4th Grade Social Studies Unit

Famous Mainers
Fourteen well developed lessons regarding famous people from Maine.
This unit was developed taking into account the current exhibit at the
Maine Historical Society. The exhibit showcases Mainers and how they
Dress Up, Stand Out or Fit in. This unit looks at how Famous Mainers
occupations and actions allow them to dress up, stand out or fit in. It
focuses on how these things are intertwined, why these things are so
important, and how it relates to our community today.

The unit will take approximately 2-3 weeks to complete, based upon a
daily social studies class varying in length from 30 minutes to one hour.

The disciplines included in this lesson plan are: Cultural Anthropology,
Sociology, Psychology, History, Civics and Government, Cultural & Gender
Studies, and Language Arts.

Maine State Learning Results
• Students identify and answer research questions related to
social studies, by locating and selecting information and
presenting findings.
– Identify research questions related to social studies - seeking
multiple perspectives from varied sources.
– Identify key words and concepts related to research
questions, making adjustments when necessary.
– Locate and access information by using text features.
– Collect, evaluate, and organize for a specific purpose.
– Communicate findings from a variety of print and non-print
sources.
– Describe plagiarism and demonstrate appropriate citation.
– Distinguish between facts and opinions/interpretations in
sources.

Maine State Learning Results
• Students apply critical thinking, a research process, and discipline-based
processes and knowledge from civics/government, economics, geography
and history in authentic context.
– Researching and developing positions on current social studies issues
– Making decisions using socials studies knowledge and skills

• Students understand civic aspects of unity and diversity in the daily life of
various cultures in the United States and the world, including Maine
Native Americans.

• Historical knowledge, concepts, themes and patterns.
– Students understand various major eras in the history of the
community, Maine and the United States.
– Students understand historical aspects of unity and diversity in the daily life of
various cultures in the United States and the world, including Maine Native
Americans.

Lesson 1, Grade 4, 60 minutes
Dressing Up, Standing Out, Fitting In (Pre-Project Visit from MHS)

• Overview: Speaker from Maine Historical Society presentation.
Speaker leads students through group discussion and short
interactive activities. Students are introduced to the concepts of
personal and public identity, specifically how people in the past
used clothing to Dress Up, Stand Out, and Fit In. Students will make
connections to their own experiences.

• Objective: Students will make a personal connection between
themselves and historical figures regarding dressing up to stand out
or fit in.

• Resources/Materials: Partnering with MHS, scheduling speaker to
come to class. She will bring pictures of museum exhibits to discuss
with students.

Lesson Plan:

• Speaker from MHS & students will sit on the rug as a group to discuss
clothing.
• What are we wearing? Kids tell sweaters, shoes, pants, skirts, socks, glasses,
bracelet, etc.
• At the museum we have an exhibit. Do you know what an exhibit is? The
current exhibit at MHS is Dressing Up, Standing Out, Fitting In. An exhibit
might have photographs, paintings, and artifacts on display. Different types of
pictures tell us about how people dressed in the past to stand out or fit in.
• Students look at examples of miniatures, large painted portraits, silhouettes,
cameos, and photographs (both black & white and color). In each, the
students and speaker talk about how the people are dressed. What do you
notice in this picture? Students notice how different the clothes were in the
past.
• The speaker asks each student to turn to the person next to them. Check the
tag on your partner’s shirt. Where was it made? Mexico, India, USA, China,
Indonesia, etc. They talk about homemade clothes and tailor made clothes –
no buying off the rack.
• The students look at pictures of the artifacts in the exhibit. Who may have
worn this? What would be the occasion that this would be worn?
• Look at what you are wearing. Would you wear this outfit to a wedding? A
funeral? A birthday party? Why do we wear the types of clothes we wear?

Lesson 2, 30 minutes
Famous Mainers
• Overview: Activate prior knowledge by making
a chart of famous Mainers that the students
are already familiar with. Ask how each
dresses up, stands out, and/or fits in.
• Objective: Students are able to connect how a
famous person might stand out, fit in or dress
up as part of their profession.
• Resources/Materials: Chart paper and markers

Lesson Plan:
• Students will sit on the rug as a group to discuss
famous people we know from Maine.
• Make a chart on poster paper with the following
headings (some examples listed):
Name Occupation Stand out, Fit in, Dress up How do they so, fi, du?

Longfellow Poet Stands Out Statue in town

Paul Bunyon Lumberjack Stands Out & Dress Up Fast/accurate, flannel shirt

Ian Crocker Olympic Athlete Stands Out, Fits In, Dress Up Olympian, swim suit, Gold Metals

• As students run out of people they are familiar
with, offer suggestions of people they might know. Rick
Charette, LL Bean, Stephen King, Samantha
Smith, Governor Baxter. See if students know of these
people, why are they famous? Do they stand out, fit
in, dress up? Can you do more than one?

