GRADE 5 SOCIAL STUDIES

BEGINNINGS TO 1620

American Indians Life in the Americas

Students Will:

Use maps to locate people in the Desert southwest, the Pacific Northwest, Great Plains, and Woodland people east of the Mississippi River.

Compare how people of the Desert Southwest and the people in the Pacific Northwest adapted to or modified their environment.

Describe Eastern Woodland Indian life with respect to governmental and family structures.

European Exploration

Students Will:

Describe technological and political developments that made sea exploration possible.

Use studies of individual explorers and stories of life in Europe to compare goals, obstacles, and motivations and consequences for exploration and colonization of the Americas.

African Life before the 16th Century

Students Will:

Use maps to locate major regions of Africa.

Three World Interactions

Students Will:

Describe the convergence of Europeans, American Indians, and Africans in North America after 1492 from the perspective of these three groups.

Use primary and secondary sources to compare Europeans and American Indians with respect to governmental structure and land ownership and use.

Explain the impact of European contact on American Indians cultures by compare the different approaches used by the British and French and their interaction with the American Indians.

Describe the Columbian Exchange and its impact on Europeans, American Indians, and Africans.

COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT

European Struggle for Control of North America

Students Will:

Describe significant developments of the Southern Colonies.

Describe significant developments of the New England Colonies.

Describe significant developments of the Middle Colonies.

Describe the regional settlement patterns of the Southern, Middle, and New England Colonies.

European Slave Trade and Slavery in Colonial America

Students Will:

Describe Triangular Trade.

Describe the life of enslaved Africans and free Africans in the American colonies.

Describe how Africans living in North America drew upon their African past

Life in Colonial America

Students Will:

Locate Middle, New England, and Southern Colonies on a map.

Describe daily life of people living in the Middle, New England, and Southern Colonies.

Describe the colonial life in America from the perspective of different groups of people.

Describe the development of the emerging labor force in the colonies.

Make generalizations about the reasons for the regional differences in Colonial America.

REVOLUTION AND THE NEW NATION

Causes of the American Revolution

Students Will:

Describe the role of the French and Indian War, how the British policy toward the colonies in America changed from 1763 to 1775, and the colonial dissatisfaction with the new policy.

Describe the causes and effects of events such as the Stamp Act and the Boston tea Party.

Explain how British and colonial views on authority and use of power differed.

Describe the role of the First and Second Continental Congress in unifying the colonies.

Use the Declaration of Independence to explain why the colonists wanted to separate Great Britain.

Identify the key role that individuals played in leading the colonists to revolution.

Explain how colonial experiences with self government and ideas about the government influenced the decision to declare independence.

Identify a problem confronting people in the colonies, identify alternative choices for addressing the problem with possible consequences, and describe the course of action taken.

American Revolution and its Consequences

Students Will:

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each side during the American Revolution with respect to military leadership, geography, types of resources, and incentives.

Describe the importance of Valley Forge, Battle of Saratoga, and Battle of Yorktown in the American Revolution.

Compare the role of women, African Americans, American Indians, and France in helping shape the outcome of the war.

Describe the significance of the Treaty of Paris.

Creating New Government(s) and a New Constitution

Students Will:

Describe the powers of the national government and state governments under the Articles of Confederation.

Give examples of problems the country faced under the Articles of Confederation.

Explain why the Constitutional Convention was convened and why the Constitution was written.

Describe the issues over representation and slavery the Framers faced at the Constitutional Convention and how they were addressed in the Constitution.

Give reasons why the Framers wanted to limit the power of government.

Describe the principle of federalism and how it is expressed through the sharing and distribution of power as stated in the Constitution.

Describe the concern that some people had about individual rights and why the inclusion of a Bill of Rights was needed for ratification.

Describe the rights found in the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

PUBLIC DISCOURSE, DECISION MAKING, AND CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT

Identifying and Analyzing Public Issues

Students Will:

Identify contemporary public issues related to the United States Constitution and their related, factual, definitional, and ethical questions.

Use graphic data and other sources to analyze information about a contemporary public issue related to the United States Constitution and evaluate alternative resolutions.

Give examples of how conflicts over core democratic values lead people to differ on contemporary constitutional issues in the United States.

Persuasive Communication About a Public Issue

Students Will:

Compose a short essay expressing a position on a contemporary public policy issue related to the Constitution and justify the position with a reasoned argument.

Citizen Involvement

Students Will:

Develop and implement an action plan and know how, when, and where to address or inform others about a public issue.

Participate in projects to help or inform others.