Grade 5 Social Studies

In this unit, students will think like geographers and historians as they examine why Indigenous peoples migrated and why Europeans explored and settled in North America. Students will analyze the causes and effects of European exploration and settlement on Native lands, including the emergence of the transatlantic slave trade as a consequence of European colonization in the Americas. Students will also explore how African and Indigenous peoples contributed agricultural, cultural, and technological knowledge to European settlements. Through primary and secondary sources, students will examine cultural diffusion, gender roles, historical context, and the connections between migration, exploration, settlement, and power in pre-colonial and early colonial history.

In this unit, students will examine how economic, political, and social differences shaped life in the American colonies and contributed to growing tensions with Great Britain. Students will investigate how geography, trade, and economic specialization influenced the development of different colonial regions. Students will also analyze the colonies’ dependence on the transatlantic slave trade and evaluate its impact on colonial economic growth and society. Through primary and secondary sources, students will examine the distinct characteristics of the colonies and explore how resistance movements began to emerge.

In this unit, students will examine the pivotal events and decisions that led to the American Revolution. Students will analyze how political and economic beliefs shaped the perspectives of the British, Patriots, and Loyalists, while also exploring differing viewpoints within Northeastern Woodland Native American tribes and Black communities. Through primary and secondary sources, students will build historical thinking skills, examine Connecticut’s role in the Revolution, identify key individuals and events, and evaluate the broader consequences of the American Revolution.

In this unit, students will investigate the civic practices within the newly created United States, evaluate the creation of the Constitution of the United States, and examine the ways that individuals in the past and today can affect change through civic participation. Students will closely analyze the Preamble to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, identify civic principles embedded in these documents, and explain key portions of the Constitution, including the system of checks and balances and separation of powers. Students will use their historical thinking skills to closely analyze sections of the Constitution, contextualize the historical reasoning of the writers of the Constitution, and consider diverse perspectives regarding government participation and other civic issues.