Grade 5
Quarter 2
WWI, Jazz Age, Great Depression
Standards Assessment Toolbox
Standard(s)
SS5H4 The student will describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.
a. Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914-1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight
against Germany; include the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and
the impact of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
b. Describe the cultural developments and individual contributions in the 1920s of the Jazz Age (Louis Armstrong), the Harlem
Renaissance (Langston Hughes), baseball (Babe Ruth), the automobile (Henry Ford), and the airplane (Charles Lindbergh).
SS5H5 The student will explain how the Great Depression and New Deal affected the lives of millions of
Americans.
a. Discuss the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, the Dust Bowl, and soup kitchens.
b. Analyze the main features of the New Deal; include the significance of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Works Progress
Administration, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
c. Discuss important cultural elements of the 1930s; include Duke Ellington, Margaret Mitchell, and Jesse Owens.
SS5CG3 The student will explain how amendments to the U. S. Constitution have maintained a representative
democracy.
b. Explain how voting rights were protected by … 19th…amendments.
SS5E2 The student will describe the functions of four major sectors in the U. S. economy.
b. Describe the private business function in producing goods and services.
c. Describe the bank function in providing checking accounts, savings accounts, and loans.
To Meet Standards Students Will…
Describe U.S. involvement in WWI and post-war America.
Describe the Great Depression and New Deal and cultural
milestones.
Explain the addition of the 19th amendment.
Explain the private business function and the bank function in
the U.S. economy.
Suggested Tasks & Assessments
Indicate on a map with labels and color coding these
significant locations/alliances related to WWI:
 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, 1914
 Alliances: Central Powers – Austria-Hungary,
Germany; Allied Powers (Allies) – Serbia, Russia,
France, Britain, and the U.S. (joining in 1917)
 Sinking of the Lusitania in 1915
Make a mini-poster explaining and illustrating weapons or
battle strategies that were used in World War I. Include
sketches or photographs, with student written captions.
Posters should include trenches, machine guns, grenades,
submarines, poison gas, British tanks, and airplanes that
dropped bombs.
The performance task on student text, p. 307 (TE 307 has
Grade 5
Quarter 2
WWI, Jazz Age, Great Depression
Knowledge, Skills, & Strategies

Students will need to use historically accurate maps of this
time period, and not a modern one of the U.S. in order to
grasp the critically important geography of this era. World
maps are essential to locate events of WWI.
 Note that the updated GPS changed element a of the
standard SS5H4 to read:
Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during
the war in Europe (1914-1917) ultimately led the U.S.
to join the fight against Germany; include the sinking
of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S.
ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and the impact of
the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. This provides greater
specificity to what students must master for this standard.



Students need to grasp the importance of the 19th
amendment in bringing the right to vote to over half of
Americans. Spend a little time tracing the campaign of
nearly 100 years that led to the amendment’s passage.
Economics is again pivotal to understanding this period,
and you can focus on the banking function when you
discuss the Great Depression, stock market collapse, and
the changes that were made in the banking industry. Many
parallels to the 1930’s exist in the country’s current
economic situation.
As you discuss the cultural figures listed in the standard,
be aware that materials you use with students need to be
age appropriate. Be sure to screen materials and websites
to make sure they are age/grade appropriate.
Standards Assessment Toolbox
rubric) has students writing two headlines about events that
happened in World War I, and the first paragraph of each
article that might follow.
Learn and interpret a World War I song and explain the
message of the song. The textbook, pages 308-309, has a
nicely developed activity for the song, “Over There.” (TE, p.
309, has a writing rubric associated with the song.) To
extend, have students write a new verse for the song.
The Skillbuilder lesson on pages 310 – 311 of the text offers
an excellent way to discuss different points of view from
history. After exploring the historical example, students
choose a topic and write from a particular point of view to
convince others. The TE on p. 310 has other ideas related to
point of view.
As part of discussions about U.S. contributions to the war,
have students work in small groups to develop skits
illustrating the various ways that Americans on the
homefront supported the war effort. Include such things as:
rations, propaganda, working in factory jobs, expanded jobs
for African-Americans and women, producing war supplies
and vehicles (weapons, ships, trucks, uniforms, gas masks,
helmets, etc.)
On a timeline or other visual organizer, trace the major
people and events of the women’s suffrage movement.
Ask students to read the 19th amendment and then create a
picture book about its meaning for younger students.
Students who write about Susan B. Anthony may want to
share their books with third graders, who also study her life
and accomplishments.
Students could pick a suffragist, research her life, and then
give a speech in that persona.
Grade 5
Quarter 2
WWI, Jazz Age, Great Depression
Standards Assessment Toolbox
Have students put on a news show about the end of the war
and the Treaty of Versailles. The news show should include
discussion of the major people involved, the location of the
treaty meeting, and the results of the Treaty.
The lesson review on p. 315, no. 1, has a good writing
exercise that gets at one of the important results of the
Treaty of Versailles (growing isolationism within the U.S.).
The art activity on p. 315 is also a good task for getting
students to think about conserving resources, both
historically and in the present.
Pages 316-317 of the student and teacher text offer an
excellent extension lesson on war recruitment posters and
propaganda. See those pages for many rich task ideas and
rubrics.
Use the information on page 323 to explore the Ford Motor
Company and on page 324 to learn about banks and the
stock market and their roles in our economy. Then develop a
chart or an essay comparing and contrasting the private
business function and bank function in the U.S. economy.
Students can extend their learning by providing historical
examples from the 1920’s and 1930’s with what is going on
currently with private businesses and the banks.
Have students write a response to this question: How did
consumer spending and high degrees of lending in the
1920’s help set the stage for the coming Depression?
Host a living museum or variety show at which the following
historical figures of the 1920’s and 1930’s are spotlighted:
Louis Armstrong, Langston Hughes, Babe Ruth, Henry Ford,
Charles Lindbergh, Duke Ellington, Margaret Mitchell, and
Jesse Owens. Students will research them (with age/grade
appropriate sources), distill their main accomplishment(s),
and present a brief tribute to their figure.
Grade 5
Quarter 2
WWI, Jazz Age, Great Depression
Standards Assessment Toolbox
See the Langston Hughes tasks and activity ideas on pages
334-335 of student and teacher texts, along with rubric to
assess.
Have students analzye photos from the Great Depression
and/or Dust Bowl, and write a story or news article centering
on a particular photo.
The student/teacher text, pages 344 – 349, has numerous
tasks students can do to show their understanding of the
Great Depression and New Deal, including develop graphic
organizers, compare/contrast Hoover’s and FDR’s policies,
writing a persuasive paragraph, or preparing a script for a
presidential speech.