Unit Plan 2 (Grade 4 Social Studies): Mapping Our State

Focus: Use titles, legends, scale, and grid coordinates to locate cities, rivers, and borders on maps of our state. Students practice reading and creating maps using cardinal/intermediate directions and gather information from multiple map-based sources.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: Social Studies (Geography • Inquiry/Skills)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students become map experts as they learn to read and create detailed maps of our state. Using atlases, wall maps, digital maps, and simple charts, they practice using titles, legends, scale symbols, grid coordinates, and cardinal/intermediate directions to find locations and plan simple routes. They also gather information from different sources (maps, charts, short texts) to answer questions about where cities, rivers, and borders are and how they connect.

Essential Questions

• How do titles, legends, scales, and grid coordinates help us understand and use maps of our state?
• How can we use cardinal and intermediate directions to describe where cities, rivers, and borders are located?
• What can we learn about our state’s cities, rivers, and borders by using different sources (maps, charts, brief texts, digital tools)?
• Why is it important for citizens to know how to read and make maps of their own state?
• How can we use mapping skills to answer questions about how people live, travel, and connect in our state?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and correctly use parts of a map (title, legend/key, scale symbol, compass rose, grid lines) on maps of our state.
2. Use cardinal (N, S, E, W) and intermediate (NE, NW, SE, SW) directions to describe the location of cities, rivers, and borders.
3. Use grid coordinates (letters and numbers) to locate and describe specific places on a state map.
4. Use a scale symbol to estimate the distance between two cities or between a city and a border.
5. Gather information from multiple sources (state atlas, wall map, simple chart or table, short text or digital map) to answer questions about our state’s geography.
6. Create a “Mapping Our State” map that includes a clear title, legend, scale symbol, grid, and coordinates for key locations, plus a short written explanation of what the map shows.

Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (C3-based custom)

• 4.C3.Geo.2 — Use/create maps with titles, legends, scale symbols, grid coordinates, and cardinal/intermediate directions.
  • Example: Plot a route between two cities using grid references.
• 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 find and explain the title, legend, scale, compass, and grid on a map of our state.
• I can use N, S, E, W and NE, NW, SE, SW to describe where a city or river is in our state.
• I can use grid coordinates to find and mark cities, rivers, and borders on a map.
• I can use the scale to estimate how far apart two places are.
• I can use more than one source (map, chart, short text, or digital tool) to answer questions about our state’s geography.
• I can make a map of our state with a title, legend, scale symbol, grid, and coordinates that someone else can understand.