the significance of the political documents of the United States in which rights of our citizens are guaranteed

Explore how a bill becomes a law at the state level

Explain the purpose of government in American society including the executive, legislative and judicial branches at the state level

Explain the major purposes of Wisconsin’s Constitution as stated in the Preamble

Describe how Wisconsin became a state

Identify major state offices, the duties and powers associated with them, and how they are chosen, such as by election or appointment

Examine the geographic and economic advantages Wisconsin offers to certain businesses and agriculture

Examine why certain businesses and industries (i.e. dairy, farming , mining, manufacturing) flourished in Wisconsin

Identify the opportunity costs of allocating limited economic resources (i.e. stewardship, alleviation of poverty, power of economic resources to affect change

Identify Wisconsin businesses and industries that produce goods and provide services

Define sales tax and explain its purpose

Give examples of goods and services produced in Wisconsin in different historical periods

Define productivity and provide examples of how productivity has changed in Wisconsin during the past 100 years

Explain that markets change as a result of changes in supply and demand for specific products

Describe Wisconsin’s global connection

Identify imports and exports important to Wisconsin

Explain how a bank can help people save money

Explain how people save, and develop a savings plan in order to make a future purchase

Explain where money is made (US Treasury, Mint)

Differentiate between cost and price

List the functions of money and compare and contrast things that have been used as money in the past in Wisconsin, the United States and the world

Identify the various cultures found in Wisconsin and discuss their contributions to the development of the state

Compare and contrast the customs and traditions of early Wisconsin Native American culture to contemporary culture (CST 6)

Articulate an appreciation of the diversity of cultures in Wisconsin

Describe how people and institutions work to solve societal problems (i.e. church and school)

Identify areas of need within the community and state of Wisconsin (the poor, unemployed, homeless, etc.) and propose ways in which to help meet those needs (CST 3,4,5,6)

Illustrate examples of how individuals and groups have contributed to the growth of Wisconsin (i.e. settlers, early leaders, etc.) (CST 6)

Identify the roles relevant to working in a cooperative group

Demonstrate behaviors that contribute to successful group work (CST 3)

Implement a service project that will meet a need in the community

Give examples from Scripture to justify our responsibility as Christians, to reach out to those in need