Unit Plan 12 (Grade 4 Social Studies): Explorers and Early Contacts
Students trace explorers’ routes, motives, and early encounters with Indigenous peoples using maps and multiple sources, identifying clear cause-and-effect patterns that shaped early exploration and settlement in the region.
Focus: Examine explorers’ routes and motives, and describe early encounters among peoples (explorers, Indigenous nations, and settlers) in and around the region. Students use maps and multiple sources to trace patterns of exploration/settlement and identify basic causes and effects of early contacts.
Grade Level: 4
Subject Area: Social Studies (History • Geography/Inquiry)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students become historical explorers and map-readers as they investigate how and why different explorers traveled through or near their region. They trace routes on maps, learn about motives (trade, land, power, religion, curiosity), and examine simple accounts of early encounters between explorers, Indigenous peoples, and later settlers. Throughout the week, students look for patterns in exploration and settlement and begin to notice basic causes and effects (e.g., new trade, conflict, disease, alliances, and changes to homelands).
Essential Questions
- Who were some of the explorers who traveled through or near our region, and what routes did they follow?
- What motives (reasons) did explorers and sponsoring countries have for traveling such long distances?
- How did early encounters between explorers and Indigenous peoples affect both groups?
- How can maps, timelines, and texts help us explain exploration and settlement patterns and their impacts?
- Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when we study early contacts among peoples?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify at least two explorers connected to their region (or continent) and locate their routes on a map.
- Describe common motives for exploration (trade, wealth, land, power, religion, curiosity) and connect them to specific routes or voyages.
- Summarize key encounters among peoples (explorers, Indigenous nations, settlers), noting at least one cause and one effect of early contacts.
- Use multiple sources (maps, charts, short primary/secondary texts, digital resources if available) to gather information about exploration and early contacts.
- Create a short Exploration & Encounter Profile or mini-poster that shows:
- Explorer name and route.
- Main motives.
- A brief description of at least one encounter and its effects on different groups.
Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (C3-based custom)
- 4.C3.Hist.4 — Explain exploration/settlement patterns and interactions among groups; note causes/effects.
- Example: Causes of a trading post’s location and its impacts on nearby communities.
- 4.C3.Inq.2 — Gather information from multiple sources (maps, charts, primary/secondary texts, interviews, digital).
- Example: Use a state atlas, census table, and historical marker to study a town.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name and locate at least two explorers and draw or trace their routes on a map.
- I can explain why explorers came (their motives) using words like trade, land, or power.
- I can describe at least one encounter between explorers and Indigenous peoples and tell a simple cause and effect.
- I can use more than one source (map, text, or chart) to gather information and check my facts.
- I can create an Exploration & Encounter Profile that clearly shows route, motive, and what happened when peoples met.