Grade 4 Social Studies Maryland standards Standards

Skills and Processes

History

Economics

Geography

Peoples of the Nations and World

Civics

Inquire about the historical development of the fundamental concepts and processes of authority, power, and influence with particular emphasis on civic reasoning in order to become informed, responsible citizens, engage in the political process, and contribute to society.

Inquire about the people of the United States and the world using a historically grounded, multidisciplinary approach in order to recognize multiple narratives and acknowledge the diversity and commonality of the human experience.

Inquire about the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the location, distribution, and impact of human activities using geographic tools and spatial thinking in order to demonstrate a significance of place.

Inquire about decisions made by individuals and groups using economic reasoning in order to understand the historical development and current status of economic principles, institutions, and processes needed to be effective citizens, consumers, and workers participating in local communities, the nation, and the world.

Inquire about significant events, ideas, beliefs, and themes to identify patterns and trends and to analyze how individuals and societies have changed over time to make connections to the present in their communities, Maryland, the United States, and the world.

Inquire about civics, geography, economics, history, and people and nations of the world using disciplinary literacy skills and processes to critically evaluate content through a variety of source materials across disciplines and use reading, writing, and other forms of communication to develop, defend, and critique arguments in order to take informed action.

American Revolution (1750 – 1789)

Resistance, Colonization, and European Expansion in North America (1500 – 1650)

Worlds Collide (1450 – 1650)

Analyze causes of the Revolution by:

examining the causes and effects of the French and Indian War.

identifying the impact of taxation without representation on various groups.

evaluating how new religious and political thinking empowered individuals to question royal authority and increased a spirit of independence.

analyzing the variety of colonial responses to British laws imposed after the French and Indian War.

Analyze reactions to the Declaration of Independence by:

identifying the British injustices outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the principles of government proposed to resolve those injustices.

assessing the challenges for future generations to expand the freedoms expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

contrasting colonial and British reactions to the Declaration of Independence.

evaluating various methods of communication and argumentation used by Patriots to further their cause.

Examine Maryland's response to British policy by:

analyzing how economic class and geographic region influenced the division between Patriots and Loyalists in Maryland.

contrasting the burning of the Peggy Stewart with other acts of resistance in the colonies.

evaluating the role of women and African Americans in Maryland in supporting the American Revolution.

Evaluate the reasons for and the effect of the development of a new American government by:

analyzing the powers and responsibilities of government on the federal and state levels under the Articles of Confederation.

identifying early challenges to the new nation including Shays Rebellion and the structural weaknesses of the federal government.

Compare Maryland's colonial experience with other colonies by:

examining motivations for European settlement in North America.

comparing and contrasting the factors that led to success and failure in Jamestown, Plymouth, St. Augustine, and St. Mary's City.

analyzing religious conflict among European settlers in Maryland and the effectiveness of the Toleration Act.

Compare how geography influenced culture and economic development by:

analyzing how geography impacted the development of the American colonies.

comparing human, capital, and natural resources of colonial regions.

analyzing how ports, slavery, and natural resources created a tobacco-based economy in Maryland.

examining the impact of the interdependence created by triangle trade in different regions in North America, Europe, and Africa.

explaining how colonization resulted in conflict, loss of life, disruption of tradition, loss of lands, and resistance by American Indians.

Analyze the methods and motivations by which freedom was granted or denied for various groups in Colonial North America:

interpreting laws and legal documents that defined freedom for women, indentured servants, American Indians, and free blacks in the colonies.

analyzing how the institution of race-based slavery started with indigenous people and expanded by forcing Africans to come to the Americas.

explaining how the enslaved experience differed from place to place.

analyzing how forms of slavery have existed over time and how people across multiple locations and time have sought freedom.

Analyze the impact of slavery on the development of Maryland by:

comparing Maryland's population distribution of free and enslaved people with that of other colonies.

analyzing the similarities and differences in experiences of enslaved people across regions in Maryland.

identifying ways that enslaved people over time resisted slavery in Maryland.

Evaluate the impact of geography on cultural development and interaction by:

comparing how societies in the Americas, Western Europe, and Western Africa have shaped and been shaped by their culture and environment.

examining how American Indians traded, exchanged, gifted, and negotiated the purchase of goods, foods, technologies, domestic animals, ideas, and cultural practices with one another.

analyzing settlement patterns among the Piscataway, Piscataway Conoy, and/or Accohannock people of Maryland using maps and other data.

explaining how societies in the Americas, Western Europe, and Western Africa increasingly interacted after 1450.

Evaluate the motivations for European exploration by:

identifying the push/pull factors that led to European exploration and colonization.

explaining geographic factors that influenced European exploration.

Evaluate the impact of exploration on various groups by:

identifying the positive and negative impacts of the Columbian Exchange.

comparing and contrasting the cultures of the European settlers and American Indian tribes.

evaluating early interactions between European and American Indians from multiple perspectives.

examining the economic relationships between early explorers and American Indians in Maryland and beyond.

assessing the economic and geographic outcomes of European exploration in North America and Maryland.