This lesson is for use in a fourth grade classroom to cover Ohio history social studies standards, as well as language arts standards in reading informational texts and writing, and math standards in completing word problems and taking measurement. For five days, the students complete 10-12 minutes of mini lessons, then engage in an interactive center, followed by another 10-12 minute mini lesson. On the fifth day, the students begin a final project that encompasses all of the topics covered in the week, to be started during the last mini lesson and completed on the sixth day of the unit. As each student completes a different center each day, their work is stored in a folder that stays in the classroom to be graded by the teacher after the unit is completed and used in conjunction with the final project to determine the student’s final grade for the unit.
I have also included at the end of this unit copies of an Ohio activity book from the Ohio Department of Transportation. Books similar to this one can be found at many Ohio travel information centers. This book is a good resource to keep on hand for students who finish up early at their centers each day, and some of the pages could be added to the existing lessons for a little enrichment.
Standards Addressed (there are many because each center and each mini lesson addresses a different standard)
S.S. 4.1-The order of significant events in Ohio and the United States can be shown on a timeline.
S.S. 4.3-Various groups of people have lived in Ohio over time including prehistoric and historic American Indians, migrating settlers and immigrants. Interactions among these groups have resulted in both cooperation and conflict.
S.S. 4.5- The Northwest Ordinance established a process for the creation of new states and specified democratic ideals to be incorporated in the states of the Northwest Territory.
S.S. 4.8- Many technological innovations that originated in Ohio benefited the
United States.
S.S. 4.9-A map scale and cardinal and intermediate directions can be used to describe the relative location of physical and human characteristics of Ohio and the United States.
S.S. 4.10-The economic development of the United States continues to influence and be influenced by agriculture, industry and natural resources in Ohio.
S.S. 4.11- The regions which became known as the North, South and West of the United States developed in the early 1800s largely based on their physical environments and economies.
S.S. 4.14-. Ohio’s location in the United States and its transportation systems continue to influence the movement of people, products and ideas.
R.I. 1.1-Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
R.I. 4.3-Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
R.I. 4.7-Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
- 4.2-Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W 4.8-Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
4.OA.A.2-Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative comparisons
4.NBT.A.1-Recognize that in a multidigit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right.
4.NBT.B.5-Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place values and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
4.NBT.B.6-Find whole number quotients and remainders with up to four digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place-value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
4.NF.1- Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n × a)/(n × b) by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions.
4.M.2- Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.
4.M.4-Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using information presented in line plots.
Download the full lesson plan here.
Kayla Gilliland 