Social Studies Strands

Fifth Grade

By: Mandy Rinker and Monica Richardson

Table of Contents

Slide 3-6: Strand one - American Heritage and People in Societies

Slide 7-11: Strand two - People in Societies Slide 12-14: Strand three - World Interactions Slide 15-18: Strand four - Citizenship Rights and

Responsibilities Slide 19-21: Strand five - Democratic Process Slide 22-24: Strand six - Decision Making and

Resources Slide 25-28: Strand seven - Science, Technology and

Society

Strand One - American Heritage Activities:

– As a member of the First Continental Congress, you have the important task of researching one of the acts of King George III and submit your findings in a written report back to the Congress. You have the grave task of persuading the Continental Congress that the colonies are justified in their grievances against King George III.

– Read about the controversy surrounding the construction of the FDR Memorial in Washington D.C. Consider the questions posed and write an essay in which you address this issue. Your purpose is to persuade the committee to adopt your proposal.

– Based on what you have learned about Famous Americans and citizenship, you and two other students will research, record and deliver a presentation. Your goal is to find an American who demonstrates quality citizenship and use your presentation to persuade the task to vote for your citizen.

Activities Continued:

– There will be a group project and an individual project required. For the group project, the class will divide into groups of five. Each group will be a family traveling west on the Oregon Trail. Your group will be required to make a list of supplies that your family will be taking on the trip. You will be required to justify why you need to each item. As an individual, you will be required to write five journal entries detailing your life on this trip west.

Activities Continued:

– You must pick a battle that you and a friend are both fighting. Write letters to tell each other your own perspective of the battle. You really want your friend to know, feel and see what you are going through. Your letter must include the following:

1. The name of the battle and the particulars of it:

About how big is your unit?

What kind of weapons you are using?

Who was your leader[s] in this battle.?

2. Your living conditions:

What was it like to be a Confederate or a Union soldier?

What kind of uniforms did you wear?

What did you eat? Where did you sleep?

3. Explain your feelings about the war:

American Heritage Websites

http://www.stonewall.fayette.k12.ky.us/wq/cwwebquest/civilwar.htm

http://www.geocities.com/athens/ithaca/8809/

http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/NewDealquest.htm

http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq156/index.htm

http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq58/page1.htm

Strand Two - People in Societies

Activities:– You and your group have been asked to research early colonial life for a new

magazine aimed toward children entitled, “A Pilgrimage Into History”. The focus of the article you are to write will be that of comparing and contrasting the early settlements of Jamestown and Plymouth, the first two English colonies in America. You will want to include the following in your article:

• The initial goals of the colonists - why did they make the journey to the New World? What led them to the place where they eventually settled?

• What problems did both of the settlements face in the early years?• What were some of the successes experienced by both?• What events led to the success and/or failure of the settlements?• How were the settlers viewed by the native people in their area?• What type of people first came to these settlements - how were they similar

and how were they different in the ways they lived their lives?

Activities Continued:

– The Indian Reorganization Act marked a major turning point in the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. Government. Your job is to investigate what led to the act, and what effects of the act were on Native Americans. You may report your information in one of two ways: You may create a flow chart of events from 1870 to present relating to the government’s treatment of Native Americans or you may choose to write a narrative about the Indian Reorganization Act, which discusses the origins and effects of the act in a 5-paragraph essay.

Activities Continued:

– Your team consists of an historian, a reporter, a geographer, and a politician. Team members will visit their particular WebPages, answer questions, and then report their findings back to the team. The team will then work together to create a HyperStudio or PowerPoint presentation in which they imagine that they are Chinese men seeking to go to California. The slides/cards should include such information as why do you want to go to California? How did you get there? Show your route. What is your life like in the gold fields? What is your life like building the Transcontinental Railroad? How does the Chinese Exclusion Act affect you?

