BELLE VERNON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

GENERAL SYLLABUS OUTLINE

**This syllabus is subject to change**

Course Name:

Social Studies

Grade:

5

1.)

Course Description:

The social studies curriculum revolves around our nation's history.  It presents the history of the United

States chronologically, with an integration of geography, humanities, citizenship, and economics.  Our

main topics explore the English colonies, how the thirteen colonies became a nation, and the building

of our country.  We hope our students will learn to appreciate the basic freedoms that our forefathers

fought so hard for.

2.)

Learning Standards:

5.1

Principles and Documents of Government

5.2

Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

5.3

How Government Works

5.4

How International Relationships Function

6.1

Economic Systems

6.2

Markets and the Functions of Government

6.3

Scarcity and Choice

6.4

Economic Interdependence

6.5

Work and Earnings

7.1

Basic Geographic Literacy

7.2

The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions

7.3

The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions

7.4

The Interactions Between People and Places

8.1

Historical Analysis and Skills Development

8.2

Pennsylvania History

8.3

United States History

8.4

Word History

3.)

Student Objectives:

5.1.3     Principles and Documents of Government

v

Describe what government is.

v

Explain the purposes of rules and laws and why they are important in the classroom,

school, community, state, and nation.

v

Define the principles and ideals shaping government.

v

Identify the document which created Pennsylvania.

v

Identify documents of United States government.

v

Explain the meaning of a preamble.

v

Describe the purpose of the United States Flag, The Pledge of Allegiance, and The

National Anthem.

v

Identify framers of documents of governments.

v

Explain why government is necessary in the classroom, school, community, state, and

nation and the basic purposes of government in Pennsylvania and the United States.

v

Explain the importance of respect for the property and the opinions of others.

v

Identify symbols and political holidays.

v

Identify ways courts resolve conflicts involving principles and ideals of government.

v

Identify portions of famous speeches and writings that reflect the basic principles and

ideals of government (e.g., "I have a dream," Reverend Martin Luther King; "One small

step for man" Neil Armstrong).

5.1.6     Principles and Documents of Government

v

Explain the purpose of government.

v

Explain the importance of the rule of law for the protection of individual rights and the

common good in the community, state, nation, and world.

v

Describe the principles and ideas shaping government.

v

Explain the basic principles and ideals within documents of Pennsylvania government.

v

Explain the basic principles and ideals within documents of United States government.

v

Explain the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania and compare it to the Preamble of the Constitution of United States.

v

Describe the proper use, display and respect for the United States Flag and explain the

significance of patriotic activities.

v

Describe the roles played by the framers of the basic documents of governments of

Pennsylvania and the United States.

v

Describe and compare the making of rules by direct democracy and by a republican form

of government.

v

Describe how the government protects individual property rights and promotes the common

good.

v

Describe the purpose of symbols and holidays.

v

Explain the role of courts in resolving conflicts involving the principles and ideals of

government.

v

Explain the basic principles and ideals found in famous speeches and writings (e.g.,

"Governments, like clocks, go from the motion people give them," William Penn; "A date

that will live in infamy," Franklin D. Roosevelt).

5.2.3     Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

v

Identify examples of rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

v

Identify personal rights and responsibilities.

v

Identify sources of conflict and disagreement and different ways conflicts can be resolved.

v

Identify the importance of political leadership and public service in the school, community,

state, and nation.

v

Describe ways citizens can influence the decisions and actions of government.

v

Explain the benefits of following rules and laws and the consequences of violating them.

v

Identify ways to participate in government and civic life.

5.2.6     Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

v

Compare rights and responsibilities of citizenship

v

Explain the relationship between rights and responsibilities.

v

Explain ways citizens resolve conflicts in society and government.

v

Describe the importance of political leadership and public service.

v

Identify examples of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

v

Describe the impact of the consequences of violating rules and laws in a civil society.

v

Explain the importance of participating in government and civic life.

5.3.3     How Government Works

v

Identify the elected representative bodies responsible for making local, Pennsylvania, and

United States laws.

v

Identify the role of the three branches of government.

v

Identify reasons for rules and laws in the school and community.

v

Identify services performed by the local, state, and national government.

v

Identify positions of authority at school and local, state, and national governments.

v

Explain what an election is.

v

Explain why being treated fairly is important.

v

Identify individual interests and explain ways to influence others.

v

Explain why taxes are necessary and identify who pays them.

v

Identify the role of the media in society.

v

Identify different ways people govern themselves.

