4 th Grade Transdisciplin ary Themes Central Idea Lines of Inquiry Who we are An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human. Government August 16 to September 23 Rights and responsibilities vary in different settings. how systems are created, structured, maintained, and changed. how rights and responsibilities of citizens both individually and collectively influence systems. how systems balance the rights of individuals with the common good. how maps and globes reflect politics and economics. How we organize ourselves An inquiry into the interconnectedness of humanmade systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decisionmaking; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment. Migration/Economics September 26 to November 11 Change created by one affects another. how migration is influenced by geography and economic opportunities. how where a person lives influences how a person lives. why change, progress, and growth can be viewed from a variety of perspectives how to determine if benefits outweigh the risks. How we express ourselves An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs, and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity, our appreciation of the aesthetic. Mythology, Solar System November 14 to December 20 Beliefs, feelings, discoveries, and ideas are shared through different expressions. how representations of similar concepts illustrate the belief systems and customs of the cultures that create them. how stories, the aesthetic, and science fill the need to explain the world around us. how scientific truths are linked to the aesthetic. Where we are in place and time An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives. Modern Colorado/U.S. January 5 to February 17 Patterns throughout time cause the world to change. how patterns help us understand the world. how a repeated pattern can cause change. how and when patterns should be broken. How the world works An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment Energy resources February 21 to April 14 Innovation impacts societal advancement. how inventions and innovations evolve based on the needs of society. how the same resources be used in different ways to solve problems. how we ensure innovation always lead to something better. Sharing the Planet An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. Animals/Habitat April 17 to May 25 Relationships and adaptation are necessary for survival. how we can know what happened in the past. how adaptation promotes survival in the moment or throughout the test of time. how connectedness and relationships affect the ability to get needs and wants met. how deeper understanding of adaptations, relationships, and changes over time can help inform us Essential Questions How are systems created, structured, maintained, and changed? How is migration influenced by geography and economic opportunities? How do representations of similar concepts illustrate the belief systems and customs of the cultures that create How do patterns help us understand the world? How can a repeated pattern How do inventions and innovations evolve based on the needs of society? How do we know for certain what happened in the past? How does adaptation promote
How do the rights and responsibilities of citizens both individually and collectively influence systems? How do systems balance the rights of individuals with the common good? How do maps and globes reflect politics and economics? How does where a person lives influence how a person lives? In what ways can change, progress, and growth be viewed as both positive and negative? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? them? How do stories, the aesthetic, and science fill the need to explain the world around us? How are scientific truths linked to the aesthetic? cause change? How and when should we break a pattern? How can the same resources be used in different ways to solve problems? How do we ensure innovation always lead to something better? survival in the moment or throughout the test of time? How do connectedness and relationships affect the ability to get needs and wants met? How can a deeper understanding of adaptations, relationships, and changes over time help us predict the future? Key Concepts Learner Profile attributes Attitudes Transdisciplin ary Skills (Approaches to Learning) Action Component Responsibility Form Principled Open-Minded Risk Taker Integrity Independence Respect Cooperation Self-Management Skills -Students are independent in decision-making Causation Change Open-Minded Knowledgeable Curiosity Tolerance Empathy -Rendezvous -Considering more perspectives, being tolerant of one another Connection Reflection Balanced Reflective Caring Appreciation Creativity Enthusiasm -Living a more balanced life, balanced choice-making -Showing appreciation for more types of art, music, stories Causation Change Communicator Reflective Thinker Principled Commitment Confidence Empathy Integrity Self-Management Skills Living Museum -Finding ways to break negative patterns in the future Form Responsibility Risk-Taker Thinker Creativity Confidence Curiosity Students creating own inventions -Being more worldconscious, carbon footprint Connection Reflection Knowledgeable Caring Communicators Cooperation Appreciation Commitment Self-management Skills Stories for Kindergartners -Being more worldconscious, carbon footprint
