To the Student
What is a settlement? In which capital is the
Capitol? What are goods and services? Passwords:
Social Studies Vocabulary will help you learn the words
you need to do well in social studies. The lessons in this
book are about social studies topics you will be studying
this year.
Every lesson focuses on ten words that will help you
understand the social studies topic. The lessons include a
reading selection that uses all ten vocabulary words. Four
practice activities follow the reading selection. Using each
vocabulary word many times will help you remember the
word and its meaning. A writing activity ends the lesson.
You will use the vocabulary words you have learned to
write an eyewitness account, a narrative, a comparison,
a description, or a letter.
If you need help with a vocabulary word as you do the
activities, use the Glossary at the back of the book. The
Glossary defines each word and shows you the correct way
to pronounce the word. It also has pictures to help you
understand the meaning of difficult words.
As you work on the lessons, you may learn other social
studies words besides the vocabulary words. Keep track
of those other words in My Social Studies Vocabulary on
pages 94–98.
Turn to pages 99 and 100 to learn about roots, prefixes,
and suffixes. Find out how they can help you understand
new words.
ISBN 978-0-7609-4490-5
©2008—Curriculum Associates, Inc.
North Billerica, MA 01862
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means
without written permission from the publisher.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
Table of Contents
Lesson 1: What Is a Community?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lesson 2: Communities and Geography .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lesson 3: Native American Communities of Long Ago .
4
10
. . . . . .
16
Lesson 4: Spanish Communities of Long Ago
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
Lesson 5: English Communities of Long Ago .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
28
Lesson 6: Moving West
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34
Lesson 7: Immigrants .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
46
Lesson 8: Citizenship
Lesson 9: Communities and Government .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
58
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
64
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
70
Lesson 10: Our Nation’s Government .
Lesson 11: Money and Work .
Lesson 12: Producing Goods
Lesson 13: Culture and Community
Lesson 14: Holidays .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
76
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
82
Lesson 15: People Make a Difference
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
88
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
94
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
99
My Social Studies Vocabulary
Root Words .
Prefixes and Suffixes
Glossary .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
100
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
101
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
LESSON
10
nation
monument
Constitution
legislative branch
Capitol
executive branch
president
treaty
judicial branch
judge
How is our government set up? How does it work? Where does it
meet? Read the selection to learn the answer to these questions
about our country’s government and more.
Our Nation’s Government
The Nation’s Capital
A nation is a country with its own
government. Our nation is the United States
of America. Washington, D.C., is the capital
of our nation. It’s the city where the people
in the United States government work.
Washington, D.C., has many monuments.
A monument is a building or statue. It
helps people remember an important person
or event. The Washington Monument is
famous. It reminds people that George
The Washington Monument
stands over 555 feet tall.
Washington was a great first president.
The Constitution
Our government is based on a plan.
The first leaders of our nation wrote the
plan. They called it the Constitution.
It sets down our most important laws.
It states our rights and freedoms. And
it lays out the three parts, or branches,
The Constitution was written
over 200 years ago.
of our government. Each branch has its
own powers.
58
Our Nation’s Government
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
The legislative branch makes
The judicial branch explains
our laws. Leaders from each state
our laws. It decides if laws have been
serve in this branch. They are called
broken. It makes sure that our laws
Congress. The building where they
agree with the Constitution. A system
meet is the Capitol.
of courts makes up this branch. A
judge is a person in charge of a court.
Executive Branch
The highest court is the Supreme Court.
The executive branch carries out
It has nine judges.
our laws. The president is the head
of this branch. He is also the head of
the armed forces, such as the army or
navy. The president can make treaties.
A treaty is an agreement between
two or more countries.
The United States Government
Legislative Branch
(makes laws)
Executive Branch
(carries out laws)
Judicial Branch
(explains laws)
❘
❘
❘
Congress
President
The Courts
My Social Studies Vocabulary
Go to page 97 to list other words you have learned
about our nation’s government.
Our Nation’s Government
59
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
nation
monument
Constitution
legislative branch
Capitol
executive branch
president
treaty
judicial branch
judge
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.
