Grade 4 Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 4 social studies in the New Brunswick Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Geography: Places and Regions. Explain the importance of major physical features of the world.
- Geography: Human Systems and Interactions. Describe the relationship between humans and the physical environment.
- History: Events and Peoples. Describe the stories of various explorers of land, ocean, space, and ideas.
- History: Sources and Methods. Use primary and secondary source evidence to examine explorations and discoveries.
- Civics: Power and Governance. Describe the political landscape of Canada.
- Civics: Civic Engagement. Discuss contributions to the development of Canada made by citizens and residents.
- Wabanaki: Identity. Discuss Wabanaki cultures and traditions.
- Economics: Systems. Outline population patterns, communication and transportation networks, and employment across Canada.
Easy ways to practise social studies at home
- Look at a map of your community and find places you visit.
- Ask an older relative or neighbour what the area was like when they were young.
- Read stories from many communities, including Indigenous authors, and talk about what is the same and different.
- Talk about how rules and jobs help a community work.
What each unit covers
Canada’s Landform Regions
Practises Canada's seven physiographic regions, including the Appalachian Region where New Brunswick sits, and the major physical features of the world. It follows the Grade 4 social studies skill descriptors on places and regions in the New Brunswick curriculum.
Provinces & Regions
Canada's 10 provinces and 3 territories and their capitals, and its physical regions (like the Cordillera, Interior Plains and Canadian Shield) and their natural resources.
People & the Land
How rivers, deserts, mountains, forests and Arctic seasons shaped food, homes and travel for societies such as ancient Egypt, Greece, the Haudenosaunee and the Inuit, and how to investigate this with maps and evidence.
Wabanaki Lands & Waters
Practises the districts of Mi’kma’ki and the traditional territories of the Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkatiyik, and Wabanaki Peoples’ relationships with the natural environment. The content is light, in the present tense, and needs review by Wabanaki partners.
Explorers & Discoveries
Practises the stories of explorers of land, ocean, space and ideas, how to use primary and secondary sources, and the impact of European exploration. It follows the Grade 4 social studies skill descriptors on history in the New Brunswick curriculum.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Working below
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Excelling
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the New Brunswick report card guide.
Common questions
Look at a map of your community and find places you visit. Ask an older relative or neighbour what the area was like when they were young. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The New Brunswick Curriculum Grade 4 social studies units include canada’s landform regions, provinces & regions, people & the land, wabanaki lands & waters, explorers & discoveries.
Free printable Grade 4 social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.