Fact vs. Opinion and Famous Mainers List
• Overview:
– Have students define a fact and an opinion. View some
statements and talk about whether they are facts or opinions
and how we can tell the difference. After this brief exercise, go
over a comprehensive list of Famous Mainers and have students
choose 5 that they think they might be interested in
researching.
• Objectives:
– Students will demonstrate an understanding of the difference
between a fact and an opinion.
– Students will gain familiarity with famous people from Maine.
• Resources/Materials:
– Fact vs. Opinion worksheet
– Famous Mainers list

Lesson Plan:
– Fact vs. Opinion
• Give students a few minutes to fill out fact vs opinion worksheet at
their desk.
• Go over answers as a class.
– If we disagree, talk about how we can tell the difference between a fact
and an opinion
» Define these terms again.
– As a class, provide students with the list of Famous
Mainers.
• List has name and small description about each Mainer.
• Ask students to go around the room and read the name and the
description.
• Once this is done, see if students have any additional questions
about any of the people.
– Point out specific people that students might be interested in
researching.
• Have students choose their top five picks for their Famous Mainer
to research.
• Advise students that, while I have the final say, I will try to give
them someone they chose to research.

Fact vs. Opinion and Famous Mainers Reveal
• Overview:
– Have students define a fact and an opinion. View some
statements and talk about whether they are facts or opinions
and how we can tell the difference. After this brief exercise,
activate prior knowledge and remember how to research topics.
Overview of the project and reveal each students Famous
Mainer.
• Objectives:
– Students will demonstrate an understanding of the difference
between a fact and an opinion.
– Students will recall research techniques.
– Chart Paper and Markers
– Chalkboard
– Mainer Reveal Envelopes

Lesson Plan:
• Ask the students to help me write a quick story the teacher.
– Example: Ms. Griffin is a nice teacher. She has long hair and likes to wear sweaters when it is
cold outside.
• Once we have a story, ask students to point out a fact or an opinion.
– Why is this a fact or an opinion? How can you tell?
– Underline facts in red and opinions in green.
• Give a brief overview of the project.
– Show students the blank graphic organizer.
– Show students my “finished” project.
– Explain that this will be hung up at the MHS as part of an exhibit for the public to view.
• There will be a celebration at the end of May to unveil the student work. Parents, students and
teachers will go to this reception to ooohhh and aaahhh.
• Are there any questions?
• Talk about how to research
– Recall our fact vs. opinion work
– Where are good places to find reliable information?
– If we find a book or we have a lot of information, what are some good techniques to use to
use our time wisely?
• Review knowledge of how to use the table of contents, index, and glossary.
• Talk about scanning a document and reading section titles to decide if it is important.
• Reveal (with pizazz) to students who their Famous Mainer will be.
– Academy Awards style reveal.
• I have all of the students Mainers in an envelope with their name.
• I call a name and that student comes up “on stage” at the front of the room.
• The students at their desk give a drum roll….
• The student on stage reads who they will be researching to the class.
• Everyone claps! Yippee!

Lesson 5, Two 45 minute sessions
Print Research Day 1
• Overview: Work with students in two small groups.
(Other group will be working on writing workshop.)
Model graphic organizer and distribute print research.
Review how to research and have students start
reading/taking notes about their Famous Mainer.
• Objective: Students will begin to research and take
notes on their famous Mainer.
– Graphic Organizer
– Print Research Packet (Print research I have collected for
each student about their Mainer.)

Lesson Plan:
• Small group print research
– Review how to research.
• Where/how to look for information?
– Index
– Table of Contents
– Skim information for section titles
– Pass out graphic organizer.
• Review the information on the organizer.
• Review how to take notes.
– These are reminders about information.
– Do not need to copy paragraphs from print research.
– Put it into your own words
– Pass out print research packets.
• Let students work independently to start reading about their
famous Mainer.
– Check in with each student to gauge progress/answer questions.

Fact vs. Opinion and Print Research Day 2
• Overview:
– Write another story together and decide facts and opinions in
the story. Have students continue reading/taking notes about
their Famous Mainer.
• Objectives:
– Students demonstrate thorough understanding of fact vs.
opinion.
– Students will organize their research on a graphic organizer.
– Print Research Packet (Print research for each student about
their Mainer.)

Lesson Plan:
• Ask the students to help me write a quick story anything they
choose.
– Example: Bananas are delicious. They are yellow and need to be
peeled before you can eat them.
• Once we have a story, ask students to point out a fact or an
opinion.
– Why is this a fact or an opinion? How can you tell?
– Underline facts in red and opinions in green.
• Continue print research
– Check in with students to review note taker/answer questions
– What information are they looking for that they haven’t found in
their print material?
• Pictures?
• Important information?
– Remind students about what information is important.
– What do you really want to say about this person?
• Have students make a note to look up information online on Friday that
they are interested in but cannot find in their print research.

