4th Grade Social Studies Curriculum – Contributions to Texas in Art & Science

Are you an upper elementary teacher looking to find a quality TEKS-aligned resource that Texan contributions in art, science, and technology? Looking for minimal-prep and engaging lessons and activities to teach social studies concepts to your 4th-grade students? Look no further!

Unit 13 of the Smart and Simple Social Studies Texas History Guided Curriculum is about the Contributions to Texas. This 2-week unit is designed to help 4th grade students explore the importance of key customs, symbols, and celebrations in Texas. Students will learn about and summarize the contributions of artists, scientists, and inventors to Texas culture. Students will also understand the impact of science and technology and how it has helped individuals, businesses, and society in Texas.

This 2-week unit includes lesson plans, guided notes, practice activities, exit tickets, a project, unit assessment, and more. Each lesson includes slideshows in both PowerPoint and Google Slides, as well as student digital activities of the notes, practice activities, exit tickets, project, and unit assessment.

This unit primarily correlates to the current TEKS 4th Grade Social Studies standards (adopted in 2024). It includes EVERYTHING you need to teach Customs, Symbols, and Celebrations in Texas – just print & go!

This unit covers the following topics:

• Lesson 1: Introduction to Contributions to Texas
• Lesson 2: Contributions of Artists
• Lesson 3: Contributions of Scientists and Inventors
• Lesson 4: Scientific Discoveries and Innovations
• Lesson 5: Contributions to Texas Review

What’s included in this resource?

• 2-week pacing guide and overview
• Scope and Sequence
• 5 teacher lesson plan guides
• 4 non-editable slideshows (Google Drive & PPT versions)
• 1 editable slideshow review game with student recording sheet and QR code
• Guided notes for Lessons 1-4 (2 versions: fill-in-the-blank and highlighted words) – 2 size options – full-page size for binder and smaller size for notebooks
• 4 practice activities
• 5 exit tickets
• Digital and full-color versions of student activities
• Unit Project
• Unit Assessment
• Answer keys for all student activities

What makes this Guided Social Studies Curriculum Smart and Simple?

✅ The social studies daily lessons and activities are bite-sized and can easily be implemented in 30-45 minutes.

✅ The social studies curriculum is TEKS-aligned (for Texas) but is still flexible enough to use in any order.

✅ Each social studies unit has everything you need to simply teach social studies – easy-to-follow lesson plans, guided notes, practice activities, exit tickets, and more!

It’s everything you need to implement engaging social studies lessons that students love and teachers enjoy (because it’s comprehensive and easy to prep)!