SOCIAL STUDIES - FOURTH GRADE KEY CONCEPTS/DEFINITIONS
Introduction
This packet contains the suggested key vocabulary terms and concepts used in all four strands of the criterion-referenced fourth grade LEAP test. Reviewing the terms and concepts should help students in their comprehension of the overall materials contained in the assessment.
Reminder, this package is designed to review 4'h grade social studies students for LEAP. It is to refresh students' memory of what they have been taught over the past four years. Review this material, don't memorize. Be prepared to advance to "higher order of thinking" skills in preparation for the LEAP test.
4th Grade Social Studies
Economics Key Concepts
(LEAP Vocabulary)
E-1A-31 through 3-1A-311
Scarcity (limited resources) – the condition where the needs or wants of the people are greater than the resources to satisfy them.
Wants – Things people would like to have.
Needs – Things people cannot live without. Food, clothing, and a place to live are needs.
Budget – a plan for spending and saving money.
Goods – things people make or grow. Goods are “touchable” objects.
Services – jobs that people do that help others. Goods can be accumulated, services cannot.
Natural Resources – something found in nature that people can use\
Human Resources – a worker and the ideas or skills that he or she brings to his or her job
Capital Resources – the money, a building, a machine, or a tool needed to run a business
Barter – to trade by exchanging goods and services without using money
Producer - person who makes a product
Consumer – a person who buys a product or a service
Market – exchange of goods or services between buyers and sellers
E-1B-E1 through E-1B-E5
Supply – the amount of a product or service there is to be sold
Demand – a desire for a good or a service by people who are willing to pay for it
Risk – to take the chance of losing
Investment – to use or lend money for some business, property, stock, etc. in order to get a profit
Government Services – services provided by the government for “the common good” such as national defense, public radio and television, public water and sewer
Competition – in business, the contest among companies to get the most customers or sell the most products
Lending – giving money to someone who must later pay it back with interest
Borrowing – to use money for a while and pay it back later, usually with interest
Saving – keeping money for future use
Profit – the amount of money gained in business deals after all expenses have been subtracted
Interest – money paid for the use of money; also the rate at which it is paid
Taxes – money that government collects from it citizens, usually to pay for services
User Fees – money paid by the user of the facility to the government agency. The money is used in maintaining and improving the facility.
4th Grade Social Studies
Civics Key Concepts
(LEAP Vocabulary)
C-1A-E2 through C-1A-E7
Government - a system for deciding what is best for a group of people. It protects the group members and settles disagreements among them. The main job of government is to make and carry out laws:
Rules and Laws - A rule is something you must or must not do. Laws are rules that everyone must follow. They are rules that help make a community a safe place to live.
Legislative - the branch of government that makes laws.
Executive - the branch of government that carries out or enforces laws (e.g., President, governor, parish president, mayor).
Judicial - the branch of government that interprets the laws (i.e., U.S. Supreme Court, state supreme court, lower courts) .
C-1B-El
Democracy - A form of government in which the people rule and are free to make choices about their lives and their government. In a democracy, the people of a nation rule either directly or through elected officials.
U.S. Constitution - The plan for the federal government. It describes the rights that people in the United States have, and it is the "supreme law of the land."
Bill of Rights - The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It set forth basic rights guaranteed to all Americans which the government may not interfere with.
Declaration of Independence - A statement, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, explaining why the United States wanted to be free from Britain.
Louisiana Constitution - The plan for the government of the state of Louisiana.
Basic Freedoms Guaranteed by the Bill of Rights - these include: freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
C-1C-El
Nation - a group of people living together in a certain region under the same government; state; country. They share the same history, language, customs, etc.
Country - an area of land; region. Country can also mean the people or land of a nation.
International - relations between or among nations
Interaction - actions between or among countries/nations, such as trade or diplomacy
Trade - the buying and selling of goods
Diplomacy - the carrying on of relations between nations, as in building up trade, making treaties, etc.
Treaties - agreements between two or more nations, having to do with peace, trade, etc.
United Nations - organization formed to promote peace and cooperation among nations.
C-1D-El through C-1D-E5 .
Citizen - a member of a town or city, state, or country. One can become a citizen by birth, by being born of American parents abroad, or by process of naturalization.
Citizenship - the condition of being a citizen; also, the rights and duties of a citizen. Citizenship includes the right to hold public office and the duties to vote, serve on a jury, and pay taxes.
