Subject: Social Studies
Grade Level: 5th
Unit Title: North America’s Land and Water
Big Idea/Theme: Geographic Concepts
Understandings:
Landforms of North America
Waterways of North America
Natural Resources of North America
Curriculum Goals/Objectives:
1.01 Describe the absolute and relative location
of major landforms, bodies of water, and natural
resources in the United States and other countries
of North America.
Timeframe Needed for Completion: 2 days
Grading Period: 1st Quarter
Essential Questions:
How can geography help you understand the land and people of North America?
How do geography, climate, and natural resources affect the way people live and
work?
Essential Skills/Vocabulary:
relative location, absolute location, latitude, longitude, landforms,
mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, inlets, gulfs, lakes, rivers,
oceans, Continental Divide, North America, Central America,
natural resources, renewable resources, nonrenewable resources,
industry, minerals, and miners
Assessment Tasks:
Using maps, write five questions (w/ answers) about the
absolute and relative locations of landforms, bodies of water,
and natural resources in North America.
Integration Opportunities:
Science: Create a list of natural resources of North America. Identify which ones are most important to protect and explain your
reasoning. Generate some ways people can protect those resources in their daily lives.
Science: Landforms and Waterways (Weathering and Erosion Unit – can make salt dough landforms or use shaving cream to create
different landforms)
ELA/technology: Pick a location in North America. Write a trip diary/scrapbook as if you were taking a road trip from your home to
your selected location. Be sure to include physical characteristics you would see on the way as well as appropriate directional
vocabulary. You can use NCWiseOwl to collect data and images if you choose to include them in your diary/scrapbook.
Art: In small groups, choose a city in North America and follow its line of latitude to find other places along the same line of latitude.
Draw a mural that depicts scenes from daily life in these places, keeping longitude in mind for your final piece.
Subject: Social Studies
Grade Level: 5th
Unit Title: Living in North America
Big Idea/Theme: Geographic Concepts
Timeframe Needed for Completion: 2 days
Grading Period: 1st Quarter
Understandings:
Location and Climate affects home, work, and recreation
Urban versus rural characteristics
Curriculum Goals/Objectives:
Essential Questions:
1.02 Analyze how absolute and relative location How can geography help you understand the land and people of North America?
influence ways of living in the United States and Is if better to live in one place versus another? Explain.
other countries of North America.
1.05 Explain how and why population
distribution differs within and between countries
of North America
Essential Skills/Vocabulary:
Climate, transportation routes, population distribution, population
density, rural, and urban
Assessment Tasks:
Imagine that you are writing to a friend who lives on the Pacific
coast. Describe how your way of life may be different from his
or hers because of where you live.
Integration Opportunities:
Technology: Pick three most populated cities in North Carolina. Using the Internet (start with NC WiseOwl), find climate
information and population density for each.
ELA/Writing: In order to harvest the oil that lies beneath the ocean, large drills must be placed in the water. These drills are
operated on oil platforms, or large structures built in the water that reach all the way down to the seafloor. Given current events and
our location from urban areas, is it right to drill for oil? Explain your thinking for either side you choose of the debate.
Subject: Social Studies
Grade Level: 5th
Unit Title: Regions in North America
Big Idea/Theme: Geographic Concepts
Timeframe Needed for Completion: 2 days
Grading Period: 1st Quarter
Understandings:
Regions can be determined by physical landforms, cultural connections, or economic status
North America has a wide variety of landforms and cultures
The United States is one of the richest nations in the world
Curriculum Goals/Objectives:
Essential Questions:
1.03 Compare and contrast the physical and
How can geography help you understand the land and people of North America?
cultural characteristics of regions within the
Which country is the best?
United States and other countries in North
America.
1.04 Describe the economic and social
differences between developed and developing
regions in North America.
Essential Skills/Vocabulary:
Assessment Tasks:
Region, culture, physical characteristics, geographers, diverse,
On a large index card, write the name of a country in North
European settlers, American Indians, Hispanics, Asian American,
America on one side and a description of (physical, cultural, or
traditions, deserts, rain forests, Mayans, economy, per capita
economic) characteristics of that country on the other side.
income, developed countries, developing countries, health care
Integration Opportunities:
Math/technology : graphing and data analysis connection/can use Excel chart wizard also
ELA/research: select a developing country and research (NC WiseOwl) their lifestyle (jobs, recreation, school, etc.). Present your
information either in a report of brochure format.
Subject: Social Studies
Grade Level: 5th
Unit Title: People and the Land
Big Idea/Theme: Geographic Concepts
Timeframe Needed for Completion: 2 days
Grading Period: 1st Quarter
Understandings:
People affect the physical environment around them.
People adapt to their physical environment.
Curriculum Goals/Objectives:
1.06 Explain how people of the United States
and other countries of North America adapt to,
modify, and use their physical environment.
Essential Questions:
How can geography help you understand the land and people of North America?
Do we have a right to mold our environment?
Essential Skills/Vocabulary:
physical environment, adapt(ions), lightweight, low-lying, stilts,
steep, timber industry, sod, modify, factories, tunnels, Panama
Canal, locks, channels, dams, reservoirs, generators, border, public
land, private land, and ruins
Assessment Tasks:
Imagine that you are writing to a friend who lives in Central
America. Tell your friend how you adapt to your physical
environment in North Carolina.
Integration Opportunities:
Technology/research: Have students use the Internet to research (NC WiseOwl) how people across North Carolina and the
southeastern United States have adapted to and modified their physical environment. Ask students to identify at least one activity that
shows adaptation to the physical environment and one activity that shows modification of the physical environment.
Technology/research: In small groups research (NC WiseOwl) and make a flowchart that shows and labels the key parts of the
Hoover Dam. Include all steps of the process from water to energy.
Subject: Social Studies
Grade Level: 5th
Unit Title: Movement in North America
Big Idea/Theme: Geographic Concepts
Timeframe Needed for Completion: 3 days
Grading Period: 1st Quarter
Understandings:
People often move from place to place.
People have developed ways to trade goods and communicate ideas.
Curriculum Goals/Objectives:
Essential Questions:
1.07 Analyze the past movement of people,
How can geography help you understand the land and people of North America?
goods, and ideas within and among the United
Why do we communicate with others?
States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America
and compare it to movement today.
Essential Skills/Vocabulary:
Influence, trade, goods, ideas, exchange, migration, homeland,
opportunities, drought, immigration, immigrants, steam engines,
power boats, locomotives, railroad engines, highways, markets,
wagon, telegraph, radio broadcasts, Internet, and e-mails
Assessment Tasks:
Gather pictures/images of how people, goods, and ideas move
today. Write a paragraph to make predictions about how you
think people, goods, and ideas will move in the future. Using
these items create a time capsule to share with classmates.
Integration Opportunities:
Media/Technology: In small groups have students research an invention to learn exactly how it works and different ways it is used.
Create a PowerPoint presentation with your information..
Interview: Interview either a parent, grandparent, neighbor, etc. asking them what it was like to take a road trip when (s)he was a kid.
Using that information compare and contrast what it is like today when you take a road trip with your family. You can either use a
Venn diagram, a foldable, or a written explanation. (You can also use the above idea concerning record players vs. ipods, rotary
phones vs. cell phones, etc.)