Summatives Students in groups are given a country and need to create their own government. Students present to the class and everybody votes on which country they would want to live in. Panel of adults (school board members?) who could ask appropriate questions and critique their structure. Students will create a Choose Your Own Adventure interactive game from the main perspective of either: 1. Gold Rush 2. Homesteader/Pioneer 3. Spanish Mission 4. Native American Given a country, students will choose 3 different artworks from that country and write myths based on that art work. Ideas could include: sculptures, paintings, landscapes, architecture, artifacts, portraits, photographs, etc. Night at the Museum presentation to must include: 1) Colorado Historical, US Historical, or Current Event 2) How will you change the pattern? Invention Convention: Students will think of a problem they will solve and make up something to solve it. This could be an invention or an app or anything else. Students will write an essay to accompany their invention. Students will write a book for a kindergarten partner: animal fable based on an interview with the kindergartner non-fiction paired passage using the same animal. depictions of natural phenomenon, scientific observations, valued character traits small non-fiction summary of the country to serve as a grounding-point for the myth Novels Literature Circles Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky Long Walk to Water The Breadwinner Me Oh Maya US Capital Commotion Minstrel in the Tower Les Miserables Gulliver s Travels The Time Machine Who Was Abraham Lincoln? Who Was John F Kennedy? Who Was Barack Obama? Who Was Ronald Regan? Who Was Paul Revere? Who Was Harriet Tubman? Birchbark House Hard Gold Esperanza Rising Lemonade War Cesar Chavez Molly s Pilgrim Little Women Robin Hood Treasure Island Next Spring an Oriole Last of the Mohicans Pioneer Cat Shadow of the Wolf Who Was Annie Oakley Who Was Sacagawea Who Was Daniel Boone Lightning Thief Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Chasing Vermeer?? From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil T. Frankweiler See You Later Gladiator Knights of the Kitchen Table Curse of King Tut I Survived the Eruption of Pompeii Haunted Castle and All Hallows Eve The Little Mermaid and other stories Dragons of Blue Land The Pied Piper Out of the Dust Watsons Go to Birmingham Little Prince Hope Chest I Survived Pearl Harbor I Survived The Hindenburg Disaster Who Was Anne Frank? Who Was Franklin D. Roosevelt? The Time Machine I Survived the Chicago Fires I Survived the Titanic Nazi Invasion Who Was Jesse Owens? City of Ember Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh Who Was Steve Jobs? Who Was Bill Gates? I Survived the Joplin Tornado I Survived the Japanese Tsunami I Survived Hurricane Katrina Who Was Marie Curie? Who Was Albert Einstein? Who Was Isaac Newton? Who Was Thomas Edison? Who Was Alexander Graham Bell? Hatchet Island of the Blue Dolphins Incredible Journey Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Ready Freddy Save the Earth What is Mt. Everest Who Was Steve Irwin Who Was Jane Goodall Who Was Johnny Appleseed How to Eat Fried Worms Eve of the Emperor Penguin I Survived Shark Attacks Finding T-Rex Who Was Charles Darwin
What Was the Boston Tea Party? What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? Who Was Benjamin Franklin? Who Conducted the Underground Railroad? Who Was Sojourner Truth? Washington Carver? I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg The Whipping Boy What Was the First Thanksgiving? Who Was Thomas Jefferson? Washington? Who Was Julius Cesar? What is the White House? Who Was Susan B Anthony? Who Was Frederick Douglas? What is the Great Wall of China? What Was the Underground Railroad? I Survived September 11 Who Was Woodrow Wilson? Who Was Nelson Mandela? Who Was Marco Polo What Was the Gold Rush Who Was Sitting Bull What Was Ellis Island Night of the Full Moon Time Warp Trio: The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy Beauty and the Beast and other stories The Twelve Dancing Princesses The Magic Finger Punished What were the Salem Witch Trials? What are the Great Pyramids? Who was King Tut? What was Pompeii? What is the Parthenon? Who was Galileo? Chocolate Touch Chocolate Fever The Hundred Dresses Washington Carver? What was Pearl Harbor? Hanna s Suitcase Who Was Rosa Parks? Who Was Martin Luther King? Who Was Amelia Earhart? Titanic Sinks Let s Dream Martin Luther King Who Was Maria Tallchief? What Was the March on Washington? Who was Neil Armstrong? Who was Sally Ride? Who was Henry Ford? What was the Great Depression? What was the Hindenburg Disaster? What are the Summer Olympics? What was D-Day? You Want to Vote, Lizzy Caddy Station Honey Cake Who Was Roberto Clemente? Who Was Jackie Robison? Masters of Disasters Anne of Green Gables Secret Garden I Survived San Francisco Earthquake Five True Dog Stories Who Was Rachel Carson Aesop s Fables Esio Trot Call it Courage Stone Fox Jungle Book Nim s Island Tornado Bunnicula
Comprehensi on Books What Was the Declaration of Independence? What are the Twin Towers? Where is Mt Rushmore? Jane Eyre Woodsrunner Freedom Train Poppy Frindle Sideways Stories from Wayside School Me and My Little Brain Room One: A Mystery or Two Doll Bones Among the Hidden Chains Walk Two Moons Billy Creekmore Sign of the Beaver Bear Dance Bear Stone Little House in the Big Woods The Thief Lord Ruby Holler Heat Holes Sing Down the Moon Tale of Desperaux Kokopelli s Flute Cryptid Hunters The BFG Castle in the Attic The Magician s Nephew Shakespeare Stealer The Colossus Rises Alice in Wonderland The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Tuck Everlasting Floors Wizard of Oz The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs Bridge to Terabithia Someone Named Eva Number the Stars Bud, Not Buddy Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Elly Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Ten True Stories of Children in the Holocaust Ten True Tales of the Titanic Ten True Tales of Civil Rights Heroes When You Reach Me Maniac Magee Escaping the Holocaust Pay It Forward The Cay Three Times Lucky The Best School Year Ever The Phantom Tollbooth Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Wolf Old Yeller Shiloh Mr. Popper s Penguins Runaway Ralph Worth Wolf Storm Sounder Me and Jack Charlotte s Web Stuart Little Jennifer Murdley s Toad True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Brian s Winter Wolf Stalker Hoot Babe: Pig in the City Key Concepts: Form,, Causation, Change, Connection,, Responsibility, Reflection Learner Profile Attributes: Knowledgeable, Principled, Communicator, Balanced, Caring, Thinker, Open-Minded, Risk-Taker,, Reflective Attitudes: Cooperation, Integrity, Enthusiasm, Empathy, Curiosity, Confidence, Independence, Appreciation, Respect, Tolerance, Creativity, Commitment Transdisciplinary Skills (Approaches to Learning):,,,, Self-Management Skills Action Cycle: Choose Act Reflect