5th Grade
Teacher Notes:
- Read through the slides and notes before you use these with students. Although you can use these slides as they are, we have left places for you to make decisions that work best for your classroom (like which books to use for example) that you will want to be aware of ahead of time.
- These are INQUIRY lessons developed by the State Department of Education.
- If you are interested in updating the curriculum or have a suggestion for what updates you'd like to see, let me know by completing this Google Form.
In this unit, students are introduced to an in-depth study of the geographic, political, social, and economic factors that influenced westward movement. Students will inquire as to why and how various peoples immigrated to the United States and how these immigrant cultures influenced American culture and society. Students will participate in a gallery walk to establish foundational information prior to learning about the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad, analyze historical images, research push and pull factors for immigrants coming through Ellis Island, before researching to determine the cultural influence that immigrants had on American culture.
Students will need prior knowledge of geography/map skills for understanding this unit. Students will be asked to recall geographic locations through their studies of explorers and their exploration routes.
Overarching Inquiry Question:
In what ways could the Transcontinental Railroad have had both positive and negative impacts on the United States?
In this unit, the students will be able to define and describe imperialism and economic expansion in the United States as it relates to the Industrial Revolution, Spanish American War, and the experiences of different groups that have shaped American cultural identities. The students will use inquiry through the use of primary and secondary sources to evaluate and support these changes to the United States. Students will be actively engaged in hands-on learning through analysis of pictures, inquiry-based learning, opinion writings, political cartoon analysis, real world application games, and diary writing.In this unit, the students will be able to define and describe imperialism and economic expansion in the United States as it relates to the Industrial Revolution, Spanish American War, and the experiences of different groups that have shaped American cultural identities. The students will use inquiry through the use of primary and secondary sources to evaluate and support these changes to the United States. Students will be actively engaged in hands-on learning through analysis of pictures, inquiry-based learning, opinion writings, political cartoon analysis, real world application games, and diary writing.
Overarching Inquiry Question:
How does economic expansion impact the lives of everyday people?
In this unit, the students will use inquiry to examine the role of the federal government in the lives of its citizens. By examining the role of the government in the lives of people during the Second Industrial Revolution, World War I, the Great Depression and New Deal, students will be able to evaluate how the government impacted the everyday lives of American citizens. Students will be actively engaged in hands-on learning through analysis of pictures, gallery walks, inquiry-based learning through research, creating and collaborating on timelines, open debates, and speech writing.
Overarching Inquiry Question:
How did the federal government impact the everyday lives of American citizens?
In this unit, students are introduced to an in-depth study into the ideologies and policies that led to World War II, the events that led the U.S. from a position of neutrality to becoming involved in the war, and the strategies used in the European and Pacific theaters. Emphasis is placed on government-sponsored policies that led to the Holocaust and discrimination towards different marginalized groups in the United States. Students will be actively engaged in hands-on learning through analysis of pictures, inquiry-based learning, opinion writings, political cartoon analysis, real world application games, and diary writing.
Overarching Inquiry Question:
How was it possible for nations to become involved in another world war just 20 years after the end of World War I?
In this unit, the students will be able to describe how World War II changed the United States from one of isolationism to one of international leadership. Emphasis is placed on the role of the U.S. in rebuilding Europe, the resettlement of displaced persons resulting from the Holocaust, policy of containment in stopping the spread of communism. Students will be actively engaged in hands-on learning through analysis of pictures, inquiry-based learning, real world application games, graffiti boards and writing newspaper editorials.
Overarching Inquiry Question:
What factors caused the United States to change from an isolationist nation to one of international leadership?
In this unit, students are introduced to the social changes that took place in the United States after World War II. Emphasis is placed on the continuities and changes of race relations in the United States after World War II. Students will look at how the Civil Rights Movement altered the political and social norms in the United States and South Carolina. Students will actively research social, economic, and political contradictions that were brought to light after World War II.
Overarching Inquiry Question:
How did the Civil Rights Movement alter the political and social norms in the United States?
In this unit, the students will define and describe the role of the United States in a modern world that is characterized by technological advances and global terrorism and the interdependence of developed countries politically, socially, and culturally. The students will explore the role of the United States in handling global conflicts, confronting terrorism, expanding technological advancements, and how these advancements in technology impacted rural communities in South Carolina. Students will be actively engaged in hands-on learning through inquiry-based learning, gallery walks, current events, map skills, and real-world applications.