Lesson 7, Two 60 minute sessions
Online Research
• Overview: Students will use the internet to
find out more information about their famous
Mainer.
• Objective: Students will understand how to
use the internet as a research tool.
– Computer Lab

Lesson Plan:
• Break students into two groups. (One group will do reading
workshop and the other group will go to the computer lab
for online research .)
– What sites should we use to look up information?
• Sites that end in .gov, .edu, .org are usually trustworthy
• Wikipedia
• How to search with Google
– Bring graphic organizer.
– What information are they looking for that they haven’t found
in their print material?
• Picture?
• Important information?
– Remind students about what information is important.
• What do you really want to say about this person?
– Check in with each student to help guide them to the
information they are looking for.
• What questions do they have about the person they are researching?
• Is this really important to their project?

Organizing Information
• Overview: Students will review what the final
project will look like. We will talk about the
written portion of the project and how to
organize the information from the graphic
organizer into paragraphs about their famous
Mainer.
• Objective: Students will understand how to
organize information.

Lesson Plan:
• Review and read my final draft as an example. (Modeling)
• Talk about what type of information is in the first and second
paragraph. Using my graphic organizer as an example, read my
notes to students. Should I put a 1 next to this or a 2? Is this
information important enough to include in my final paper?
• Have students place a 1 next to information on their graphic
organizer that would go in the first paragraph and a 2 next to
information that will go into the second paragraph. Check in
with students to make sure they are correctly organizing the
information.
• Pass out lined papers to students that have been folded in half.
On the top half transfer information from graphic organizer that
has a 1 next to it. On bottom half transfer information from
graphic organizer with a 2 next to it. Remind students to keep
this information as notes and not to write sentences yet.
• Keep this in their social studies notebook to use as a VERY rough
draft.

Organizing Information/Sentence Starters
• Overview:
– Students will review what the final project will look like.
We will talk about the written portion of the project and
how to organize the information from the graphic
organizer into paragraphs about their Famous Mainer.
Students will begin drafting the written portion of their
final project.
• Objectives:
– Students will understand how to organize information.
– Students will decide what is the most important
information to include in the project. (Main idea)

Lesson Plan:
• Show students my paper with notes for paragraphs 1 and 2. Review
and read my final draft as an example. (Modeling)
• How can I take my notes and make them into a paper to tell about
my famous Mainer? Talk about what type of information is in the
first and second paragraph of my final copy. Create sentence
prompts.
• Ask the students for examples of how we can start our sentences
for paragraph 1
– My famous Mainer is…
– She/He was born in…
– During his/her early years…
– An experience that may have influenced my famous Mainer is…
– During his/her later years…
• Same for paragraph 2
– My famous Mainer stands out/fits in/dresses up because…
– List other examples of why they stand out/fit in/dress up.
• Float around the room while students begin to draft to provide help
(further scaffolding for ELL and SpEd) and to guide students to
including just relevant and important information.

Continuing the Writing Process
• Overview: Students will edit and revise their
drafts. Students will write the final (published)
copy of the written portion of their final project.
• Objective: Students will edit drafts to include
most important information about their famous
Mainer – focusing on the main idea of the
project.
– Social Studies notebook
– Final Copy paper

Lesson Plan:
• Edit/Revise and COPSS
– COPSS = Capitalization, Overall
look, Punctuation, Spelling, Sentence structure
– Remind students that first and last names should be
capitalized, as well as places.
• Are you including all of the important information?
Does your paper say what you want it to say?
• Teacher check before the final copy is written.
• Pass out final draft paper, have students write their
final copy.
• Float around the room while students begin to draft to
provide help (further scaffolding for ELL and SpEd) and
to guide students to including just relevant and
important information.

Characteristics of Portraits
• Overview: Students be reminded of our initial visit from the
MHS. What types of pictures did we see? What did people
have in the picture with them? Students will draw pictures
of their famous Mainer. Final project will be assembled.

• Objective: Students will determine important items to
include in famous Mainer portraits.

– Social Studies notebook
– Illustration paper
– Large paper to mount final projects on
– Glue sticks
– Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils

Lesson Plan:
• Group discussion about MHS visit. What types of pictures did we
see? Portraits, miniatures, cameos, photographs, etc. Was there
anything in the picture besides the person? (Objects that give clues
to why they are famous) For example, the ship captain held a
telescope.
• Show final project that I worked on. What can you tell about
George Mitchell by looking at the objects I placed in the picture
with him? It is ok to write words too.
• Draw picture of famous Mainer.
• Make sure it includes some of the items that they are famous for.
• What are some ways we could include items that make them
famous?
• Float around the room while students begin to draw to provide help
(further scaffolding for ELL and SpEd) and speak with students
about what they will add to their portraits to show how/why their
Mainer is famous.
• As students finish their drawings, mount pictures and writing onto
large paper. Have students decorate the boarders.

