In fifth grade Social Studies, students learn concepts based on the following Strands:

• History
• Geography
• Civics
• Economics

History

Students:

· study people and cultures of different societies throughout history

· examine basic needs, contributions, and achievements of different cultures

· describe how ways of life change with time and complexity of cultures

· analyze the extent to which exploration, inventions, art, language, math, and government of past societies have influenced contemporary American society

· research and interpret historical information using literature, technology, and primary sources

· develop strategies for organizing, analyzing, and communicating information pertaining to past and present cultures, and for integrating the concepts learned

Geography

Students:

· acquire understanding of concepts and terminology of physical and human geography; locate and describe civilizations under study using appropriate map tools

· describe how humans interact with and adapt to their environment, incorporating an understanding of cause-and-effect relationships people have with Earth’s physical features and processes

· determine the impact of geography, environment, and weather patterns on settlement and cultural development of world civilizations

· use a variety of resources and geographic tools to gather, interpret, and begin to evaluate information from geographic data

· manipulate elements such as scale, latitude, and longitude to create maps

Civics

Students:

· demonstrate respect for the American flag by saying the Pledge of Allegiance

· examine the organization of a society and discuss the relationship between group needs and individual freedom

· compare and contrast political systems of other societies to understand the American system

· explore the roles of all individuals as determined by the laws, traditions, and customs of their society

· apply knowledge of history and civics to make decisions and solve problems; recognize that political ideals and beliefs of one culture influence those of another in a later period of history

Economics

Students:

· demonstrate an understanding of the economic concepts that apply to the societies under study

· explore trade as a system of movement of goods and ideas

· learn that human survival depends on all of Earth’s resources

· compare and contrast various economic systems of past and present cultures

· examine how resources, scarcity, supply and demand, production, and networks of economic interdependence affect individuals in historical and contemporary societies

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