Common Planner
K–12 Standards

Grade 4

Other Minnesota Social Studies sets

Grade 4: Geography of North America

  • 1.

    Citizenship and Government

    1. 1.

      Civic Skills

      1. 1.

        Democratic government depends on informed and engaged citizens who exhibit civic skills and values, practice civic discourse, vote and participate in elections, apply inquiry and analysis skills and take action to solve problems and shape public policy.

        1. 1.

          Describe how people take action to influence a decision on a specific issue; explain how local, state, national or tribal governments have addressed that issue.4.1.1.1.1

    2. 4.

      Governmental Institutions and Political Processes

      1. 7.

        The United States government has specific functions that are determined by the way that power is delegated and controlled among various bodies: the three levels (federal, state, local) and the three branches (legislative, executive, judicial) of government.

        1. 1.

          Describe tribal government and some of the services it provides; distinguish between United States and tribal forms of government.4.1.4.6.1

        2. 2.

          Identify the major roles and responsibilities of elected and appointed leaders in the community, state and nation; name some current leaders who function in these roles and how they are selected.4.1.4.6.2

  • 2.

    Economics

    1. 1.

      Economic Reasoning Skills

      1. 1.

        People make informed economic choices by identifying their goals, interpreting and applying data, considering the short- and long-run costs and benefits of alternative choices and revising their goals based on their analysis.

        1. 1.

          Apply a reasoned decision-making process to make a choice.4.2.1.1.1

    2. 3.

      Fundamental Concepts

      1. 3.

        Because of scarcity individuals, organizations and governments must evaluate trade-offs, make choices and incur opportunity costs.

        1. 1.

          Define the productivity of a resource and describe ways to increase it.4.2.3.3.1

      2. 5.

        Individuals, businesses and governments interact and exchange goods, services and resources in different ways and for different reasons; interactions between buyers and sellers in a market determines the price and quantity exchanged of a good, service or resource.

        1. 1.

          Describe a market as any place or manner in which buyers and sellers interact to make exchanges; describe prices as payments of money for items exchanged in markets.4.2.4.5.1

  • 3.

    Geography

    1. 1.

      Geospatial skills

      1. 1.

        People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to acquire, process and report information within a spatial context.

        1. 1.

          Create and use various kinds of maps, including overlaying thematic maps, of places in the United States, and also Canada or Mexico; incorporate the "TODALS" map basics, as well as points, lines and colored areas to display spatial information.4.3.1.1.1

        2. 2.

          Use latitude and longitude on maps and globes to locate places in the United States, and also Canada or Mexico.4.3.1.1.2

      2. 2.

        Geographic inquiry is a process in which people ask geographic questions and gather, organize and analyze information to solve problems and plan for the future.

        1. 1.

          Choose the most appropriate data from maps, charts, and graphs in an atlas to answer specific questions about geographic issues in the United States, and also Canada or Mexico.4.3.1.2.1

        2. 2.

          Use photographs or satellite-produced images to interpret spatial information about the United States, and also Canada or Mexico.4.3.1.2.2

    2. 2.

      Places and Regions

      1. 3.

        Places have physical characteristics (such as climate, topography vegetation) and human characteristics (such as culture, population, political and economic systems).

        1. 1.

          Locate and identify the physical and human characteristics of places in the United States, and also Canada or Mexico.4.3.2.3.1

      2. 4.

        People construct regions to identify, organize and interpret areas of the Earth's surface, which simplifies the earth's complexity.

        1. 1.

          Name and locate states and territories, major cities and state capitals in the United States.4.3.2.4.1

        2. 2.

          Name and locate countries neighboring the United States and their major cities.4.3.2.4.2

    3. 3.

      Human Systems

      1. 5.

        The characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations on the earth's surface influence human systems (cultural, economic and political systems).

        1. 1.

          Use data to analyze and explain the changing distribution of population in the United States and Canada over the last century.4.3.3.5.1

      2. 6.

        Geographic factors influence the distribution, functions, growth and patterns of cities and human settlements.

        1. 1.

          Explain how geographic factors affect population distribution and the growth of cities in the United States and Canada.4.3.3.6.1

    4. 4.

      Human Environment Interaction

      1. 9.

        The environment influences human actions; and humans both adapt to and change, the environment.

        1. 1.

          Explain how humans adapt to and/or modify the physical environment and how they are in turn affected by these adaptations and modifications.4.3.4.9.1

      2. 10.

        The meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources changes over time.

        1. 1.

          Describe how the location of resources and the distribution of people and their various economic activities has created different regions in the United States and Canada.4.3.4.10.1

        2. 2.

          Analyze the impact of geographic factors on the development of modern agricultural regions in Minnesota and the United States.4.3.4.10.2

  • 4.

    History

    1. 1.

      Historical Thinking Skills

      1. 2.

        Historical inquiry is a process in which multiple sources and different kinds of historical evidence are analyzed to draw conclusions about how and why things happened in the past.

        1. 1.

          Use maps to compare and contrast a particular region in the United States, and also Canada or Mexico, at different points in time.4.4.1.2.1

    2. 2.

      Peoples, Cultures, and Change over Time

      1. 4.

        The differences and similarities of cultures around the world are attributable to their diverse origins and histories, and interactions with other cultures throughout time.

        1. 1.

          Identify and locate on a map or globe the origins of peoples in the local community and state; create a timeline of when different groups arrived; describe why and how they came.4.4.2.4.1

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 4
When were these standards adopted?
2011
Where can I read the official document?
Minnesota Academic Standards in Social Studies

Keep exploring

Keep exploring Social Studies standards

Sibling grade bands, other subjects in this jurisdiction, and the same subject across other states.