Grade 5
Social Studies
Scope
How does geography, government, economy, culture and history impact people’s lives in the Western Hemisphere through the choices and decisions they make?
Units
Unit — A New World Rising
Essential Questions
How have key turning points in the history of the Western Hemisphere affected the people who live there?
Enduring Understandings
Varying theories about how the earliest inhabitants of America arrived exist.
Early inhabitants of the Americas adapted to environmental challenges in a variety of ways.
The Aztecs, Incas and Mayas developed sophisticated cultures by using innovative technological solutions.
Guiding Questions
What makes people similar yet unique?
What are the different theories about how people first migrated to the Americas?
How did human beings develop from hunter gatherers to culture groups to civilizations?
Available Resources
Title may include the following:
“The Dawn of the Mayas” ReadWorks
“Cuzco: City of Gold” ReadWorks
“The Aztec Empire” ReadWorks
“The Rabbit and the Coyote” Mayan Folktale
“Inca Creation Myth”
Skills Taught
Students will:
conduct research.
draw conclusions from maps and charts.
quote from a text.
orally present a characteristic of civilization to the class.
respond to a prompt requiring an opinion in writing.
integrate visuals and text.
New York State Social Studies Framework
5.1a, 5.1b, 5.2a, 5.2b, 5.2c
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
RH 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.7, 5.9
RL 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.7, 5.11
WHST 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.6, 5.8, 5.11
SL 5.1, 5.4
Unit — European Explorers and Slavery
Essential Questions
How have key turning points in the history of the Western Hemisphere affected the people who live there?
Enduring Understandings
Europeans came to the Western Hemisphere for a variety of reasons and the impact of European exploration and settlement can be viewed through multiple perspectives.
The interactions between Native Americans and Europeans can be viewed as a major turning point for the Western Hemisphere.
Guiding Questions
How do interactions between people lead to change?
What were the causes and effects of European exploration?
How do people with different perspectives see the same event differently?
How does a turning point have an impact on people?
Available Resources
Titles may include the following:
Morning Girl by Michael Dorris
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss by Sally Schofer
“Pet Turns Pest: California Kingsnakes Rampage Across the Canary Islands” Newsela
Skills Taught
Students will:
conduct research.
draw conclusions from maps and charts.
quote from a text.
apply a concept to a case study.
respond to a prompt in writing.
write an opinion essay.
New York State Social Studies Framework
5.3a, 5.3b, 5.3c, 5.d
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
RH 5-8.1, 5-8.2, 5-8.3, 5-8.4, 5-8.6, 5-8.7, 5-8.9
RL 5.1, 5.2, 5.6
WHST 5-8.1, 5-8.3, 5-8.6, 5-8.8, 5-8.11
SL 5.1
L 5.6
Unit — Geography in the Western Hemisphere
Essential Questions
How does the geography of the Western Hemisphere affect how people live?
Enduring Understandings
The physical characteristics of the Western Hemisphere are very varied.
The geographic characteristics of the Western Hemisphere affect where people choose to live, the way people earn a living, and their everyday life.
Guiding Questions
Does geography determine history?
What are the physical characteristics of the Western Hemisphere?
How do geographic characteristics of the Western Hemisphere affect where people choose to live, the way people earn a living, and their everyday life?
How does geography, climate and natural resources affect the way people live and work?
Available Resources
Title may include the following:
Wake up, World! A Day in the Life of Children Around the World by Beatrice Hollyer
Earth from Above for Young Readers by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Living in . . . Series by Allen Fowler
Skills Taught
Students will:
locate and identify important landforms.
locate and identify the important characteristics of regions.
read and interpret maps.
read and interpret charts, tables, and graphs.
distinguish between relative and absolute location.
use graphic organizers.
analyze, synthesize, and compare and contrast data.
make decisions.
solve problems.
respond to a writing prompt.
write an original scenario.
use context clues from a text source to aid in comprehension.
draw conclusions and make inferences.
New York State Social Studies Framework
5.4a, 5.4b, 5.4c
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
RH 5-8.1, 5-8.2, 5-8.3, 5-8.7, 5-8.8, 5-8.11
WHST 5-8.4, 5-8.6, 5-8.7, 5-8.8, 5-8.11
SL 5-8.1, 5-8.5
L 5.6
Unit — Government in the Western Hemisphere
Essential Questions
How are the governments of the Western Hemisphere similar and different?
