Grade 4 Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 4 social studies in the Nova Scotia Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Investigate the concept of exploration. Learners will investigate the concept of exploration.
- Investigate the stories of various explorers. Learners will investigate the stories of various explorers, inclusive of Acadians, African Nova Scotians, Gaels, Mi’kmaq, and additional cultures.
- Evaluate the impacts of exploration. Learners will evaluate the impacts of exploration.
- Investigate the relationships between humans and the physical environment. Learners will investigate the relationships between humans and the physical environment.
- Investigate the physical landscape of Canada. Learners will investigate the physical landscape of Canada.
- Investigate the political landscape of Canada. Learners will investigate the political landscape of Canada.
Easy ways to practise social studies at home
- Look at a map of your community and find places you visit.
- Ask an older relative or neighbour what the area was like when they were young.
- Read stories from many communities, including Indigenous authors, and talk about what is the same and different.
- Talk about how rules and jobs help a community work.
What each unit covers
What Is Exploration?
Practises what exploration is, why people explore, the tools they use and the fact that people already lived in the places explorers reached. It follows the Grade 4 Nova Scotia social studies outcome on the concept of exploration.
Explorers’ Stories
Practises well-known facts about explorers connected to Nova Scotia and Canada, including Mi’kmaw travellers, Cabot, Cartier, Champlain, Mathieu Da Costa and Hudson. It follows the Grade 4 Nova Scotia social studies outcome on the stories of explorers.
Impacts of Exploration
Practises thinking about the positive and negative impacts of exploration, including trade and new maps as well as disease and loss of land for First Nations, and how the same event looks different to different people. It follows the Grade 4 Nova Scotia social studies outcome on the impacts of exploration. Content about First Nations is handled carefully and needs partner review.
People & the Land
How rivers, deserts, mountains, forests and Arctic seasons shaped food, homes and travel for societies such as ancient Egypt, Greece, the Haudenosaunee and the Inuit, and how to investigate this with maps and evidence.
Provinces & Regions
Canada's 10 provinces and 3 territories and their capitals, and its physical regions (like the Cordillera, Interior Plains and Canadian Shield) and their natural resources.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Limited
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Basic
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Good
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Thorough
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Nova Scotia report card guide.
Common questions
Look at a map of your community and find places you visit. Ask an older relative or neighbour what the area was like when they were young. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Nova Scotia Curriculum Grade 4 social studies units include what is exploration?, explorers’ stories, impacts of exploration, people & the land, provinces & regions.
Free printable Grade 4 social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.