Bring Indiana History and Tourism Alive For Your Students

Visit Indiana: 4th Grade Social Studies Curriculum

Fourth-grade teachers in Indiana have a new resource for helping their students learn about the Hoosier State. The six-week course, based on the State of Indiana education standards, incorporates critical thinking and problem solving into the Indiana history curriculum. From resources to activities, teachers will find a complete curriculum to teach Indiana history while integrating a variety of educational disciplines. Your students will hone various skills while they learn about all the great places they can visit in their home state.

We are pleased to provide you with this excellent education tool. You may download the complete toolkit or choose the individual resources that are best incorporated into your lesson plans. Happy teaching and have fun exploring Indiana!

Download Complete Unit:

• Visit Indiana: 4th Grade Social Studies Curriculum (PDF, 3.8 MB - large file, it might take a few minutes)

 

Download Individual Resources:

• Project Overview, Project Objectives, Project Outline/Action Plan (PDF, 153K)

• Problem-Based Learning Unit, Days 1-10 (PDF, 617K)
  • Day 1: Communication Introduction (PDF, 119K)
  • Day 2: Communication Practice (PDF, 510K)
  • Day 3: Collaboration Introduction (PDF, 91K)
  • Day 4: Collaboration Practice & Creativity Demonstration (PDF, 92K)
  • Day 5: Critical Thinking Lesson (PDF, 86K)
  • Day 6: Review “4 C-s”, Project Management Systems & Entry Event/Driving Questions (PDF, 82K)
  • Day 7: Entry Event/Driving Question, Day 8: Research & Work Session, Day 9: Presentations, Day 10: Reflection (PDF, 93K)

• Worksheets:
  • Day 2: Geography Assignments:
    • Geographical Landform Dictionary (PDF, 91K)
    • Landforms and Physical Geography - Crossword Puzzle - Version A (PDF, 150K)
    • Landforms and Physical Geography - Crossword Puzzle - Version B (PDF, 454K)
  • Day 5: Critical Thinking:
    • Thinking Skills Chart (PDF, 796K)
    • Think Tank (PDF, 145K)
    • Thinking Skills List (PDF, 131K)
  • Day 6-10: Problem-Based Learning Project Forms:
    • What the 4 Cs Mean to Me! (PDF, 150K)
    • Basic PBL Process (PDF, 55K)
    • PBL Retrieval Chart (PDF, 36K)
    • Collaborative Jobs and Contract (PDF, 57K)
    • Collaborative Work Plan (PDF, 65K)
    • Research Documentation (PDF, 63K)
    • Research Collection (PDF, 47K)
    • Interactive Map Research (PDF, 68K)
    • Indiana Map Questing (PDF, 434K)
    • Dream Vacation (PDF, 168K)
    • Five-Paragraph Expository Essay Template (PDF, 59K)
• Resources:
  • Sample Rubric (PDF, 225K)
  • Classroom Slides: What are Landforms?
    
    • Classroom Slides - PowerPoint (PowePoint, 2.6 MB - large file, it might take a few minutes)
    • Classroom Slides - PDF (PDF 1.2 MB)
    • Classroom Slides - Thumbnails (PDF, 197K)
  • Persuasive Essay Prompts (PDF, 70K)
  • How-to Instructions for Online Tools: (PowerPoint, 337K)
    • Saving Pictures from the Web (PDF, 174K)
    • Voice Thread Center Directions (PDF, 111K)
    • QR Code Center Directions (PDF, 92K)
  • Indiana Online Resources (PDF, 67K)
  • Indiana County Map (PDF, 88K)
  • Additional Education Ideas (PDF, 78K)

Special thanks to the fourth-grade teachers at Noblesville’s Promise Road Elementary for their assistance in the creation of this resource guide and to Bruce Blomberg, Indiana Department of Education social studies specialist, for his thoughtful leadership and insight on this project.