Our Curriculum › History & Social Studies › 4th Grade
History 4
A fourth-grade course that covers each of its big topics twice, first as a quick overview and then in depth: medieval Europe, the Islamic world, Africa and China, then the American Revolution, the Constitution, the early presidents and 1800s reformers.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
8 units
Each opens to its lessons
Every era taught twice
A first look, then in depth
Standards
Core Knowledge Grade 4 history & geography
What's taught, unit by unit
First look: Rome's fall, Islam, Africa and ChinaDays 1–30
Latitude, longitude and mountain ranges; then a first pass through the fall of Rome, feudalism, Charlemagne, 1066, Magna Carta, the Black Death, Islam and the Crusades, Kush, Aksum, Mali's Mansa Musa, and Chinese dynasties to the Ming.
- 1 · Welcome to History 4!
- 2 · Longitude and Latitude
- 3 · The Prime Meridian
- 4 · Major World Mountain Ranges
- 6 · The Fall of Rome
- 7 · Feudalism in Medieval Europe
- 8 · Charlemagne
- 9 · The Norman Conquest of 1066
- 11 · The Magna Carta of 1215
- 12 · The Hundred Years' War
- 13 · The Black Death
- 15 · The Life of Muhammad and the Rise of Islam
- 16 · The Five Pillars of Islam
- 17 · The Crusades
- 18 · The Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople
- 21 · The Kingdom of Kush
- 22 · The Kingdom of Aksum
- 23 · Ghana, Mali, and Songhai: West African Empires
- 24 · Mansa Musa and Timbuktu
- 26 · The Qin and Han Dynasties of China
- 27 · The Tang and Song Dynasties
- 28 · The Mongol Conquest and Marco Polo
- 29 · The Ming Dynasty and Zheng He
Plus 7 review days, not listed.
First look: the Revolution, Constitution and reformersDays 31–55
The French and Indian War through Yorktown, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention and three branches, the Bill of Rights, Washington, Jefferson and Jackson, and reformers Dorothea Dix, Horace Mann, abolitionists and Seneca Falls.
- 31 · The French and Indian War
- 32 · Taxes and Growing Anger
- 33 · The Boston Tea Party
- 34 · Paul Revere's Ride and Lexington/Concord
- 36 · The Declaration of Independence
- 37 · George Washington and the Continental Army
- 38 · Key Battles and Allies
- 39 · The Battle of Yorktown
- 41 · The Articles of Confederation
- 42 · The Constitutional Convention
- 43 · The Three Branches of Government
- 44 · Checks and Balances
- 46 · The Bill of Rights
- 47 · George Washington's Presidency
- 48 · Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase
- 49 · Andrew Jackson's Presidency
- 51 · Dorothea Dix and Mental Health Reform
- 52 · Horace Mann and Public Education
- 53 · Abolitionists and the Fight Against Slavery
- 54 · The Seneca Falls Convention
Plus 5 review days, not listed.
In depth: the Middle Ages and the Islamic worldDays 56–90
Map scales and grids; world mountains and volcanoes; then manors, castles, knights, guilds, cathedrals, universities, Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Parliament, Agincourt and the Peasants' Revolt; Baghdad's House of Wisdom, Muslim Spain and Ibn Battuta.
- 56 · Map Skills: Bar Scales, Grids, and Atlases
- 57 · Mountains of the Americas: Appalachians, Sierra Nevada, Denali, and Aconcagua
- 58 · Mountains of Europe, Africa, and Asia: Urals, Atlas, Kilimanjaro, and Alpine Peaks
- 59 · Volcanic Mountains: Vesuvius, Etna, and Mount St. Helens
- 61 · Attila the Hun and Clovis of the Franks
- 62 · Monks and Monasteries: Keeping Learning Alive
- 63 · Life on a Medieval Manor
- 64 · Castles: Fortresses of the Middle Ages
- 66 · Becoming a Knight: Page, Squire, and the Code of Chivalry
- 67 · Towns, Trade Fairs, and Guilds
- 68 · Cathedrals and the Medieval Church
- 69 · The First Universities
- 71 · Henry II, Common Law, and Thomas Becket
- 72 · Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of Two Kingdoms
- 73 · The Birth of Parliament
- 74 · Pilgrims and The Canterbury Tales
- 76 · Agincourt: Longbows, Cannons, and the End of the Knight
- 77 · The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
- 78 · Women of the Middle Ages: Hildegard of Bingen and Christine de Pizan
- 79 · After Muhammad: The Caliphs and the Arab Empire
- 81 · Baghdad and the House of Wisdom
- 82 · Islamic Scholars: Algebra, Numbers, and the Stars
- 83 · Islamic Scholars: Medicine and Hospitals
- 84 · Muslim Spain: Al-Andalus
- 86 · Mosques, Calligraphy, and the Dome of the Rock
- 87 · Trade in the Islamic World
- 88 · The Rise of the Ottoman Turks
- 89 · Ibn Battuta: Traveler of the Islamic World
Plus 7 review days, not listed.
In depth: Africa, China and the MongolsDays 91–115
Africa's geography, the warrior queens of Kush, Lalibela, trans-Saharan caravans, Sundiata, Timbuktu and Songhai, Great Zimbabwe, the Swahili Coast; then the Silk Road, Han inventions, the Grand Canal, Tang and Song China, Wu Zetian, the Mongols and Ming.
