Geography Vocabulary
Maryland Learning Outcomes
Grade 4 Social Studies Content Vocabulary
Unit 2
agriculture – farming
ancestor – an early family member
archaeologist –a person who studies the
culture of people who lived long ago
artifact – an object made by early people
capital resources – goods made by people
and used to produce other goods and services
confederation – a loosely united group
of governments working together
council – a group that makes laws
culture –the language, traditions, beliefs,
clothing, and activities of a group of people
descendant – a person’s child, grandchild,
and so on
girdling – cutting into the layers of a
tree in order to kill the tree
glacier – a huge, slow-moving mass of ice
covering land
goods – things that people make or grow
that satisfy economic wants (Examples include a house, a car, a
toy, and an apple.)
human resources – people doing physical
or mental work to produce goods or services (Examples include teachers,
cooks, bus drivers, and carpenters.)
longhouse – a long wooden building in which
several related Iroquois families lived together
middens – ancient trash piles
migration – the movement of people from
one country or region to another with the intent of staying at
that place for a long period of time
natural resources – gifts of nature that
can be used to produce goods and services (Examples include trees,
sunshine, soil, water, plants, animals, oil, coal, and metals.)
nomad – awanderer who has no settled home
origin story – a story or set of stories
by Native American people that tell about their beginnings and
how the world came to be
palisade – a wall made of sharpened tree
trunks to protect a village from enemies or wild animals
powwows – an American Indian meeting or
ceremony
sinews – a tendon or tissue from inside
an animal
slash-and burn – a method of clearing land
for farming that includes cutting and burning of trees
technology – skills, methods, tools, machines
and other things used to perform activities
theory – a possible explanation
tribe – a group of people who share the
same language, land, and leaders
wampum – beads made from cut and polished
seashells used to keep records, send messages to other tribes,
barter for goods, or to give as gifts
weirs – a fence put in a waterway for catching
fish
wigwam – a round, bark-covered Native American
shelter