1. a building or statue that helps people
remember an important person or event
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
2. the written plan on which the nation’s
government is based
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3. the head of the executive branch
of government
4. the branch of government that
makes laws
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
5. the building where the legislative
branch meets
6. the branch of government that carries
out laws
7. a country with its own government
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
8. an agreement between two or
more countries
9. the branch of government that
explains laws
10. a person in charge of a court
60
__ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __
Our Nation’s Government
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
nation
monument
Constitution
legislative branch
Capitol
executive branch
president
treaty
judicial branch
judge
B. Choose and write the two words that best complete each sentence.
judicial branch
judge
1. A
executive branch
president
runs a court in the
of our government.
Capitol
monument
2. The
legislative branch
judge
meets in the
president
treaty
.
Constitution
monument
3. In Washington, D.C., there is a tall
that
reminds people of our first
Capitol
.
president
nation
4. The first leaders of our
Constitution
wrote the
.
executive branch
nation
judicial branch
5. The head of the
treaty
can make a
W
with another country.
D ROOT
OR
Constitution comes from the Latin word
constituere, which means “to fix or
establish.”
Our Nation’s Government
61
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
nation
monument
Constitution
legislative branch
Capitol
executive branch
president
treaty
judicial branch
judge
C. Choose the correct vocabulary word to complete each sentence.
1. In a court, a
decides if a law has been broken.
2. If you want to learn more about the plan for our government,
.
you should study the
to make
3. Leaders from every state meet in the
the laws of our country.
4. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the
of our government.
5. When two countries agree on something, they might sign
.
a
made up of fifty states.
6. The United States is a
of our government.
7. The president heads the
that was built
8. The nation’s capital has a
in honor of George Washington.
of our government.
9. Congress makes up the
10. In our country, the head of the armed forces is the
.
62
Our Nation’s Government
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
nation
monument
Constitution
legislative branch
Capitol
executive branch
president
treaty
judicial branch
judge
D. Use each pair of words in a sentence.
1. legislative branch, Capitol
2. judicial branch, judge
3. nation, monument
4. treaty, president
Wr
5. Constitution, executive branch
!
ite
Write your response to the prompt
on a separate sheet of paper.
Use as many vocabulary words
as you can in your writing.
Our Nation’s Government
Imagine that you have a friend
from another country. Describe
our government to your friend.
63
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
Passwords
Social Studies Vocabulary
United States History: Beginnings to the Present
To the Student
What is a monopoly? What is the difference between an
import and an export? What does an abolitionist believe?
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary will help you learn the
words you need to do well in Social Studies.
Each lesson in this book is about a different topic in United
States history. Every lesson focuses on ten words that will help
you understand the topic. The lessons include a reading selection
that uses all ten vocabulary words. Four practice activities follow
the reading selection. Using each vocabulary word many times
will help you remember the word and its meaning. A writing
activity ends the lesson. You will use the vocabulary words you
have learned to write an eyewitness account, a narrative, an
informational article, or a description.
If you need help with a vocabulary word as you do the
activities, use the Glossary at the back of the book. The Glossary
defines each word and shows you the correct way to pronounce
the word. It also has pictures to help you understand the
meaning of difficult words.
As you work on the lessons, you may learn other new words
besides the vocabulary words. Keep track of those other words in
My Social Studies Vocabulary on pages 94–98.
Turn to pages 99 and 100 to learn about roots, prefixes, and
suffixes. Find out how they can help you understand new words.
ISBN 978-0-7609-4492-9
©2008—Curriculum Associates, Inc.
North Billerica, MA 01862
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means
without written permission from the publisher.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
Table of Contents
Lesson 1:
The First Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Lesson 2:
European Explorers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Lesson 3:
The 13 Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Lesson 4:
The War for Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Lesson 5:
The New Nation and the Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Lesson 6:
Settling the West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Lesson 7:
The Road to War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Lesson 8:
The Civil War and Reconstruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Lesson 9:
Cities and Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Lesson 10:
Becoming a World Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Lesson 11:
World War I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Lesson 12:
The Roaring 20s and the Great Depression . . . . . . . . 70
Lesson 13:
World War II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Lesson 14:
The United States After World War II . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Lesson 15:
Modern Times
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
88
My Social Studies Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Root Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Prefixes and Suffixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
LESSON
5
confederation
compromise
representative
democracy
rights
convention
legislature
constitution
ratify
amendment
How would you create a new form of government, one that no other
country had? Read this selection to find out how the United States
government was created.
The New Nation and the Constitution
The Articles of Confederation
The revolution was over. It was time to set up a government for
the United States. In 1781, the Articles of Confederation set up the
new government. A confederation is a group of independent states
that work together. The first national government was weak. It had
no leader or president. There were no courts to rule over all the states.
