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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year social studies stretches from the neighborhood out to the state and the country. Students learn how government works at the local, state, and federal level, and why people once wrote down rules everyone agrees to follow. They read maps, track how communities change the land around them, and start using sources like letters and photos to figure out what really happened in the past. By spring, students can explain how a law gets made and point to Delaware on a map of the early United States.

  • Branches of government
  • Maps and regions
  • Delaware history
  • Reading primary sources
  • Money choices
  • Citizenship
Source: Delaware Delaware Content Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Mapping places and regions

    Students start the year by reading maps and globes. They learn how to describe where a place is, what makes one region different from another, and how people change the land they live on.

  2. 2

    How government works

    Students look at how the country, the state, and the town each have their own jobs. They learn why power is split up and what ideas the founders wrote down to keep it that way.

  3. 3

    Rights and citizenship

    Students learn what citizens are allowed to do and what they are expected to do. They practice the everyday skills of taking part in a community, from voting to speaking up at a meeting.

  4. 4

    Money and choices

    Students study how people decide what to buy when they cannot have everything. They look at prices, jobs, and saving, and how families, stores, and the government all depend on each other.

  5. 5

    Delaware and U.S. history

    Students dig into events from Delaware's past and the country's past. They use old letters, photos, and other sources to figure out what happened, why it mattered, and how different people saw it.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 4.
Civics

  • Government

    DE-SS.CIV.4.1

    Students learn how the U.S. government is organized into branches and levels, from local town offices up to Congress and the President, and why that split of power exists.

  • Politics

    DE-SS.CIV.4.2

    Students read documents like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to understand the core ideas behind American government: what rights people have and why the system was set up the way it was.

  • Citizenship

    DE-SS.CIV.4.3

    Citizens have both rights (like free speech) and responsibilities (like following laws and voting). Students explore what it means to be an active member of a democratic society.

  • Participation

    DE-SS.CIV.4.4

    Students practice the skills that help people take part in their community, like speaking up at a meeting, working with others to solve a problem, or understanding how local decisions get made.

Economics

  • Microeconomics

    DE-SS.ECON.4.1

    When something is scarce, people can't have everything they want, so they weigh what they gain against what they give up. Students look at everyday money choices, like spending or saving, and figure out whether the trade-off is worth it.

  • Macroeconomics

    DE-SS.ECON.4.2

    Students look at how buyers, sellers, and government decisions all push and pull on each other in the economy. They explore why prices rise and fall, what motivates people to buy or work, and how government rules change those choices.

  • Economic Systems

    DE-SS.ECON.4.3

    Students look at how different countries decide who makes goods, who owns businesses, and who sets prices. They also explain why those rules shift as societies grow and change.

  • Personal Finance and Interdependence

    DE-SS.ECON.4.4

    Students learn how money works in everyday life, from saving and spending at home to how neighborhoods, countries, and businesses depend on each other to get the things people need and want.

Geography

  • Maps and Mental Maps

    DE-SS.GEO.4.1

    Students read and interpret maps to explore what different places and regions look like, where they are, and how they connect to each other. They build a mental picture of the world that grows more detailed over time.

  • Environment

    DE-SS.GEO.4.2

    Students look at how people change the land around them (by building roads, clearing forests, or redirecting rivers) and what those changes mean for neighborhoods and wildlife.

  • Places and Cultures

    DE-SS.GEO.4.3

    Students compare how people in different parts of the world live, including the foods, traditions, and customs tied to specific places. The goal is recognizing what makes each community distinct.

  • Regions

    DE-SS.GEO.4.4

    Students learn what makes a region distinct (its climate, landforms, or economy) and how regions depend on each other. A farming region, a coastal city, and a mountain range are all connected by trade, travel, and shared resources.

History

  • Chronology

    DE-SS.HIST.4.1

    Students put historical events in order and look at why things happened, what stayed the same over time, and what changed.

  • Analysis

    DE-SS.HIST.4.2

    Students find and compare original documents, photos, or firsthand accounts alongside textbooks and reference materials to piece together what happened in the past.

  • Interpretation

    DE-SS.HIST.4.3

    Students read historical accounts and explain how a person's background or point of view changes the story they tell about past events.

  • Content

    DE-SS.HIST.4.4

    Students learn the key events that shaped Delaware, the United States, and the wider world. This includes studying what happened, when, and why it mattered.

Assessments
The state tests students at this grade and subject take.
National Monitoring

NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)

Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.

When given:
biennial in winter
Frequency:
every two years
Official source
Common Questions
  • What does social studies look like this year?

    Students learn how government works, how people make choices about money, how to read maps, and how to study the past. A lot of the work centers on Delaware: its history, its places, and how it fits into the larger country.

  • How can I help with social studies at home?

    Talk about the news together, even for five minutes. Point out who is making the decision, who it affects, and who pays for it. Pull up a map when a place comes up in conversation. These small habits build the thinking the year is asking for.

  • What should students know about government by the end of the year?

    Students should be able to name the three branches, explain that there are local, state, and national levels of government, and describe a few basic rights and responsibilities of citizens. They should also know what a mayor, governor, and president each do.

  • How do I sequence the four strands across the year?

    Most teachers anchor the year in Delaware history and weave geography in alongside it, since the stories happen in specific places. Civics tends to land well in the second half, once students have context. Economics works best in short units tied to a history or current-events topic.

  • My child says social studies is boring. What can I do?

    Try a field trip to a local historic site, a state park, or even a town meeting. Most fourth graders care more about a real place they can stand in than a page in a textbook. A short visit often turns into weeks of questions.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Reading a map legend and using a scale trip up a lot of students, as does telling a primary source from a secondary one. Cause and effect across a long stretch of time is also hard. Plan to revisit each of these more than once.

  • How much money and economics should students understand?

    Students should be able to explain that people can't have everything they want, so they make choices. They should understand basic ideas like saving, spending, earning, and the role of prices. Talking through real family choices at the store is great practice.

  • How do I know students are ready for fifth grade?

    By spring, students should be able to read a short primary source and say what it tells them, locate Delaware and the surrounding states on a map, and explain a cause and its effect in a historical event. They should also be writing in paragraphs about what they read.