5.3.6     How Government Works

v

Compare the structure, organization and operation of local, state, and national

governments.

v

Describe the responsibilities and power of the three branches of government.

v

Explain how governments actions affect citizens' daily lives.

v

Describe how local, state, and national governments implement their services.

v

Identify major leaders of local, state, and national governments, their primary duties and

their political party affiliation.

v

Describe the voting process.

v

Describe how governments protects individual rights.

v

Identify individual interests and how they impact government.

v

Describe why and how government raises money to pay for its operations and services.

v

Describe the influence of media in reporting issues.

v

Describe forms of government.

5.4.3     How International Relationships Function

v

Identify how customs and traditions influence governments.

v

Recognize that the world is divided into various political units.

v

Identify ways in which countries interact with the United States.

v

Identify treaties and other agreements between or among nations.

v

Identify how nations work together to solve problems.

5.4.6     How International Relationships Function

v

Explain the concept of nation-states.

v

Describe how nation-states coexist in the world community.

v

Describe the governments of the countries bordering the United States and their

relationships with the United States.

v

Describe the processes that resulted in a treaty or agreement between the United

States and another nation state.

v

Explain how nations work together on common environmental problems, natural disasters

and trade.

6.1.3     Economic Systems

v

Describe how individuals, families and communities with limited resources make choices.

v

Describe alternate methods of allocating goods and services and advantages and

disadvantages of each.

v

Identify local economic activities.

v

Identify examples of local businesses opening, closing, expanding, or contracting.

6.1.6     Economic Systems

v

Describe and identify the characteristics of traditional, command, and market systems.

v

Explain the three basic questions that all economic systems attempt to answer.

v

Define measures of economic activity and relate them to the health of the economy.

v

Explain the importance of expansion and contraction on individual businesses (e.g.,

gourmet food shops, auto repair shops, ski resorts).

6.2.3     Markets and the Functions of Government

v

Define and identify goods, services, consumers, and producers.

v

Identify ways local businesses compete to get consumers.

v

Identify and compare means of payment.

v

Identify groups of competing producers in the local area.

v

Identify who supplies a product and who demands a product.

v

Define price and identify the prices of different items.

v

Define what a tax is and identify a tax paid by most families.

v

Identify government involvement in local economic activities.

v

Identify goods and services produced by the government (e.g., postal service, food

inspection).

v

Explain the relationship between taxation and government services.

v

Identify forms of advertising designed to influence personal choice.

v

Explain why most countries create their own form of money.

6.2.6      Markets and the Functions of Government

v

Describe market transactions in terms of goods, services, consumers, and producers.

v

Describe the costs and benefits of competition to consumers in markets.

v

Explain the function of money and its use in society.

v

Define economic institutions (e.g., banks, labor unions).

v

Explain how the interaction of buyers and sellers determines prices and quantities

exchanged.

v

Describe how prices influence both buyers and sellers explain why prices may vary for

similar products.

v

Explain how taxes affect the price of goods and services.

v

Describe the Pennsylvania and United States governments' roles in monitoring economic

activities.

v

Identify and describe public goods.

v

Explain the cost and benefits of taxation.

v

Explain how advertisements influence perceptions of the costs and benefits of

economic decisions.

v

Explain what an exchange rate is.

6.3.3     Scarcity and Choice

v

Define scarcity and identify limited resources.

v

Identify and define wants of different people.

v

Identify and define natural, human and capital resources.

v

Identify costs and benefits associated with an economic decision.

v

Explain what is given up when making a choice.

v

Explain how self-interest influences choice.

6.3.6     Scarcity and Choice

v

Explain how scarcity influences choices and behaviors.

v

Explain how limited resources and unlimited wants cause scarcity.

v

Describe the natural, human, and capital resources used to produce a specific good or

service.

v

Explain the costs and benefits of an economic decision.

v

Define opportunity cost and describe the opportunity cost of a personal choice.

v

Explain how negative and positive incentives affect choices.

6.4.3     Economic Interdependence

v

Define specialization and the concept of division and labor.

v

Explain why people trade.

v

Explain why goods, services, and resources come from all over the nation and the world.

Identify local resources.

v

Define specialization and identify examples of interdependence.

v

Explain why some products are produced locally while others are not.

v

Identify local geographic patterns of economic activities.

6.4.6      Economic Interdependence

v

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of specialization and division of labor.

v

Explain how specialization leads to more trade between people and nations.

v

Identify and define imports, exports, inter-regional trade and international trade.

v

Explain how the location of resources, transportation, and communication networks

and technology have affected Pennsylvania economic patterns.

v

Explain how specialization and trade lead to interdependence.

v

Explain how opportunity costs influence where goods and services are produced locally

and regionally.

v

Describe geographic patterns of economic activities in Pennsylvania.