Writing the Constitution
In May 1787, the Constitutional Convention took place in
Philadelphia. A convention is a meeting for a particular purpose.
States with many people thought they should have more power.
States with fewer people wanted equal power. A compromise was made.
In a compromise, each side gives up something to reach an agreement.
The Great Compromise
Plan A
• The legislature has two houses.
• The number of representatives
is based on population.
Plan B
• The legislature has one house.
• Each state has the same
number of representatives.
➧
➧
• The legislature has two houses.
• In one house, the number of representatives is based on state population.
• In the other house, each state has the same number of representatives.
28
The New Nation and the Constitution
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
In the “Great Compromise,” the legislature, the branch of
government that makes laws, has two parts. Each part is called
a house. In one house, the number of representatives is based on
the number of people in the state. In the other house, each state
has the same number of representatives. A representative is a
person chosen to act or speak for others.
The Constitution Becomes Law
The Constitutional Convention
created the United States Constitution.
A constitution is a legal paper that
describes how a government works.
The Constitution outlined a system
of government run by the people
who live under it. It is known as
a democracy.
In 1788, people voted to ratify
the Constitution, or make it into law.
George Washington was the leader
of the Constitutional Convention.
The next year, George Washington
was elected as the first President of the United States.
The Bill of Rights
Soon, it became clear that the Constitution had a flaw.
It did not protect people’s basic rights. Rights are freedoms
owed to the people. Rights include freedom to say or write
what one thinks. Freedom of religion is also a right. A fair trial
is a right too.
Ten amendments were added to the Constitution. Each
amendment, or change, protects our rights. These ten
amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
My Social Studies Vocabulary
Go to page 95 to list other words you have learned
about the new nation and the Constitution.
The New Nation and the Constitution
29
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
confederation
compromise
representative
democracy
rights
convention
legislature
constitution
ratify
amendment
A.
Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.
1.
a change
2.
a legal paper that describes how a government works
3.
a group of independent states working together
4.
an agreement in which each side gets part of what it wants
5.
personal freedoms that people say are owed to them
6.
a meeting that has a purpose
7.
to make something into law
8.
a branch of government with the power to make laws
9.
a person chosen to act or speak for others
10.
30
a form of government that gets its power from the people
The New Nation and the Constitution
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
confederation
compromise
representative
democracy
rights
convention
legislature
constitution
ratify
amendment
B.
Choose and write the two words that best complete each sentence.
amendment
legislature
confederation
1. If you want to know all of your
rights
, you must read the
that describes each of them.
constitution
confederation
2. A
legislature
democracy
may create a
to
make a country’s laws.
compromise
constitution
3. A
confederation
convention
unites people at a meeting place, but a
is a group united in spirit.
ratify
representative
compromise
4. If there had not been a
legislature
to consider all states’ concerns,
people might not have wanted to
representative
confederation
the Constitution.
compromise
democracy
5. People choose someone to be their
as part of a
.
W
system of government called a
D ROOT
OR
The word democracy comes from the Greek
word demokratia, which means “rule of
the people.”
The New Nation and the Constitution
31
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
confederation
compromise
representative
democracy
rights
convention
legislature
constitution
ratify
amendment
C.
Choose the correct vocabulary word to complete each sentence.
1. A
should speak out for the people he or she
represents.
2. Our
created the central government for our
country.
3. If Congress likes a law, they will vote to
4. In a
it.
, everybody gets part of what they want.
with two houses.
5. Most states also have a
6. The Bill of Rights gave people
they would not have
had in Great Britain.
7. When the Constitution needs to be changed, an
is added.
8. The first government of the United States was a
of states.
9. In a
, everyone has a voice in how the government
is run.
10. Men from each state met at a
to create a new plan
for governing the United States.
32
The New Nation and the Constitution
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
confederation
compromise
representative
democracy
rights
convention
legislature
constitution
ratify
amendment
D.
Use each word in a sentence that shows you understand the meaning of each word.
1. amendment
2. compromise
3. confederation
4. constitution
5. convention
6. representative
7. democracy
8. legislature
9. ratify
10. rights
Write!
Write your response to the prompt on a separate sheet of paper.
Use as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing.
Describe the problems that the United States faced in creating a democracy.
The New Nation and the Constitution
33
Passwords: Social Studies Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248