First Nine Weeks
KEY
CONCEPTS
CONTENT
AND SKILLS
Fifth Grade Social Studies Yearly Overview
Second Nine Weeks
Third Nine Weeks
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Rules and Citizenship
Labor Day
The Pledge/U.S. Symbols/50 States
U.S. Regions/Native Americans
Celebrate Freedom Week
Exploration
Labor Day & Columbus Day
Early Settlers
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Meaning and understanding of the Pledge of
Allegiance
Identify and describe the regions of the U.S.,
as well as the Native Americans indigenous to
each region
Identify the 50 states by region
Economic motivation for European exploration
and settlement
Labor Day activities (TE p. H1)
Columbus Day (TE p. H2)
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RESOURCES
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SUGGESTED
STUDENT
PRODUCTS
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Harcourt Horizons Chapters: 17, Unit 1
Chapters 1-2, Unit 2 Ch. 3-4, Lessons 1-3
History Alive! Lessons 1-6
Time for Kids Readers
“Fifty Nifty” by Ray Charles
“You’re a Grand Ole Flag”
Horizons CDs and video (use with appropriate
lesson throughout the year)
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Rewritten Pledge with student language
Diorama displaying four of our patriotic
symbols
Brochure “advertising” one of the political
regions of the U.S.
Native American writing, project, or
presentation of study
Explorer poster/presentation/podcast
Salt dough maps of land and regions
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© Austin Independent School District, 2009-2010
Colonial Life
American Revolution
Constitution
The election process
Governing a new nation
Veteran’s Day
Explain the details of colonial life in
America and differentiate between
the three colonial groups.
Colonial Fair
Discuss the causes and effects of
the American Revolution on the
people.
The reasons for, and development
of, a constitution.
How the election process works and
ways it exemplifies the concept of
democracy.
Veteran’s Day Activities (TE p. H3
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Harcourt Horizons Unit 2 Ch. 4
Lessons 4-5, Unit 3 Ch. 6-7, Unit 4,
Ch. 8-9, Unit 5 Ch. 10
We the People
History Alive! Lessons 7-15
“Yankee Doodle” p. 262
Schoolhouse Rocks America video
Time for Kids Readers
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Colonial Journal
Colonial Fair
Group presentations on one of the
three colonial groups
Revolution Newspapers (Class
project in which each student
contributes one or more articles
Three Branches of government
poster
Small group writing project- Create
constitutions for the students’ school
Student-selected projects displaying
challenges and issues of governing
a new nation: protection of
“freedoms”, government
responsibilities, etc.
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Fourth Nine Weeks
Causes and effects of the westward
movement in America
Industrial Revolution
Civil War
Reconstruction
Industrialization
MLK Jr. Day
President’s Day
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The impact of westward movement
in the early 1800s and the key
people and events of that time
period
Positive and negative influences of
the first Industrial Revolution in
America.
Causes, effects, people, and
battles of the Civil War
Understanding the process of
Reconstruction and how its impact
was different for different groups of
people
MLK Jr. Day (TE p. H8)
President’s Day (TE p. H9)
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Harcourt Horizons Unit 5 ch. 11,
Unit 6 Ch. 12-13
Time for Kids Readers
History Alive! Lessons 16-19
“Star Spangled Banner” p. 393
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Student selected
writing/projects/presentations on
westward movement
Timeline delineating events,
people, and documents important
to the westward movement in the
early 1800s
Students prepare for and debate
both sides of Civil War conflict
Students “contract” to create 5
products to demonstrate an
understanding of causes, effects,
and important people and events
during the Civil War period.
Post-Civil War Reconstruction
poster.
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Industrialization
The emergence of modern
America
The Great Depression and WWII
Postwar United
Living in the 20th and 21st
Centuries
Memorial Day
Development of an industrial
economy, including positive and
negative impacts
The emergence of modern
America (early technology, etc.)
Causes and effects of both The
Great Depression and WWII
Postwar United States (the impact
of the war and the Depression;
changes in everyday life and in
government)
Living in the 20th and 21st
centuries (technology, society,
and business changes)
Memorial Day Activities (TE p.
H10)
Harcourt Horizons Unit 7 Ch. 1416
Time for Kids Readers
History Alive! Lesson 20
Discuss the people, agricultural &
economic changes, cultural
reflections & technological
advances of the Industrial
Revolution using “big books.”
Create illustrated timelines of
significant events over 200 years
and 20th Century to compare and
contrast key events
History Fair projects presenting
information about one of the
decades of the 20th century or the
first years of the 21st
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Fifth Grade Social Studies Yearly Overview
TECHNOLOGY
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www.harcourtschool.com
www.harcourtschool.com/timeforkids
www.harcourtschool.com/primarysources
www.harcourtschool.com/tours
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8
www.americaslibrary.gov
www.yahooligans.com
www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine
www.lib.utexas.edu/maps
GeoSkills CD-ROM, Harcourt
Clarisworks, Appleworks, or Microsoft (for
brochures)
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
http://www.texaslre.org
www.teachtci.com
© Austin Independent School District, 2009-2010
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www.harcourtschool.com
GeoSkills CD-ROM, Harcourt
Powerpoint, Hyperstudio, or
Storybook Weaver
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
http://www.texaslre.org
www.teachtci.com
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www.harcourtschool.com
GeoSkills CD-ROM, Harcourt
Clarisworks, Appleworks, or
Microsoft (for brochures)
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
http://www.texaslre.org
www.teachtci.com
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www.harcourtschool.com
GeoSkills CD-ROM, Harcourt
Clarisworks, Appleworks, or
Microsoft (for brochures)
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
http://www.texaslre.org
www.teachtci.com
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