Scope and sequence · History & Geography
Grade 4 Geography: The United States: Regions, Rivers and Routes
A year of true stories about the land and waters of the United States, from the township grid of 1785 and the mill towns of New England to the Erie Canal, Fulton’s steamboat, the golden spike at Promontory Summit and John Wesley Powell’s boats on the Colorado, each region walked through on the map and each great route taken apart to see how Americans overcame distance, then built in miniature at the kitchen table.
School Launch is a free helpful tool, not an accredited school or curriculum provider. It does not issue credits, transcripts, diplomas or grades of record. Parents and schools are responsible for meeting their own state or local requirements. More
What to cover
32 of 36 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Reading Maps Like a Surveyor
- MUST COVER 1.1 Map Scale: An Inch for a Mile ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Grids and Coordinates: Finding Towns by Letter and Number · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Physical and Political Maps: One State Shown Two Ways · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 The Survey of the Land: Townships and Sections · unit test
Unit 2: The Northeast and the Southeast
- MUST COVER 2.1 New England: Rocky Soil, Fishing and Mill Towns ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 The Mid-Atlantic: Great Harbors of New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 The Southeast: The Fall Line, the Coastal Plain and the Chesapeake · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Florida and the Gulf Coast: Peninsulas, Hurricanes and New Orleans · unit test
Unit 3: The Midwest and the Great Plains
- MUST COVER 3.1 The Great Lakes ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 The Corn Belt · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 The Great Plains ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 The Sod House · unit test
Unit 4: The West and the Southwest
- MUST COVER 4.1 The Rocky Mountain States ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 The Desert Southwest · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 The Pacific Coast · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Alaska and Hawaii · unit test
Unit 5: My State Study
- MUST COVER 5.1 My State’s Land and Water ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 My State’s History on the Map · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 My State’s Work · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Presenting My State · unit test
Unit 6: Canals and Steamboats
- MUST COVER 6.1 The Erie Canal ★ ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 How a Lock Lifts a Boat ★ ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Fulton’s Steamboat ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 The Mississippi Steamboat Age ⚙ · unit test
Unit 7: The Railroad Binds the Nation
- MUST COVER 7.1 The First Railroads ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Building the Transcontinental Railroad ★ ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Time Zones ⚙ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 What the Railroad Changed · unit test
Unit 8: Wonders and Resources
- MUST COVER 8.1 Yellowstone, the First National Park ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 John Wesley Powell and the Grand Canyon · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Where Things Come From ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 Stewards of a Good Land · unit test
Unit 9: Bonus: Map Lab OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 States and Capitals Race
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Draw the U.S. from Memory
- OPTIONAL 9.3 Plan a Road Trip by Scale
- OPTIONAL 9.4 The National Parks Passport
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 36-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 Map Scale: An Inch for a Mile: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Grids and Coordinates: Finding Towns by Letter and Number: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Physical and Political Maps: One State Shown Two Ways: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 The Survey of the Land: Townships and Sections: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 New England: Rocky Soil, Fishing and Mill Towns: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 The Mid-Atlantic: Great Harbors of New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 The Southeast: The Fall Line, the Coastal Plain and the Chesapeake: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Florida and the Gulf Coast: Peninsulas, Hurricanes and New Orleans: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 The Great Lakes: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 The Corn Belt: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 The Great Plains: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 The Sod House: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 The Rocky Mountain States: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 The Desert Southwest: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 The Pacific Coast: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Alaska and Hawaii: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 17 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 My State’s Land and Water: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 My State’s History on the Map: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 My State’s Work: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Presenting My State: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 The Erie Canal: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 How a Lock Lifts a Boat: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Fulton’s Steamboat: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 The Mississippi Steamboat Age: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 The First Railroads: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Building the Transcontinental Railroad: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Time Zones: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 What the Railroad Changed: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Yellowstone, the First National Park: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 John Wesley Powell and the Grand Canyon: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Where Things Come From: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 Stewards of a Good Land: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 9.1 States and Capitals Race: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.1 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Session 1: Lesson 9.2 Draw the U.S. from Memory: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.2 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 35 | Session 1: Lesson 9.3 Plan a Road Trip by Scale: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.3 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook | ||
| Wk 36 | Session 1: Lesson 9.4 The National Parks Passport: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.4 project, worked examples, practice and map notebook Session 3: Unit 9 review and unit project |
Grading: Projects (effort, careful measuring and the improve-it step) 30%, Map notebook (dated pages, title, compass rose, key and scale) 25%, Unit reviews 20%, Unit projects 25%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: redo the project or review with help.