– You and your classmates have been selected to create a new quilt. Working in groups of 3, you will research different quilting traditions. Each member will research one of the following cultures: African, Amish and Native American. Once you have completed the research, you will work as a group to create a patch of the quilt which incorporates each of the 3 cultures. Patches from each group will be put together to create a large quilt uniting three separate cultures into one. Then each member is responsible for a short write up explaining how the culture he/she researched is represented in the group patch.

Activities Continued:

– You and a partner will research a famous African-American of your choice within an assigned category. You will present the information to your classmates in an interesting and informative way. You and your partner will then create game cards to add into a class trivia game.

People in Societies Websites

http://www.geocities.com/janp_us/Pilgrimage.html

http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/indian1.htm

http://home.flash.net/~sondrine/andtheycame.html

http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webquests/quilts/

http://www.d23.org/ike/BlackHistory/index.html

Strand Three - World Interactions Activities:

– Everyone in the class will make their own globe by using a balloon and covering it. Then you will paint your globe correctly including the continents, bodies of water, and so on. Then you will write a one page essay reflecting on what you have done, why you painted your globe the way you did, what you feel are the most important aspects of the globe and what it means to you.

– Have students create a chart showing goods and services produced in Ohio and purchased in other nations. Have them create a second chart showing goods and services purchased in Ohio that are produced in other nations.

– You and a partner can choose any country in the world to research. You will research such things as population, size, location, resources, beliefs and rituals, food, and so on. You will then present your information in a creative and interesting manner to the rest of the class.

Activities Continued:

– After studying about human interaction within the world, you and a partner will identify apparent changes in landforms, climate, natural vegetation, and resources which are the result of humans in a place. Also include the reasons for the distribution of the population.

– As a group, give examples of human movement and compare reasons, distances, frequency, and mode of transportation. You will present this to the class by role-playing an example of human movement.

World Interactions Websites

www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/index.html

http://foreignpolicy-infocus.org/

www.kidvista.com/SocialStudies/index.html

www.pbs.org/tal/un/classroom.html

www.ohiokids.org/ohc/history/h_indian/maps/index.html

Strand Four - Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities Activities:

– You and your task force must educate yourselves about the extent of the laws, and the impact the laws have on both white and black residents. This can be done by visiting the local library, the World Wide Web, etc. The task force will discuss their findings as a group. Then each individual will write a persuasive letter (at least one page)demanding the council eliminate the Jim Crow laws. The letters must include detailed information from the task force discussion and a prediction of what will happen if Jim Crow laws are not immediately abandoned.

– Individually students will write a journal entry on a current event that is taking place in our government at the present time. Students are allowed to use newspapers, the television and/or the World Wide Web.

Activities Continued:

– As a citizen you must discover exactly what the Bill of Rights is and explain how it has impacted the lives of the people. Identify the Bill of Rights and explain what each right means. Identify the document that contains the Bill of Rights and explain its importance.

Activities Continued:

– After researching a state, you will plan how you will persuade Congress to move the capital to your state. You will research the geography, the history and the culture of your state. You will organize this information that you have gained into a presentation of reasons why the U.S. capital should move to your state. The final project may be in the form of a skit, video presentation, puppet show, Hyper-Studio presentation, PowerPoint presentation, a brochure or a trifold poster. A persuasion speech or paper will be required also.

– The class will be divided into groups which will each be given two former United States Presidents from a certain time period (one Democrat and one Republican). Each group will pretend that the two former Presidents are the opponents in the upcoming years election. After doing an amount of research, each group will make up a campaign speech for each of their two Presidents and then present these speeches to the rest of the class. The rest of the class will vote on which candidate they feel would make the better President for the next four years.

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities Websites http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq69/

http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/jimcrow.htm

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq68/

http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq67/

Strand Five - Democratic Process Activities:

– With a partner, examine and interpret examples of political activity as applications of the characteristics of American Democracy. You should be able to explain your examples to the class.

– Individually , compare the ideas of the Pledge of Allegiance with the characteristics of American Democracy. Write a one page summary of your ideas and opinions. The summary must be typed and contain detailed information.

– Journal Write - If you could create any law you wanted to, what would it be and why? Give specific reasons. It must be logical and believable.

