Resource Explorer Workbook Grade 4 Social Studies • Indiana standard 4.G.3
Hoosier Resource Quest
Field Journal No. 1
Explorer Name:
Date:
Assigned Resource:
Mission Instructions (Rapid Explorer Quest)
Gather with your research crew. Review your textbook notes and explore the approved explorer websites. Find exactly four clues about your resource. Write short, clear phrases below, then use them to design your Resource Badge on page 2!
1
What is it?
Describe your resource. What does it look or feel like? Is it grown, mined, or harvested?
2
Where is it in Indiana?
Which regions (North, Central, South), counties, or cities have lots of this resource?
3
How do people use it?
Why is this resource important? What goods, buildings, foods, or energy do we make with it?
4
One Interesting Fact
Find something weird, surprising, or historically cool about this resource in our state!
⚡ Early Finisher Super Quest: Find one career in Indiana that exists because of your resource (e.g., quarry worker, agronomist, forester, barge operator). Write the job name here:
Complete all 4 blocks to advance! Turn the page to design your Map Badge >>
Grade 4 Social Studies • Indiana standard 4.G.3
Resource Badge Creator
Phase 2: Assemble
Badge Instructions: Write neatly and use color! When finished, cut out your card along the dashed line () . You will tape or pin this card directly onto your group's region of the big class map.
CUT OUT ALONG DASHED LINE MAP PLACEMENT SIZE (approx. 5" x 7")
Indiana Resource:
Class Map Badge G4-4.G.3
🖼️ DRAW & COLOR HERE
Where is it found?
How do we use it?
Cool Fact or Job:
Explorer Quality Checklist
Resource Name is BIG, bold, and spelled right.
Facts are written in short phrases, not copied.
The drawing is neat, colorful, and stands out.
Bonus Career quest is completed (if done early).
Hoosier Resource Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide • Indiana standard 4.G.3
Hoosier Resource Quest
Flexible Lesson Planner
Flexible Pacing Guide (Single 60-Min Session or 2-Session Option)
Session 1 • 5m 1. Intro
Review notes & assign 17-student teams.
Session 1 • 15m 2. Research
Teams research 4 clues & find bonus jobs.
Session 2 • 15m 3. Create
Sketch and write resource badges.
Session 2 • 15m 4. Assemble
Pin badges & draw symbols on poster.
Session 2 • 10m 5. Discuss
Hold class reflection & map-reading.
Grouping & Textbook Resource Correlation
100% Textbook Map Match
Assigned Resource Students (17) Key Indiana Textbook Map Targets & Locations 🌽 Corn & Crops (Ag) 3 Students Agriculture, fertile glacial topsoil in the Central Till Plain. 🪨 Limestone & Gypsum 3 Students Includes general "stone." Bedford limestone quarries & Martin County gypsum. Southern Hills. 🔥 Coal (Energy) 3 Students Bituminous coal mining fields in Southwest Indiana. Power generation. 🛢️ Oil & Natural Gas 3 Students Southwest wells & historic East-Central gas boom fields. 🌲 Forests & Timber 3 Students Hardwoods (oak, maple) of the unglaciated Southern Hills. ⚓ Steel & Waterways 2 Students NW steel mills (Gary) use Lake Michigan to ship heavy iron ore & draw cooling water.
Speed-Running & Multi-Session Splits
Smaller groups of 2-3 work extremely fast . If splitting into 2 sessions: complete the Research (Inquiry) on Day 1. On Day 2, run the Badge Creation, Map Assembly, and Class Discussion. If a team finishes early, they MUST complete the "Super Explorer Bonus Challenge" on their cards.
Approved Kid-Friendly Indiana Research Sites
Indiana Geological Survey
igws.indiana.edu
Indiana Dept of Agriculture
in.gov/isda
Indiana Historical Society Kids
indianahistory.org
DNR Kids Forestry Guide
in.gov/dnr/forestry
Tip: Ready-to-go links keep student research highly focused and blazing fast. Page 1 of 2
Teacher Facilitation Guide • Indiana standard 4.G.3
Map Blueprint & Rubric
Page 2 of 2
Setup: Large Collaborative Indiana Map
COLLABORATIVE POSTER
1. Northern Lakes
Title: INDIANA'S RESOURCES
Map Prep & Assembly Steps:
Step 1 (Outline): Roll out a large piece of butcher paper (~3x4 feet). Project a blank Indiana map outline, trace it, and draw simple dashed boundaries for the 3 geographic regions.
Step 2 (The Badge Drop): Students tape or pin their primary Resource Badge onto the region where it is most famous or highly concentrated.
How to Map Overlapping & Fossil Resources
Crucial Teach Tip
Indiana's resources match textbook map categories. Have students use this clever two-step mapping technique to show that resources span regions:
📍 1. Primary Badge Anchor
Place the main index card badge in the highest-concentration area :Limestone/Gypsum: Southern HillsSteel/Waterways: Northwest/Lake Michigan (Steel requires massive harbor shipping & lake water).Oil/Gas: Southwest & East-Central
🎨 2. Map-Marker Symbols
Have students draw small colored icons/shapes directly on the poster around other regions:Water/Oil: Blue droplets or black oil rigsLimestone/Gypsum: Gray stonesCrops (Corn): Yellow corn symbols
Easy-Grade Rubric (12 Points Max)
Criteria Excellent (3 pts) Satisfactory (2 pts) Developing (1 pt) Research All 4 questions on Page 1 answered completely and in own words. 3 of 4 questions answered or some direct textbook copying. Only 1 or 2 answers completed; sparse details. Resource Badge Badge is fully complete, name is bold, and drawing is colorful. Badge is mostly complete, drawing lacks color or details. Badge is incomplete; text is illegible or missing. Map & Symbols Placed primary badge correctly AND drew icons to map other regions. Placed badge in roughly correct region; no additional symbols. Placed randomly with no understanding of geographic regions. Pacing Group met the lesson milestones cleanly without teacher prompts. Completed project on time but required multiple reminders. Did not finish on time or struggled heavily with cooperation.
