Students explore the structure of the American government, the three branches of government, the history of women's suffrage, and read biographies about famous Americans who fought for change.
This unit serves as a foundation for understanding the way in which the American government was formed and the way it is structured. The unit has three main sections. In the first section, students learn about the functions of government, the three main branches of government, and how the branches work together to meet the ever-changing needs of our country. In this section students will be challenged to think about how government is useful to its citizens and about the key powers of each branch. In the second section, students explore elections and how people become elected officials. Students also explore the women's suffrage movement, why women couldn't vote before 1920, and what changes brought about women's suffrage in the United States. Finally, in the third section, students read biographies of a few courageous individuals who overcame racism, sexism, and hardships to prove that they deserved a spot in government and that they would do whatever it takes to fight for and push for change. During this final section, students will be challenged to think about how the actions of others can inspire us to drive for change, especially in the current political climate.
This unit expands on the work done in units 1 and 2 to build reading skills. Students will continue to develop their skills as critical consumers of a text by annotating for main idea and details that support the main idea of a text, summarizing sections of a text, explaining the connection between ideas and concepts, interpreting information presented through different text features, and describing the structure of different paragraphs. In this unit students will also be challenged to think about how an author uses evidence and reasoning to support particular points or ideas in a text. They will also be challenged to integrate information from one text with information they learn in another text about the same topic.
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Book: National Government by Ernestine Giesecke (Heinemann-Raintree, 2009) — 970L
Book: Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Susan Zimet (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2018) — 1090L
Book: The Bill of Rights by David L. Dreier (Reading A-Z)
Book: Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Pinkney (Disney-Hyperion, 2012)
Book: Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera (Dial Books) (August 2014)
Book: Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2013)
Book: Building a Nation by Terry Miller Shannon (www.readinga-z.com)
Book: Kid's Guide to Government: Understanding Your Role in Elections by Jessica Gunderson (Capstone Press, 2018)
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading (Grade 4 Unit 3)
See Text Selection Rationale
These assessments accompany this unit to help gauge student understanding of key unit content and skills. Additional progress monitoring suggestions are included throughout the unit.
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abolitionist advise adjourn amendment articulate authority branch cabinet candidates campaign contradict constitution compromise consultation desegregation debates democracy deliberate debate economic enforce evoke executive exposure federal freedoms humiliated interpretation inferior justice majority mockery nominee optimism passive pessimism pivotal plea president publicity ratify radical representatives revelation ridicule sacrifice separation secretary segregation strategically sympathetic taunt unanimous vision
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Building a Nation pp. 1 – 9
RI.4.2
RI.4.3
Explain the fatal flaws of the Articles of Confederation.
Building a Nation pp. 10 – 15
RI.4.2
RI.4.3
Describe the plan the Constitution made for the government of the United States.
The Bill of Rights pp. 8 – 13
RI.4.2
RI.4.3
Describe a few of the rights protected by the Bill of Rights.
Writing
Building a Nation
The Bill of Rights
W.4.2
W.4.2.a
W.4.2.b
W.4.2.c
W.4.2.e
Write a paragraph explaining what the Constitution of the United States is and why it is important.
Ntl. Gov't pp. 4 – 9
RI.4.2
RI.4.7
Explain what the sections “What is Government?,” “The Constitution,” and “Separation of Powers” are mostly about.
Ntl. Gov't pp. 10 – 13
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Describe why the Executive Branch is important and why the President’s Cabinet is important.
Ntl. Gov't pp. 14 – 23
RI.4.2
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Describe the difference between the Senate and House of Representatives and why they are both important.
Ntl. Gov't p. 30
RI.4.3
Explain how laws are made and why there are so many steps.
Ntl. Gov't pp. 24 – 27
RI.4.2
RI.4.8
Explain what the sections “The Judicial Branch” and the “The Supreme Court” are mostly about.
Discussion & Writing
Building a Nation
The Bill of Rights
Ntl. Gov't
W.4.2
W.4.2.a
W.4.2.b
W.4.2.c
W.4.2.e
SL.4.1
Analzye and debate unit essential questions using details and understandings from the text.
Understanding Your Role... — 4-5, 9-15
RI.4.3
RI.4.7
RI.4.8
Explain what candidates do to try and win an election.
Understanding Your Role... pp. 16 – 27
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Debate if everyone has always had the right to vote.
Roses and Radicals pp. 7 – 19 — Skip Know Your Radicals sections
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Describe the evidence the author gives to support the point that “to be a woman in 1840 was to be less than a man.”
Roses and Radicals pp. 73 – 80
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Explain how an author uses reasons to show that a “once-promising strategy had reached a dead end.”
Roses and Radicals pp. 88 – 92 — Skip Know Your Radicals sections
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Explain why the opposition to women’s suffrage was so difficult to overturn.
Roses and Radicals pp. 102 – 110 — Skip Know Your Radicals sections
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Explain why the New York Times called the march “one of the most impressively beautiful spectacles ever staged in this country”?
Roses and Radicals pp. 129 – 146
RI.4.2
RI.4.3
Summarize the final battle for the right to vote.
Roses and Radicals — All Know Your Radicals sections
RI.4.2
RI.4.3
Create a mini-poster highlighting the key contributions of a radical.
Discussion & Writing
Roses and Radicals
Understanding Your Role...
W.4.2
W.4.2.a
W.4.2.b
W.4.2.c
W.4.2.e
SL.4.1
Analyze and debate unit essential questions using details and understandings from the text.
Portraits pp. 25 – 27 — Dennis Chavez
RI.4.2
RI.4.8
Explain why Dennis "Dioniso" Chavez was important.
Hand in Hand pp. 120 – 124 — Start at "Working for the NAACP"
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Explain the role that Thurgood Marshall played in Brown v. Board of Education and what we can learn about him from his involvement in the case.
Hand in Hand pp. 125 – 129
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Explain how Thurgood Marshall wove equality into the fabric of American justice.
Let It Shine pp. 95 – 100
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Explain who/what inspired Shirley Chisholm to get involved in politics and fight for change.
Portraits pp. 77 – 79
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Explain who/what inspired Sonia Sotomayor to get involved in justice and fight for change.
Hand in Hand pp. 224 – 231
RI.4.3
RI.4.8
Analyze how Barack Obama showed that "holding fast to hope despite obstacles is the first step to making any dream come true."
Discussion & Writing
All unit texts
SL.4.1
Debate and analyze unit-essential questions.
Assessment
5 days
Writing
W.4.1
W.4.1.a
W.4.1.b
W.4.2
W.4.2.a
W.4.2.b
W.4.2.c
W.4.2.e
W.4.7
W.4.8
SL.4.1
Research a local or national election and decide who you would vote for and why.
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