Enduring Understandings
Although the dominant form of government in the Western Hemisphere is some form of democracy, a variety of government systems exist side by side throughout the hemisphere.
Guiding Questions
Does government impact the lives of all people the same way?
How do government structures vary from place to place, as do the functions of government in the countries of the Western Hemisphere?
What types of government structures exist in the Western Hemisphere?
How does the government where people live impact their daily lives?
Available Resources
Titles may include the following:
How the U.S. Government Works by Sly Sobel
The Composition by Antonio Skarmeta
Cuban Kids by George Ancona
Skills Taught
Students will:
use a graphic organizer.
read, analyze, and compare primary source documents.
write a friendly letter/journal entry.
understand cause and effect relationships.
compare/contrast.
analyze various documents to make inferences and draw conclusions.
analyze, interpret, and apply information from a variety of resources.
apply and respond to the essential questions of this unit.
correctly complete Venn diagrams and T-chart.
navigate through a webpage.
work cooperatively in groups.
follow a series of directions.
New York State Social Studies Framework
5.6a, 5.6b, 5.6c, 5.6d
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
RH 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9
WHST 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.7, 5.8
SL 5.1, 5.2, 5.4
L 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5, 5.6
Unit — Economics in the Western Hemisphere
Essential Questions
How do the people of the Western Hemisphere meet their needs and wants?
Enduring Understandings
Although a variety of economic systems can be found throughout the Western Hemisphere, all nations struggle to answer the three basic economic questions: (What goods and services shall be produced and in what quantities? How shall these goods and services be produced? For whom shall these goods and services be produced?)
Guiding Questions
Do all people of the Western Hemisphere share the same needs and wants?
Can different economic systems meet the needs and wants of different people?
What is an economic system?
How does the economic system where people live impact their daily lives?
Available Resources
Title may include the following:
“A Story of a Young Girl Living in the Andes” Cultures of the Andes
“A Collecting Firewood: A Story from My Childhood” Cultures of the Andes
“My Distinguished Chickens, with Shoes and Earrings: A Short Story from My Childhood” Cultures of the Andes
“The Lonely Mountains of Oyolo” Cultures of the Andes
“Apple Unveils Two New Versions of its iPhone to Grab Back Market Share” Newsela
Abuela’s Weave by Omar Castaneda
The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
Skills Taught
Students will:
decipher the difference between wants and needs.
analyze and explain data.
participate in group discussion.
complete graphic organizers.
analyze documents.
take notes from a read aloud.
compare/contrast literature.
identify economic systems.
analyze and interpret a newspaper article.
participate in simulation.
compare/contrast indigenous groups.
write a summary/essay.
will create a scenario.
do research.
New York State Social Studies Framework
5.7a, 5.7b, 5.7c
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
RH 5.2, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8
WHST 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.6
SL 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.6
L 5.4, 5.6
RL 5.1, 5.2, 5.6, 5.9, 5.11
W 5.11
Unit — Cultural Diversity
Essential Questions
How have different groups contributed to the cultural diversity of the Western Hemisphere?
Enduring Understandings
By sharing their customs, traditions, beliefs, ideas, and languages, different ethnic, national, and religious groups, have contributed to the cultural diversity of nations and regions in the Western Hemisphere.
The migration of groups of people in the Western Hemisphere has led to cultural diffusion as well as regional issues.
Guiding Questions
Do cultural interactions benefit the lives of people?
How do different ethnic national and religious groups, including native peoples, contribute to the cultural diversity of nations and regions?
How has the migration of groups of people in the Western Hemisphere led to cultural diffusion as well as regional issues?
Available Resources
“Is a Migrant Really a Refugee?” Newsela
Skills Taught
Students will:
draw information and inferences from a map.
understand that the same historical event can be viewed from different perspectives.
read critically to understand historical events.
take notes to record and organize relevant ideas.
complete graphic organizers, such as a T-chart.
work cooperatively in a group.
analyze photographs.
draw conclusions from photographs.
predict outcomes.
understand cause and effect relationships.
listen for understanding.
design a mural.
use a rubric as a guide.
complete a CRQ and DBQ.
use the internet as a research tool.
New York State Social Studies Framework
5.5a, 5.5b
Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards
RH 5.1, 5.2, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8
WHST 5.4, 5.7, 5.8
SL 5.4
L 5.