Social Studies: 5th Grade Curriculum Overview

North American OVERVIEW: The standards in fifth grade focus student learning on the geography of . The introductory unit is designed to familiarize students with the many different tools and themes that geographers use to study the world. Students are introduced to some of the unique physical characteristics of the continents as they create their mental maps of the world. The skills and concepts introduced will continue to be practiced and refined as students study North America. Using these skills and the five 5th themes of geography, students will study five United States regions, Canada, , Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. Students will be able to compare and contrast the physical, cultural, and of regions and countries in North America. Sites that represent the cultural characteristics of each region provide students with a sense of what life in the region is like today.

Regional Studies Essential Skills

StudentsNAG will practice 5.3-5.9 and apply the following skills throughout the course: • Interpret a map legend (key) and a map scale to help understand information contained on a map. •The studentAnalyze will and explore interpret maps. •regionsAnalyze of the andUnited interpret graphs, charts, tables, and images of geographic information. •StatesInterpret and countries a model of of the earth showing the locations of the continents, oceans, equator, and prime meridian. •North AmericaDescribe theby: location of a continent by determining the hemisphere(s) where it is located. • Explain the use of GPS. •a. locatingCompare the regionand contrast on places using the five themes of geography. • a mapLocate and important identifying physical features on maps. • key Comparepolitical features;and contrast physical features of the continents. •b. explainingLocate placesthe using latitude and longitude on maps and globes. • physicalDraw andsketch climate maps. • characteristicsAnalyze and interpret maps, charts, graphs, and tables to explain the relationships among landforms, water c. explaining the features, and climatic characteristics. • physicalCompare and and contrast the geography and climate of places. • climateUsing a graphic organizer, list the cause and effect relationship between natural resources and economic characteristics ofactivity. • theAnalyze region the relationship between geography, natural resources, and economic growth of a region. •c. analyzingAnalyze the and natural interpret primary and secondary sources and images. • resourcesSequence and information to include vertical and horizontal timelines. • economicDraw conclusions activity of and make inferences about data. • the regionGather and classify information from multiple sources. d. describing the population of the region including: early settlements, Map and Globe Skills Geographic Concepts historically significant NAG 5.1 NAG 5.2 events and places, andThe studentcultural will use maps, globes, photographs, charts, The student will demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of characteristicsgraphs, and tables to: geography by: e. examininga. identify life in different the types and uses of maps a. defining geography regionb. todayunderstand by information on a map, including legends, b. identifying and explaining the five themes of focusing onscale, significant and compass rose geography: Place, Region, Location, Movement, and featuresc. andposition and label the seven continents and five Human/Environment Interaction representativeoceans to create a world map c. locating physical geographic information on a map of landmarksd. use the equator and prime meridian to identify the the continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, hemispheres Europe, South America d. e. use parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude to locate specific places f. develop an awareness of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and how people use them Helping at Home Terms to Know

Geographic terms

Mountain Mountain Range Peninsula Lowlands Prairie Badlands Hill Valley River Plateau Mesa Desert Lake Harbor Bay Butte Canyon Canal Glacier Basin Island Gulf Delta Coastal Plains Volcano Tundra Mouth Plains Isthmus

Key Landforms Key Water Features

Appalachian Mountain Range St. Lawrence River Allegheny Mts. Hudson River (and Bay) Adirondack Mts. Delaware River (and Bay) Pocono Mts. Susquehanna River Catskill Mts. Lake Erie Fall Line Lake Ontario Great Plains Lake Champlain Black Hills Atlantic Ocean Grand Canyon Erie Canal Rocky Mountains (Continental Divide) Atlantic Ocean Sierra Nevada Mountains Mt. McKinley Chesapeake Bay Aleutian Islands Mississippi River Death Valley Ohio River Great Basin Everglades Cascade Mountains (Mount St. Helens) Great Lakes Canadian Shield Missouri River Interior Plains Illinois River Victoria Island Mexican Plateau Colorado River Great Salt Lake Snake River Baja California Gulf of California Yucatan Peninsula Pacific Ocean Sierra Madre Mountains. Caribbean Sea Panama Canal Isthmus of Panama Lake Nicaragua

Literature Connections

Non-fiction The Geography Book: Activities for Exploring, Mapping and Enjoying Your World. Arnold, Caroline The St. Lawrence River. Cooke, Tim A. Spotlight on Canada. Crabtree Publishing Company Mexico: the Culture. Kalman, Bobbie

Fiction The Gift of the Inuksuk. Ulmer, Michael Star in the Storm. Harlow, Joan Hiatt The Faithful Friend. San Souci, Robert D.