Lesson 12, 2 hours
Visit to Maine Historical Society Museum Exhibit
• Overview: Students will review pre-visit lesson from the MHS
speaker came to our classroom. Scavenger hunt through the exhibit
and then craft a frame for a portrait type of their choosing.

• Objective: Students will understand similarities and differences in
past and current styles of dress.

– Scavenger Hunt Books
– Clipboard with Paper and Pencil
– Cardboard
– Glue sticks
– Fabric, Construction paper
– Scissors
– Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils

Lesson Plan:
• Students will be broken into to two groups.
• Group 1 will review pre-visit lessons and spend the
remainder of the hour doing a guided investigation into
the objects and stories on display in the museum
exhibit. This will be a scavenger hunt style investigation
with certain stations necessitating
writing, drawing, conversation with other students and
pantomime.
• Group 2 will start with the craft portion of the visit.
Students will make frames (based on the elaborate
frames around the historic series of images in the
exhibit). They will then choose the style of picture they
would like to put in the frame – a painting, a
photograph, a silhouette, etc. They will also have the
option of making a newspaper hat or a masquerade
mask.

Post-visit from MHS
• Overview: Review of museum trip. What have you
learned about how people stand out, fit in and dress
up. What are some similarities and differences
between things students saw in the exhibit, people
they studied, and themselves.
• Objective: Students will understand aspects of unity
and diversity throughout various time periods in
Maine.
– Chart Paper
– Markers
– Photos from the MHS exhibit

Lesson Plan:
• Class discussion
– Review of the museum trip. What did you notice?
What did you think was interesting? Have
students share their thoughts about the exhibit
and what they are thinking.
– How does this relate to the in class project?
Students share information about their famous
Mainer.
– What have you learned about how people stand
out, fit in and dress up? Have students interview
each other about what they are wearing that day.
What does this say about them?

Lesson 14, 30 - 45 minutes
Assessment
Assessment:
• Each student will interview a parent or
grandparent. The interview will focus on a time
when the interviewee dressed up to fit in or
stand out and how this has changed over the
course of their life.
• In class, the students will write a summary of this
interview and talk about how this relates to the
exhibit at the museum and the project we
worked on in class.

Holistic Scoring Rubric
Score Description

Meets or Exceeds the Standard. Student demonstrates with vocabulary, projects and activities that they “totally get it.”
5 (A) This student exhibits high quality work that is free of errors. Students in this category correctly answer nearly all
questions during discussion, throughout writing process and on assessments.

Generally Meets the Standard. This student demonstrates that they “mostly get it.” Student shows understanding of
4 (B)
concepts and activities but there may be some minor errors evident via discussion, projects and assessment.

Partially Meets Standard. This student has shown that they “kind of get it.” The student demonstrates some
understanding of core concept, but struggles with the activities, vocabulary and assessment materials. This student is
3 (C)
strongly encouraged to meet with the teacher for extra help during study hall or before/after school in order to gain a
better understanding of topics/concepts/activities.

Does Not Meet Standard. This student is struggling and demonstrates that they “don’t yet get it.” The student has
frequent misunderstandings and does not know the majority of concepts – leading to struggling with activities. This
2 (D) student may not answer questions on assessments or finish activity work. This student is expected to meet with the
teacher for extra help during study hall or before/after school in order to gain a better understanding of
topics/concepts/activities.

Incomplete Work. This student has not turned in the required work or they have turned in work with numerous parts
missing. The student will receive an incomplete or a grade of F. Students in this category may or may not understand the
1 (F)
material. The student is expected to meet with the teacher to talk about the work, finish or resubmit in order to be
properly graded for their understanding of the concepts.

Conclusion/Closure, 90 minutes
Student work on display at the MHS in the museum exhibit.

Overview:

Student work is displayed for all to see. Parents,
teachers and students tour the exhibit and share
what they have learned. One or two students
will talk to the exhibit’s visitors about their
project. Refreshments will be served.

Museum Invitation for Student’s Family

An Exhibition of Famous Mainers
Dressing Up
Fitting In
Standing Out
Please join us to enjoy all of the amazing
projects
Each created by one of the 4th graders in Room
201
Wednesday, May 23rd from 5pm-6:30pm
At the Maine Historical Society Museum
489 Congress St, Portland, ME

4th Grade Social Studies Unit

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