Pallas4.H.1 (E)
Identify and compare the major early cultures that lived in the region of Indiana before the arrival of the Europeans and before Indiana became a state.
Indiana · 4th Grade · Social Studies
Indiana Academic Standards: Grade 4 Social Studies
25 of 32 standards taught by Indiana 4th Grade Social Studies: 14 True Stories · source document: 2026 Indiana Academic Standards: Grade 4 Social Studies
Official Indiana Academic Standards document ↗Standards-to-lesson map (PDF)
History
4.H.2 (E)
Identify and describe historic Native American groups that lived in Indiana at the time of early European exploration, including ways these groups adapted to and interacted with the physical environment.
- Reading The Miami at Kekionga
- Q2 lab When Little Turtle spoke for the Miami at the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, what did he think his people were giving up when they lost Kekionga and the portage? — with The Miami at Kekionga
4.H.3 (E)
Explain the importance of the Revolutionary War and other key events and people that impacted the development of Indiana.
- Reading Clark's March to Vincennes
- Q2 lab Why did George Rogers Clark believe his small band of about two hundred men could capture Fort Sackville — and how did he convince his soldiers to keep wading through freezing floodwaters for seventeen days? — with Clark's March to Vincennes
4.H.4
Summarize and explain the significance of key documents in Indiana’s development from a United States territory to statehood.
- Reading Indiana Becomes the Nineteenth State
- Q2 lab Why did Jonathan Jennings keep asking Congress to make Indiana a state, even though it took years and he couldn't even vote in Congress? — with Indiana Becomes the Nineteenth State
4.H.5 (E)
Explain the roles of various individuals, groups, and movements in the social conflicts leading to the Civil War.
- Reading The Coffins and the Underground Railroad in Indiana
- Q2 lab Why did Levi and Catharine Coffin decide to open their home to freedom seekers, even when many of their neighbors thought helping was dangerous and wrong? — with The Coffins and the Underground Railroad in Indiana
- Q4 lab Were Levi and Catharine Coffin right to break the law by hiding freedom seekers in their home?
4.H.6 (E)
Summarize the impact of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency on Indiana, and describe the participation of Indiana citizens in the Civil War.
- Reading Lincoln's Indiana and the Hoosiers Who Saved the Union
- Q4 lab Should Indiana families who stayed home during the Civil War have been expected to give up food, money, and sons to save the Union?
4.H.7
Give examples of Indiana’s increasing agricultural, industrial, political, and business development in the nineteenth century.
4.H.8
Describe the participation of Indiana citizens in World War I and World War II.
- Reading Indiana's Home Front and Battlefront in World War II
- Q2 lab Why did women like Mildred Harris and the other 'Raiderettes' choose to work long hours building fighter planes at the Evansville factory — what did they think they were doing for their country and their families? — with Indiana's Home Front and Battlefront in World War II
- Q4 lab Should Indiana families who stayed home during the Civil War have been expected to give up food, money, and sons to save the Union?
4.H.9
Identify and describe important events and movements that changed life in Indiana in the early twentieth century.
- Reading The Automobile Transforms Indiana
- Q2 lab In 1912, Carl Fisher stood up in front of automobile makers and asked them to help him build a road all the way from New York to San Francisco. Why did Carl Fisher believe America needed a coast-to-coast highway, and how did he try to convince others to join him? — with The Automobile Transforms Indiana
4.H.10
Describe the impact of immigration on the developments of agriculture, industry, mining, and transportation in Indiana.
4.H.11
Identify and describe important events and movements that changed life in Indiana from the mid-twentieth century to the present.
- Reading The Great Migration to the Calumet Region
- Q2 lab In their letters home, why did African American families say they were leaving the South to come to Gary — what did they hope their new life would be like? — with The Great Migration to the Calumet Region
4.H.12
Research Indiana’s modern growth, emphasizing manufacturing, new technologies, transportation, and global connections.
Not covered by this unit
4.H.13
Create and interpret timelines that show relationships among people, events, and movements in the history of Indiana.
Not covered by this unit: Creating and interpreting timelines is a skill practiced across units, not narratable content.
4.H.14
Construct a brief narrative about an event in Indiana history using primary and secondary sources.
Not covered by this unit: Constructing a narrative from primary and secondary sources is a research-and-writing skill, not a story topic.
4.H.15
Research and describe the contributions of important Indiana artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and public figures to the state’s culture.
