Social Studies Grade 5   (#5021070)

General Notes

Fifth Grade: United States History - The fifth grade Social Studies curriculum consists of the following content area strands: American History, Geography, Economics, and Civics. Fifth grade students will study the development of our nation with emphasis on the people, places and events up to approximately 1850. Students will be exposed to the historical, geographic, political, economic, and sociological events which influenced the initial inhabitation, exploration, colonization, and early national periods of American History. So that students can see clearly the relationship between cause and effect in history, students should also have the opportunity to understand how individuals and events of this period influenced later events in the development of our nation.

Mathematics Benchmark Guidance - Social Studies instruction should include opportunities for students to interpret and create representations of historical events and concepts using mathematical tables, charts, and graphs.

Instructional Practices

Teaching from well-written, grade-level instructional materials enhances students' content area knowledge and also strengthens their ability to comprehend longer, complex reading passages on any topic for any reason. Using the following instructional practices also helps student learning:

1. Reading assignments from longer text passages as well as shorter ones when text is extremely complex.

2. Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.

3. Asking high-level, text-specific questions and requiring high-level, complex tasks and assignments.

4. Requiring students to support answers with evidence from the text.

5. Providing extensive text-based research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).