We are currently using Harcourt's "Social Studies - The United States: Making A New Nation" as our 5th grade text.  We will discuss the early explorers that came to the New World and braved traveling west across the Atlantic.  We will research the early settlements/colonies and the countries that claimed land in America. We will discuss how these claims led to the culture in certain areas and the eventual disagreements over conflicting land claims.  We will take a historical look at how a certain chain of events led to the American Revolution and the fight for Independence.  It's going to be a great year full of exploration!