- Reading Madam C.J. Walker Builds an Empire in Indianapolis
- Q2 lab Why did Madam C.J. Walker believe her hair-care business could change life for African American women -- what did she think she was offering them? — with Madam C.J. Walker Builds an Empire in Indianapolis
Civics and Government
4.C.1 (E)
Explain the major purposes of Indiana’s Constitution as stated in the Preamble.
4.C.2 (E)
Describe individual rights, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion, which people have under Article I of Indiana’s Constitution.
4.C.3 (E)
Identify and explain the major responsibilities of the legislative (Article 4), executive (Article 5), and judicial branches (Article 7) of state government as written in the Indiana Constitution.
4.C.4
Identify major state offices, the duties and powers associated with them, and how they are chosen, such as by election or appointment.
4.C.5
Give examples of how citizens can participate in their state government and explain the right and responsibility of voting.
Geography
4.G.1
Estimate distances between two places on a map when referring to relative locations.
Not covered by this unit: Estimating map distances is a map-reading skill with no characters, conflict, or outcome.
4.G.2
Locate Indiana on a map as one of the 50 United States. Identify and describe the location of the state capital, major cities, and rivers in Indiana.
Not covered by this unit: Locating Indiana, its capital, cities, and rivers on a map is a map-identification skill best taught with atlas practice, not narrative.
4.G.3 (E)
Map and describe the physical regions of Indiana and identify major natural resources and agricultural/crop regions.
- Reading The Great Migration to the Calumet Region
- Q2 lab In their letters home, why did African American families say they were leaving the South to come to Gary — what did they hope their new life would be like? — with The Great Migration to the Calumet Region
4.G.4 (E)
Explain how glaciers shaped Indiana’s landscape and environment.
4.G.5
Identify the challenges in the physical landscape of Indiana to early settlers and modern day economic development.
- Reading Pioneer Families Settle the Indiana Frontier
- Q2 lab Why did pioneer families like the ones who crossed the Ohio River decide to leave their homes in Kentucky and move to the Indiana forest, even though they knew the land was swampy, thickly wooded, and said to make people sick? What did they hope their new life would be like? — with Pioneer Families Settle the Indiana Frontier
4.G.6 (E)
Explain the importance of major transportation routes in the exploration, settlement, and growth of Indiana and in the state’s location as a crossroad of America.
- Reading Pioneer Families Settle the Indiana Frontier
- Q2 lab Why did pioneer families like the ones who crossed the Ohio River decide to leave their homes in Kentucky and move to the Indiana forest, even though they knew the land was swampy, thickly wooded, and said to make people sick? What did they hope their new life would be like? — with Pioneer Families Settle the Indiana Frontier
4.G.7 (E)
Identify migration patterns into and out of the state and explain how they contributed to the early development and cultural structures of communities.
- Reading Pioneer Families Settle the Indiana Frontier
- Q2 lab Why did pioneer families like the ones who crossed the Ohio River decide to leave their homes in Kentucky and move to the Indiana forest, even though they knew the land was swampy, thickly wooded, and said to make people sick? What did they hope their new life would be like? — with Pioneer Families Settle the Indiana Frontier
4.G.8
Identify historical perspectives about Native Americans, Africans, early settlers, and other immigrant groups.
- Reading The Miami at Kekionga
- Q2 lab When Little Turtle spoke for the Miami at the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, what did he think his people were giving up when they lost Kekionga and the portage? — with The Miami at Kekionga
Economics
4.E.1
Give examples of the kinds of goods produced and services provided in Indiana in different historical periods.
4.E.2 (E)
Define productivity, and provide examples of how productivity has changed in Indiana during the past century.
- Reading The Automobile Transforms Indiana
- Q2 lab In 1912, Carl Fisher stood up in front of automobile makers and asked them to help him build a road all the way from New York to San Francisco. Why did Carl Fisher believe America needed a coast-to-coast highway, and how did he try to convince others to join him? — with The Automobile Transforms Indiana
4.E.3
Explain that prices change as a result of changes in supply and demand for specific products.
Not covered by this unit
4.E.4
List the functions of money, and compare and contrast things that have been used as money in the past in Indiana, the United States, and the world.
Not covered by this unit: Listing the functions of money and comparing forms of money across places and times is definitional/comparative content without a narrative arc; it lacks a protagonist, conflict, and outcome.