- 91 · The Geography of Africa
- 92 · The Warrior Queens of Kush
- 93 · Lalibela and the Rock Churches of Ethiopia
- 94 · Camels and the Trans-Saharan Caravans
- 96 · Ancient Ghana Up Close: Koumbi Saleh
- 97 · Sundiata Keita: The Lion King of Mali
- 98 · Mud-Brick Mosques and the Manuscripts of Timbuktu
- 99 · Songhai: Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad
- 101 · Great Zimbabwe: City of Stone
- 102 · The Swahili Coast: City-States of the Indian Ocean
- 103 · Zhang Qian and Life on the Silk Road
- 104 · Han China: Scholars and Inventions
- 106 · The Sui Dynasty and the Grand Canal
- 107 · Xuanzang's Journey and Buddhism in Tang China
- 108 · Empress Wu Zetian
- 109 · China's Civil Service Exams
- 111 · Song China: Busy Cities, Porcelain, and Rice
- 112 · The Mongol Empire: Riders, Messengers, and Khanbaliq
- 113 · The Mongols Reach Baghdad
- 114 · Why the Ming Stopped Sailing
Plus 5 review days, not listed.
In depth: the American RevolutionDays 116–140
Pontiac's War, the Boston Massacre trial, Patrick Henry, Bunker Hill, Common Sense, Patriots and Loyalists, Trenton, spies, Black and Native American roles in the war, Benedict Arnold, John Paul Jones, foreign allies, the Treaty of Paris and Washington giving up power.
- 116 · The Proclamation of 1763 and Pontiac's War
- 117 · The Boston Massacre Trial: John Adams Defends the Soldiers
- 118 · Committees of Correspondence and the First Continental Congress
- 119 · Patrick Henry: "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!"
- 121 · Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Bunker Hill
- 122 · Henry Knox's Noble Train of Artillery
- 123 · The Olive Branch Petition and Common Sense
- 124 · Patriots and Loyalists
- 126 · Crossing the Delaware: Trenton and Princeton
- 127 · Nathan Hale and the Culper Spy Ring
- 128 · A Soldier's Life: Joseph Plumb Martin
- 129 · Women of the Revolution
- 131 · African Americans and the Revolution
- 132 · Native Americans and the Revolution
- 133 · Benedict Arnold: From Hero to Traitor
- 134 · John Paul Jones and the War at Sea
- 136 · Help from Abroad: Galvez, Kosciuszko, and Pulaski
- 137 · The War in the South
- 138 · The Treaty of Paris of 1783
- 139 · Washington Gives Up Power
Plus 5 review days, not listed.
In depth: the Constitution and how government worksDays 141–155
The Virginia and New Jersey Plans, slavery and the Constitution, ratification, Congress, how a bill becomes law, the President and Supreme Court, federal, state and local government, amendments, Washington, D.C. and Hamilton versus Jefferson.
- 141 · Big States vs. Small States: The Virginia and New Jersey Plans
- 142 · Slavery and the Constitution
- 143 · "We the People": The Preamble and the Signing
- 144 · Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists: Ratifying the Constitution
- 146 · Congress Up Close: The House and the Senate
- 147 · How a Bill Becomes a Law
- 148 · The President and the Supreme Court Up Close
- 149 · Federal, State, and Local Government
- 151 · Changing the Constitution: The Amendment Process
- 152 · More of the Bill of Rights: Amendments 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10
- 153 · Building a Capital: Washington, D.C.
- 154 · Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The First Political Parties
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
In depth: early presidents and reformersDays 156–175
Adams, Jefferson, the Barbary pirates, Lewis and Clark, Madison and 1812, Tecumseh, the Monroe Doctrine and Sequoyah; reformers Gallaudet, Webster, the Grimke sisters, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Blackwell.
- 156 · John Adams and the Election of 1800
- 157 · Jefferson and the Barbary Pirates
- 158 · Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery
- 159 · James Madison and the War of 1812
- 161 · Tecumseh and the Shawnee Confederacy
- 162 · James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and the Monroe Doctrine
- 163 · Sequoyah and the Cherokee Nation
- 164 · The Spirit of Reform: Revivals and Temperance
- 166 · Teaching the Deaf and the Blind: Gallaudet, Clerc, and Howe
- 167 · Books for a Growing Nation: Webster, McGuffey, and Mary Lyon
- 168 · The Grimke Sisters Speak Out
- 169 · Frederick Douglass: The Narrative and The North Star
- 171 · Sojourner Truth: A Voice for Freedom
- 172 · Conductors on the Underground Railroad: Levi Coffin and William Still
- 173 · Susan B. Anthony Joins the Fight
- 174 · Women Breaking Barriers: Elizabeth Blackwell, Lucy Stone, and Amelia Bloomer
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Year in review & celebrationDays 176–180
Four review days (medieval Europe and Islam, Africa and China, the Revolution, the Constitution and early presidents) and a final celebration.
- 176 · Year in Review: Medieval Europe and the Islamic World
- 177 · Year in Review: Africa and China
- 178 · Year in Review: The American Revolution
- 179 · Year in Review: The Constitution, Early Presidents, and Reformers
- 180 · History 4 Complete! Final Celebration
By the end of the year, your child can
- Find places using latitude and longitude
- Explain feudalism, the manor system and daily life in the Middle Ages
- Describe what made Islamic, West African and Chinese civilizations great
- Explain the causes, key events and outcome of the American Revolution
- Describe the three branches of government and how checks and balances work
- Tell how 1800s reformers such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth worked for change
Other 4th Grade subjects: Math 4 · Reading 4 · Writing 4 · Science 4