4th grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 4th grade social studies in the Oregon State Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Oregon, from time immemorial to the present
- The nine federally recognized Tribes of Oregon
- Oregon's government and economy
Easy ways to practice social studies at home
- Look at a map of your community and find places you visit.
- Ask an older relative or neighbor 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
Oregon's Land & Neighbors
Oregon's physical geography (Mount Hood, Crater Lake, the rain shadow, its great rivers), US regions and western capitals on maps, and how dams, wind turbines and the Beach Bill shape Oregon's land and people.
The Nine Tribes of Oregon
Oregon's nine federally recognized Tribes, each named as it names itself: where their homelands are, Tribal sovereignty and constitutions, termination and restoration, and Tribes today. Light and in the present tense, following Tribal History/Shared History.
The Oregon Country
Tribes of the Oregon Country before and during exploration, Robert Gray, Lewis and Clark with Sacagawea and York, the fur trade, joint occupation, Champoeg and the Oregon Treaty, and comparing old and new maps.
Trail to Statehood
The Oregon Trail, Manifest Destiny, the Donation Land Claim Act, Oregon Territory, statehood on February 14, 1859, and the racist exclusion laws of early Oregon, from many points of view.
Resistance, Resilience & Change
Tribal resistance in the Rogue River and Modoc Wars and Chief Joseph's Nez Perce, and the experiences of Chinese, Japanese American, Black and Mexican workers and families in Oregon. Told plainly and age-appropriately.
Governing Oregon
Oregon's 1857 constitution and how it has changed, the governor, the 30-member Senate and 60-member House, the Supreme Court, the initiative, referendum and recall, and laws Oregon voters and lawmakers made, such as women's suffrage in 1912 and the Bottle Bill.
Oregon's Economy
Kinds of pay (wages, salaries, commissions and tips), budgets, taxes and services, supply and demand for Oregon products, targeted marketing, staying safe online, and trade.
Oregon Through Time
Ordering events in Oregon's history from the first explorers on the Columbia to statehood, the Oregon System, Tribal restoration and vote by mail.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- 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 practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- 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 Oregon report card guide.
Common questions
Look at a map of your community and find places you visit. Ask an older relative or neighbor what the area was like when they were young. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Oregon State Standards 4th grade social studies units include Oregon's Land & Neighbors, The Nine Tribes of Oregon, The Oregon Country, Trail to Statehood, Resistance, Resilience & Change, Governing Oregon.
Free printable 4th grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.