5th Grade Curriculum

  • Fifth Grade Social Studies Curriculum

    The Fifth Grade Social Studies curriculum entitled U.S. History: America in the World(Beginnings to 1787) teaches students to acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically about how past and present interactions of people, cultures, and the environment shape the American heritage. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions that reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and global communities.

    Understanding will be gained through text readings, individual projects, class discussion, in-class group activities, and oral reports. Students’ learning experiences will be further enhanced through videos, PowerPoint presentations, website exploration, and other multimedia sources. Throughout the school year, learners also will have the opportunity to cultivate skills needed to become active, informed citizens through the study of government/civics, economics and current events.

    U.S. History: America in the World (Beginnings to 1787) explores four core content areas:

    1. Geography and Social Studies Skills 

    Students will explore:

    • information that can be found on different types of maps and globes.
    • landforms, climate and weather, and natural resources.
    • how to measure distances, determine time zones and locations using latitude and longitude.
    • effective strategies for accessing various sources of information and historical evidence, determining their validity, and using them to solve a problem or find a solution.

    2. Three Worlds Meet 

    Students will explore how:

    • indigenous societies in the Western Hemisphere migrated and changed in response to the physical environment and due to their interactions with Europeans.
    • European exploration expanded global economic and cultural exchange into the Western Hemisphere.

    3. Colonization and Settlement

    Students will explore how:

    • the colonists adapted ideas from their European heritage and from Native American groups to develop new political and religious institutions and economic systems.
    • the slave labor system and the loss of Native American lives had a lasting impact on the development of the United States and American culture.

    4. Revolution and the New Nation

    Students will explore how:

    • disputes over political authority and economic issues contributed to a movement for independence in the colonies.
    • the fundamental principles of the preamble to the United States Constitution serve as the foundation of the United States government today.