Social Studies Grade Four

Planning and Teaching the Course

The grade four course consists of four units that develop understandings related to: identity, heritage, interdependence, and decision making.

The four units follow a logical progression. They begin with an introductory unit that establishes the identity of the province. Using maps, charts, graphs, and other tools, students develop an understanding of Saskatchewan today. Unit two looks back to find out the historical factors that contribute to our present identity. Unit three focuses on interdependence in present day Saskatchewan. Unit four focuses on the present and future as students study decision making.

The teacher may choose to work through the four units of study sequentially, as developed. However, the teacher may certainly deviate from that sequence in ways such as:

Portions of any unit may be taught within the context of other units.
Significant events and local circumstances may dictate a different sequence, for example teachers may wish to teach part of unit two early in the school year if there is a local threshing display.
Teachers are encouraged to integrate social studies with other subjects which may necessitate a different organization.
Some teachers may prefer to take a chronological approach to the course. That is, Unit 2 may be taught first, followed by Units 1, 3, and 4.

The teacher will find that there is a limited amount of commercial material available to support this course. It will be necessary for the teacher to be creative in collecting materials and designing projects with the students. The local community with its museum, heritage site, elderly residents, farm and business establishments, and library, may become invaluable resources. It may be helpful to the teacher to become thoroughly familiar with the entire curriculum and make preliminary arrangements early in the year for projects and field trips that the students might become involved in. Some suggestions include:

twinning with a class in a community different from the local one;
establishing a topic and making plans for students to interview people in the community;
collecting relevant materials such as brochures, news articles, feature stories, maps, pictures;
contacting potential guests (e.g., an elder, a prairie author, MLA); and
arranging for field trips (e.g., a local museum, an historic site, legislative buildings).

However the teacher decides to plan the program, care should be taked to NOT omit any of the units. In a K to 12 program that is based on the development of concepts and is spiral in design, it is most important that the major concepts are dealt with at each grade level as identified by the curriculum.

Ongoing Activities

The teacher may choose to have students keep a portfolio about Saskatchewan. Sections might include:

The People of Saskatchewan

The Resources of Saskatchewan

The Industries of Saskatchewan

Cultural (or Sporting) Events in Saskatchewan Include newspaper articles, pictures, charts, maps, sketches, and personal writing. Use the resource Canada's Indian Peoples as a model for formatting the materials.

In a twinning arrangement with another class, the students might do the following:

Exchange information about one another and your communities.
Visit one another and/or communicate, possibly through computer networking.
Learn games, dances, sports, and crafts from one another.
Exchange video tapes of a special event or an ordinary day in the classroom.

Unit 4, Module 3 suggests that the students create an ideal province based on the understandings they have been developing throughout the year. Teachers and students may want to work on this project throughout the year, adding to and revising their materials as their understandings develop.