💡 Suggested 5-Minute Class Wrap-up Questions:
"Why are steel mills only in the Northwest corner of Indiana? (Hint: Heavy cargo ships on Lake Michigan!)"
"How does Bedford limestone in the south travel to build skyscrapers up in Northern Indiana?"
Sample Resource Badge Visual Mentor Model • Indiana standard 4.G.3
Limestone Badge Example
Teacher & Student Model
How to Use This Model: Project this page or print it out to show your students before they start drawing. It shows them how to write short, clear bullet points and how to draw a simple, colorful symbol instead of writing long, crowded paragraphs.
Name your resource in BIG, BOLD letters
Draw a simple, colorful outline of your resource
Write short, clear facts in your own words!
Indiana Resource:
Limestone (Bedford Stone)
Class Map Badge G4-4.G.3
🖼️ DRAW & COLOR HERE
🌱
Bedford Stone Column
Where is it found?
📍 Found in the Southern Hills & Lowlands region. Huge quarries are located near Bedford and Bloomington (Lawrence & Monroe Counties).
How do we use it?
➡️ It is cut into block building stone. Used to construct the Empire State Building , the Pentagon, and the Indiana Statehouse!
Cool Fact or Job:
⭐ Formed from ancient sea shells under Indiana millions of years ago!
Keys to a High-Quality Badge
No copying large paragraphs: Summarize into 1 or 2 powerful bullet points.Fill the frame: Use coloring pencils to make your drawing look clean and solid.Neat handwriting: Write clearly with a pencil so classmates can read it from a distance when attached to the map!
Hoosier Resource Quest • Student Resource Mentor Model Printable Model Page
Collaborative Map Layout Guide Teacher & Student Blueprint • Indiana standard 4.G.3
Completed Map Blueprint
Final Display Model
Textbook-Aligned Display: This blueprint matches categories directly from your textbook maps (including **corn, stone/gypsum, steel, coal, forests, and oil/gas**). It shows how to place student badges and draw supporting symbols on the large class map.
Class Poster Header Title
INDIANA'S NATURAL RESOURCES
🌊 NORTHERN LAKES REGION • Steel & Waterways Badge pinned near NW shores.
🌾 CENTRAL TILL PLAIN • Corn & Crops Badge pinned in the center.
🪨 SOUTHERN HILLS & LOWLANDS • Limestone & Gypsum Badge near Bedford.
Northern Lakes
L. Michigan
🌊 💧 🌊
⚓ Steel & Waterways
Pinned: NW Dunes / Ports
🛢️ Oil & Gas
Pinned: E-Central / SW
Central Till Plain 🌽 🌽 🌽
Wabash River
🌽 Corn & Crops
Pinned: Central Plain
Southern Hills 🌲 🌲 🌲
Ohio River
🔥 Coal & Energy
Pinned: Southwest
🪨 Stone & Gypsum
Pinned: Bedford Region
🌲 Forests & Wood
Pinned: South Hills
Map Symbol Legend (Drawn by Students)
🌽 Corn / Crops
🌲 Forests / Timber
🌊 Rivers / Lakes
🪨 Stone / Gypsum
🛢️ Oil & Gas
🔥 Coal
Indiana natural resources class map display guide Poster Assembly Key
Hoosier Resource Slides Indiana Standard 4.G.3
Mission Phase 1: Briefing
Hoosier Resource
Quest Briefing
Today, we are combining our brainpower to build a massive collaborative map of Indiana's geography, natural resources, and industrial economy!
Field Dictionary
Natural Resource:
Materials found in nature (like water, minerals, and crops) that humans use to live and build.
Grade 4 Social Studies • Interactive Exploration Quest Prepare for Team Assignments
17-Student Team Allocations
Mission Phase 2: Inquiry
🌽
Team 1: Crops
Focus on corn, rich topsoil, & the Central Till Plain.
🪨
Team 2: Stone
Focus on limestone & gypsum in the Southern Hills.
🔥
Team 3: Coal
Focus on coal mining & power in Southwest Indiana.
🛢️
Team 4: Oil & Gas
Focus on SW wells & East-Central historic Gas Boom.
🌲
Team 5: Forests
Focus on Southern hardwoods & timber production.
⚓
Team 6: Steel/Water
Focus on Lake Michigan ports & Northwest steel mills.
Open Chromebooks to approved search sites Find exactly 4 clues on your worksheet!
Stage 2: Creator Phase
Mission Phase 3: Creation
1
Draw Symbol
Bit by bit, sketch a clean, colorful drawing of your resource. Make it thick and solid so it stands out on our giant map!
No printed photos – hand-drawn only!
2
Write Clues
Neatly print under the 3 headers on your card. Write in short, quick phrases. No tiny long paragraphs!
Write in pencil first, then trace.
Early Finishers?
If your group is super speedy, tackle the **Super Explorer Bonus Challenge**:
Write it on your card!
Ensure resource names are written in BIG, bold letters at the top! Next: Cut out your cards
Stage 3: Map Assembly
Mission Phase 4: Assembly
How to Map
Overlapping Resources
Indiana's resources are not locked in single regions! Water flows everywhere, and sand or gravel exists statewide. We will use a **Two-Step Technique**:
📍
Step 1: Anchor Your Badge
Tape your primary Index Badge to its
