Washington State Standards for Social Studies: Grade 4

WA.1. CIVICS - The student understands and applies knowledge of government, law, politics, and the nation's fundamental documents to make decisions about local, national, and international issues and to demonstrate thoughtful, participatory citizenship.

1.1. Understands key ideals and principles of the United States, including those in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other fundamental documents.

1.1.1. IDEALS & PRINCIPLES: Understands the key ideal of rights set forth in Article I of the Washington State Constitution. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 1.1.1.

1.1.2. APPLICATION OF IDEALS & PRINCIPLES: Evaluates the effectiveness of a law or policy by explaining how it promotes ideals. 5
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 1.1.2.

1.2. Understands the purposes, organization, and function of governments, laws, and political systems.

1.2.1. STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT: Understands that governments are organized into local, state, tribal, and national levels. 11
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 1.2.1.

1.2.2. FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT: Understands how and why state and tribal governments make, interpret, and carry out policies, rules, and laws. 6
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 1.2.2.

1.4. Understands civic involvement.

1.4.1. CIVIC INVOLVEMENT: Understands that civic participation involves being informed about public issues and voting in elections. 2
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 1.4.1.

WA.2. ECONOMICS - The student applies understanding of economic concepts and systems to analyze decision-making and the interactions between individuals, households, businesses, governments, and societies.

2.1. Understands that people have to make choices between wants and needs and evaluate the outcomes of those choices.

2.1.1. ECONOMIC CHOICES: Understands and analyzes the costs and benefits of people's decisions to move and relocate to meet their needs and wants. 16
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 2.1.1.

2.2. Understands how economic systems function.

2.2.1. ECONOMIC SYSTEMS: Understands the basic elements of Washington State's economic system, including agriculture, businesses, industry, natural resources, and labor. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 2.2.1.

2.2.2. TRADE: Understands that the economy in Washington State relies on trade with Pacific Rim countries. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 2.2.2.

2.4. Understands the economic issues and problems that all societies face.

2.4.1. ECONOMIC ISSUES: Understands how geography, natural resources, climate, and available labor contribute to the sustainability of the economy of regions in Washington State. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 2.4.1.

WA.3. GEOGRAPHY - The student uses a spatial perspective to make reasoned decisions by applying the concepts of location, region, and movement and demonstrating knowledge of how geographic features and human cultures impact environments.

3.1. Understands the physical characteristics, cultural characteristics, and location of places, regions, and spatial patterns on the Earth's surface.

3.1.1. MAPS AND GEOGRAPHIC TOOLS: Constructs and uses maps to explain the movement of people. 24
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 3.1.1.

3.1.2. CHARACTERISTICS AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF PLACES AND REGIONS: Understands the physical, political, and cultural characteristics of places, regions, and people in the Pacific Northwest, including the difference between cities, states, and countries. 27
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 3.1.2.

3.2. Understands human interaction with the environment.

3.2.3. HUMAN MIGRATION: Understands that the geographic features of the Pacific Northwest have influenced the movement of people. 6
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 3.2.3.

3.3. Understands the geographic context of global issues and events.

3.3.1. GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT OF GLOBAL ISSUES: Explains that learning about the geography of Washington State helps us understand global trade. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 3.3.1.

WA.4. HISTORY - The student understands and applies knowledge of historical thinking, chronology, eras, turning points, major ideas, individuals, and themes in local, Washington State, tribal, United States, and world history in order to evaluate how history shapes the present and future.

4.1. Understands historical chronology.

4.1.1. CHRONOLOGY: Understands and creates timelines to show how historical events are organized into time periods and eras. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.1.1.

4.1.2. CHRONOLOGICAL ERAS: Understands how the following themes and developments help to define eras in Washington State history from time immemorial to 1889: 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.1.2.

4.1.2.a. Growth of northwest coastal and plateau tribes prior to treaties (time immemorial to 1854). 2
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.1.2.a.

4.1.2.b. Maritime and overland exploration, encounter, and trade (1774 - 1849). 30
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.1.2.b.

4.1.2.c. Immigration and settlement (1811 - 1889). 5
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.1.2.c.

4.1.2.d. Territory and treaty-making (1854 - 1889). 1
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.1.2.d.

4.2. Understands and analyzes causal factors that have shaped major events in history.

4.2.1. INDIVIDUALS AND MOVEMENTS: Understands and analyzes how individuals caused change in Washington State history. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.2.1.

4.3. Understands that there are multiple perspectives and interpretations of historical events.

4.3.1. HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION: Understands that there are multiple perspectives regarding the interpretation of historical events and creates an historical account using multiple sources. 12
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.3.1.

4.4. Uses history to understand the present and plan for the future.

4.4.1. HISTORICAL ANTECENDENTS: Understands that significant historical events in Washington State have implications for current decisions. 4
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 4.4.1.

WA.5. SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS - The student understands and applies reasoning skills to conduct research, deliberate, form, and evaluate positions through the processes of reading, writing, and communicating.

5.1. Uses critical reasoning skills to analyze and evaluate positions.

5.1.1. UNDERSTANDS REASONING: Understands the concepts used in documents and sources. 17
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 5.1.1.

5.1.2. EVALUATES REASONING: Evaluates the accuracy of primary and secondary sources. 21
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 5.1.2.

5.2. Uses inquiry-based research.

5.2.1. FORMS QUESTIONS: Creates and uses a research question to conduct research on an issue or event. 14
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 5.2.1.

5.2.2. ANALYZES SOURCES: Understands the main ideas from an artifact, primary source, or secondary source describing an issue or event. 7
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 5.2.2.

5.4. Creates a product that uses social studies content to support a thesis and presents the product in an appropriate manner to a meaningful audience.

5.4.1. CREATES POSITION AND PRODUCT: Draws clear, well-reasoned conclusions and provides explanations that are supported by artifacts and/or primary sources in a paper or presentation. 13
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 5.4.1.

5.4.2. CITING SOURCES: Prepares a list of resources, including the title, author, and type of source, date published, and publisher for each source. 13
Suggested Titles for Washington Social Studies State Standard 5.4.2.