Patriotism - great love for one's own country and loyalty to it
4th Grade Social Studies
Geography Key Concepts
(LEAP Vocabulary)
G-1A-El through G-1A-E3
Map (Key) Legend- the part of a map that explains what the symbols on a map stand for
Map Symbol- a picture that is used to stand for something that is real on the Earth
Distance Scale - the scale on a map that tells the real distance
Compass Rose - the direction marker on a map
Location - where something can be found
Hemisphere - any of the halves of the Earth; the Northern, Southern, Eastern or Western Hemispheres
Continent - one of the seven main areas of land on the Earth
Equator - an imaginary line that circles the Earth halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole. The line divides the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
North Pole - the northern end of the Earth's axis
South Pole - the southern end of the Earth's axis
Latitude - the distance north or south of the equator; lines of latitude are drawn in an east-west direction around the globe
Longitude - the distance between east and west from the prime meridian; lines of longitude are drawn in a north-south direction around the globe
Pictograph - a graph that uses symbols or small pictures to stand for amounts of things- a graph in the shape of a circle or pie
Bar or line Graph - a graph that uses horizontal or vertical lines to show information
Political Map - a map that shows countries, boundaries, and major cities
Physical Map - a map that shows elevations, and natural features such as deserts, rivers, mountains, and water bodies
Elevation - the height of the land
G-1B-El through G-1B-E4
Landform - one of the shapes that make up the Earth's surface, such as mountains, hills, plateaus, or plains
Lake - a large body of water surrounded by land
Ocean- the body of salt water that covers nearly three-fourth of the Earth's surface
Sea - a large body of salt water in an ocean, either partly or completely landlocked
Gulf - part of an ocean that reaches into the land and is larger than a bay
Waterway - a body of water that is wide enough and deep enough for ships to travel
River - a large natural stream of water that empties into another large body of water
Climate - the kind of weather a place has over a long period of time
Vegetation - the plant life that exists in a region or area
4th Grade Social Studies
History Key Concepts
(LEAP Vocabulary)
H-1A-El through H-1A-E3
Time and Chronology - things arranged in the order of time they occurred
Timeline - a diagram that shows the order in which events took place and the amount of time that passed between them
Population - the number of people who live in a place
Primary Source - material that gives the real words and views of the people who were there when the event took place
Secondary Source - information written at a later time by someone who was not there to see what happened when an event took 'place
Culture - a way of life
Biography - the story of a real person's life
Autobiography - the story of a person's own life
Historical Fiction - a fictional story about an historical event
H-1B-El through H-1B-E2
Transportation - the way people and goods are moved from place to place
Technology- the way people use new ideas to make tools and machines
Rural - of or like a country region
Suburb - town or small city
H-1A-El through H-1A-E3
Time and Chronology - things arranged in the order of time they occurred
Timeline - a diagram that shows the order in which events took place and the amount of time that passed between them
Population - the number of people who live in a place
Primary Source - material that gives the real words and views of the people who were there when the event took place
Secondary Source - information written at a later time by someone who was not there to see what happened when an event took 'place
Culture - a way of life
Biography - the story of a real person's life
Autobiography - the story of a person's own life
Historical Fiction - a fictional story about an historical event
H-1B-El through H-1B-E2
Transportation - the way people and goods are moved from place to place
Technology - the way people use new ideas to make tools and machines
Rural - of or like a country region
Suburb - town or small city built near a large city.
Suburban - made up of all the suburbs around a large city.
Urban - of or like a city
Communication - the way people send and receive information
H-1C-El through H-1C-E4
Pilgrims - English settlers who founded Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first permanent settlement in New England
Colonists - people who lived in the original Thirteen Colonies
Settlers - first people to settle in a new country or land
Independence - freedom from the rules of others
Louisiana Purchase - a land deal between France and the United States made in 1803. France sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15,000,000. This doubled the size of the United States.
Declaration of Independence - The statement which gave the reasons why the colonists wanted to free themselves from British rule. It was signed by the members of Congress on July 4, 1776.
Preamble to the Constitution - The introduction to the Constitution. In the Preamble, the Framers stated that the people established the government, and listed the purposes of the government.
Christopher Columbus - (1451-1506) an Italian-born Spanish explorer who, in 1492, sailed west from Spain. He thought he reached Asia but actually reached islands near the Americas, lands that were unknown to Europeans.
Hernando deSoto - (1500?-1542) Spanish explorer of what is now the southeastern United States. He is acknowledged as the discoverer of the Mississippi River.
Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle - (1643-1687) French explorer who
named Louisiana
Lewis and Clark - explored the land west of the Mississippi River. They made the first journey over land across North America to the Pacific Coast. They were sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore and map the Louisiana Territory after the Louisiana
Purchase. They crossed the Rocky Mountains with the help of a Shoshone woman
named Sacajawea. .
Jean Baptiste Le Moyne. Sieur de Bienville and Pierre Le Moyne. Sieur d'lberville - brothers who established a French colony in the Louisiana area
Thomas Jefferson - (1743-1826) wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was elected as the third President in 1800. During his time in office, Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase and commissioned the Lewis & Clark Expedition. His home, Monticello, is in Virginia.
George Washington - (1732-1799) the first United States President. He is known as the "Father of Our Country". He chose the location for the nation's capital city, Washington, D.C. He also led the U.S. in the revolution against Britain.
Abraham Lincoln - (1809-185) the 16th President of the U.S. He was President during the Civil War. In 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which made slavery against the law in the United States.
Martin Luther King Jr. - (1929-1968) a minister and civil rights leader who worked to change unfair laws.
Rosa Parks - civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white person.
Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday. The last day before Lent is celebrated in New Orleans. Carnival season is from Twelfth Night (Jan. 6) to Shrove Tuesday.
Jazz - a form of music that stresses a lively beat, uneven rhythms, and improvisation, originating in New Orleans in the early 20th century
Cajun - the popular term for Acadians in Louisiana and their descendants
Creole - descendant of the original French or Spanish inhabitants of Louisiana
Evangeline - a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It tells the story of a young Acadian woman, about to be married, when the English began driving the French out of Acadia.