Social Studies Exit Goals for 4^th Grade

Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States. (Goal 14)

A.      Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government.  Identify the fundamental principles found in major constitutional documents. 

B.     Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.  Describe services provided by governments at the local, state, and national level. 

C.     Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens.  Demonstrate an understanding that rights and responsibilities are important to the individual, family, community, state, and nation (e.g., pet care as responsibility of ownership, voting, protection under law).

D.     Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems and other nations.  Identify ways that individuals communicate with government officials and special interest groups.

E.     Understand United States foreign policy as it relates to other nations and international issues.

F.      Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions.  Describe the basic freedoms of citizens of the US. 

Understand economic systems, with an emphasis on the United States.  (Goal 15)

A.      Understand how different economic systems operate in the exchange, production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Describe and compare how segments of the economy interact in regions of the US.  Identify the skills and resources people use to earn income in regions of the US. 

B.     Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by consumers. Identify factors that affect consumer choices in US regions.  Identify factors that influence consumers within regions of the US to buy more goods/services at lower prices and less goods/services at higher prices.

C.     Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers.  Identify how price affects the production of goods/services within regions of the US.  Identify how competition for goods/services affects production in regions of the US.  Identify characteristics of successful businesspersons in regions of the US.  

D.     Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services.  Give examples of interdependence in regions of the US (e.g., resources, energy, transportations, and people on the production process). 

E.     Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on production and consumption in the economy. Explain why the government, rather than the private sector, provides some goods/services within the US.

Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. (Goal 16)

A.      Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.  Read historical stories and compare them to historical events.  Use fiction and non-fiction to compare and contrast historical people or events.  Use a variety of sources, including the Internet, to recall differences between the way people lived in the past and how they live now.   

B.     Understand the development of significant political events.  (US)  Describe and place in chronological order major events in the development of Illinois and regions of the US.  

C.     Understand the development of economic systems.   (US) Identify changes in how people made a living in the past. 

D.     Understand Illinois, United States and world social history. (US) Compare and contrast people’s lifestyles in two or more regions in the US.  Compare and contrast changes in family life as people moved from one region to another.  Describe the influence of individuals and groups on the customs and traditions within regions of the US.

E.     Understand Illinois, United States and world environmental history.  (US)  Identify environment factors that drew settlers to the different regions and how they adapted their environment to meet their needs.  Describe the actions of significant individuals and groups on the environment of a region.  Describe how  the environment affected the movement of individuals and groups of people in the past. 

Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.  (Goal 17)

A.      Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth.   Analyze the physical and human characteristics of US regions with different scales, local to global.  Identify ways that US regions are connected.  Identify and compare the physical characteristics of geographic locations using maps, globes, graphs, and photographs.

B.     Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems.  Identify and compare how regions are influenced by and adapt to the geography surrounding them.  Explain and compare how people use and change the environment.          

C.     Understand relationships between geographic factors and society.  Explain how human activity is affected by geographic and climatic factors in US regions.  Identify and explain the different ways that transportation and communication are used to move people, products, and ideas from region to region in the US.  Identify different migration and settlement patterns in Illinois and regions of the US and relate them to physical features and resources.  

D.     Understand the historical significance of geography.  Explain how and why spatial patterns of settlement change over time.  Explain how perceptions of regions in the US have influenced human migration and settlement in the past.

Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.  (Goal 18)

A.      Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language, literature, the arts, traditions and institutions.  Compare and contrast the culture of two or more US regions through art, music, and literature.   

B.     Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in society.  Compare the interactions of individuals and groups among regions within the United States.   Compare the ways institutions meet societal needs of various US regions.    

C.     Understand how social systems form and develop over time.