– With a partner, consider the laws, regulations, and decisions that govern the nation, such things as public policy. What do you feel are some of the most important laws and regulations of our nation? Why? What would happen if they were not put into effect? Do you think people in the U.S. care about these laws and regulations? Why or why not? Who makes these laws and enforces them? Create a PowerPoint or HyperStudio presentation to share with the class.

Activities Continued:

– As a group of 3 people, identify the main functions of the executive, legislature and judicial branches of government. Each member of the group can take one branch of government to research in detail. Then as a group, compare and contrast the branches - structure and functions of different national governments within North America.

Democratic Process Websites

www.win.org/library/matls/govdocs/kids.htm

www.usaid.gov/democracy/

www.legislature.state.oh.us

www.statehouse.state.oh.us/

www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/mygovt/index.html

Strand Six - Decision Making and Resources Activities:

– The Purpose of this interactive webquest activity is to familiarize students with the United States foreign policy during the early nineteenth century and reveal the lasting impacts of these policies and how the lives of the people around the world today are affected. Go to www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/imperial.htm. Read each question carefully and refer to the provided link to help answer the 25 questions.

– You and two partners are members of the Dodger family: Bernie, June and Alex. The Dodger family just purchased a new beach house. Each family member gets his or her own “fun room” to fill with items of their choice. You have one weekend to spend $9,000.00 purchasing items for the fun room (that comes to $3,000.00 per person). All items for the fun rooms must be purchased from Internet Suppliers. How can you budget your money and your time? Your goal is to spend as much of the $3,000.00 as possible on your fun room, but don’t go over!!

Activities Continued:

– Individually, you will complete the Labor History webquest. Go to www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/labor2.htm. Use the links to find the answers to labor history questions. After you complete all 25 questions, write a news story about the Flint Sitdown Strike, 1936-37.

– Dramatic changes took place in the American labor movement in the 1930’s. Most of the significant legislation affecting labor unions was now passed during the New Deal. What conditions led to the formation of industrial unions? What shape are they in at the end of the century. Go to www.davison.k12.mi.us/newdeal.index.htm and join the exploration of American labor history on the web.

– Individually you will do another interactive webquest on Democracy and the National debt. Go to www.kn.paceball.com/wired/democracy/debtquest.html and move through the links to answer the questions.

Decision Making and Resources Websites http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/imperial.htm

http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/labor2.htm

http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/newdeal/index.htm

http://www.kn.paceball.com/wired/democracy/debtquest.html

http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq103/intro.htm

Strand Seven - Science, Technology and Society Activities:

– Journal Write: Discuss the climate of Ohio and of the entire United States. Do you feel that Ohio is a favorable place to live due to the weather? Why or why not? How does Ohio’s climate compare to the rest of the U.S.? How about the rest of the world?

– Individually, create a timeline of your life starting at birth. You should have 10-12 years on your timeline depending on your age. Once you have created your timeline and had I checked by myself, you may transfer it onto a larger piece of paper to hang in the hallway.

– Individually, each student will research someone famous from history. You will research their life, where they were born, why they are important (what they invented or discovered), and any other interesting information about them. You will then present your person to the class while dressing like they would have dressed. You may bring in any props or materials that you need to portray the person.

Activities continued:

– With a partner, discus the effects of technology in our everyday lives. Pick one technological advance the we use today and research it. Who invented it? Why do we use it? How long has it been around? You and your partner will present it to the class. Bring in an example or model to show the class if possible.

Activities Continued:

– Look at the importance of agriculture. Why is it so important? How has agriculture today changed from agriculture of the Indians? Interview someone who is a farmer or in the agriculture related profession. What are their main responsibilities? Do you feel that is an important profession? Why or why not? Write a one page paper discussing your findings from the research and interview.

Science, Technology and Society websites http://www.discover.com/

www.ohiobio.org/bluejacket.htm

www.ohiokids.org/ohc/history/h_indian/artifacts/index.html

www.popsci.com/

http://www.timeline.com