Famous Americans: Fourth graders studied famous Americans who lived during the early development of the country. They made a large time-line, wrote reports, made special displays, and gave public presentations about these famous Americans.

National Parks: Students researched the early origins of a national park, and designed a brochure in computer class promoting its attractions.

Corresponding Standards in the HDS Fourth Grade Curriculum:

History:

• Place events in the early development of the country in chronological order
• Understand impetus behind colonization and evaluate choices made by colonists
• Understand cause and outcome of the American Revolutionary War

Inquiry:

• Pose a question about early American history; locate information to answer question from a variety of sources.
• Organize information into narrative and into graphs, maps and charts to answer the question

Writing:

• Write for a variety of purposes including to persuade, to inform, to relate cause and effect, and to describe
• Use all give stages of the writing process: researching, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
• Write report that includes note-taking, cover page, outline, introduction, supporting paragraphs, conclusion, diagrams, charts, 3-5 source materials and a bibliography
• Use rubric or other self-assessment tools to evaluate quality of work
• Share writing and discuss insights with others
• Choose effective words and use conventional spelling