The standards for the division-created fifth grade social studies curriculum include a combination of Virginia Standards of Learning from the U.S.I course and division-developed standards. Students will continue to develop map skills and gain understanding of basic concepts of early American history. Units include World Geography with a focus on the early explorers, the American Indians, Colonial America through the Revolutionary War and development of The Constitution. Subsequent units include Westward Expansion and The Civil War focusing on the economic, geographic, and communal experiences of all Americans. The last two units of the course are designed to build geographic knowledge and skills related to the fifty states and as preparation for the U.S.I course taught in Grade 6.