6.5.3     Work and Earnings

v

Explain why people work to get goods and services

v

Identify different occupations.

v

Describe businesses that provide goods and businesses that provide services.

v

Define profit and loss.

v

Identify examples of assets.

v

Define entrepreneurship and identify entrepreneurs in the local community.

v

Define saving and explain why people save.

v

Explain how banks bring savers and borrowers together.

6.5.6      Work and Earnings

v

Recognize that the availability of goods and services is the result of work by members of

the society.

v

Explain the concept of labor productivity.

v

Compare the number of employees at different businesses.

v

Explain how profits and losses serve as incentives.

v

Describe how people accumulate tangible and financial assets through income, saving

and financial investment.

v

Identify entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania

v

Identify the costs and benefits of savings.

v

Describe why there is a difference between interest rates for saving and borrowing.

7.1.3     Basic Geographic Literacy

v

Identify geographic tools and their uses.

v

Identify and locate places and regions.

7.1.6     Basic Geographic Literacy

v

Describe geographic tools and their uses.

v

Describe and locate places and regions.

7.2.3     The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Identify the physical characteristics of places and regions.

v

Identify the basic physical processes that affect the physical characteristics.

7.2.6     The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Describe the physical characteristics of places and regions.

v

Describe the physical processes that shape patterns on Earth's surface.

7.3.3     The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their population characteristics.

v

Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics.

v

Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their settlement

characteristics.

v

Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their economic activities.

v

Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their political activities.

7.3.6      The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their population

characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their settlement characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their economic

characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their political activities.

7.4.3     The Interactions Between People and Places

v

Identify the impacts of physical systems on people.

v

Identify the impacts of people on physical systems.

7.4.6      The Interaction Between People and Places

v

Describe the impacts of physical systems on people.

v

Describe the impacts of people on physical systems.

8.1.3     Historical Analysis and Skills Development

v

Understand chronological thinking and distinguish between past, present and future time.

v

Develop an understanding of historical sources.

v

Understand fundamentals of historical interpretation.

v

Understand historical research.

8.1.6      Historical Analysis and Skills Development

v

Understand chronological thinking and distinguish between past, present, and future time.

v

Explain and analyze historical sources.

v

Explain the fundamentals of historical interpretation.

v

Describe and explain historical research.

8.2.3  Pennsylvania History

v

Understand the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to

Pennsylvania history.

v

Identify and describe primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites important

in Pennsylvania history.

v

Identify and describe how continuity and change have influenced and Pennsylvania history.

v

Identify and describe conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in

Pennsylvania history.

8.2.6      Pennsylvania History

v

Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to

Pennsylvania history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites important to

Pennsylvania history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain how continuity and change have influenced Pennsylvania history from

the beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in

Pennsylvania history from beginnings to 1824.

8.3.3     United States History

v

Identify contributions of individuals and groups to United States history.

v

Identify and describe primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites important

in United States history.

v

Identify important changes in United States history (e.g., Belief Systems and Religions,

v

Commerce and Industry, Innovations, Politics, Settlement Patterns and Expansion, Social

Organization, Transportation, Women's Movement).

v

Identify conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in United States

history.

8.3.6      United States History

v

Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups in

United States history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites important in

United States history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Explain how continuity and change has have influenced United States history from

beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in

United States history from beginnings to 1824.

8.4.3     World History

v

Identify individuals and groups who have made significant political and cultural contributions

to world history.

v

Identify historic sites and material artifacts important to world history.

v

Compare similarities and differences between earliest civilizations and life today (e.g.,

Africa, Egypt; Asia, Babylonia; Americas, Olmec; Europe, Neolithic settlements).

v

Identify how conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations affected

world history.

8.4.6      World History

v

Identify and explain how individuals and groups made significant political and cultural

contributions to world history.

v

Identify and explain important documents, material artifacts, and historic sites in world

history.

v

Identify and explain how continuity and change has affected belief systems, commerce

and industry, innovations, settlement patterns, social organizations, transportation, and

women's roles in world history.

v

Explain how conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations affected

world history.

4.)

Course Text:

v  United States and Its Neighbors, 1993 MacMillian/McGraw-Hill

5.)

Major Units or Themes:  (Include the following)

v     Unit 1--Geography of the United States

Chapter 1

Journey Across the United States

Our Country's Climate

Chapter 2

Natural Resources

Regions

v   Unit 2--Settling of Americas

Chapter 3

The First Americans

Chapter 4

The Indians of North America

v     Unit 3--Europeans Come to the Americas

Chapter 5

Europeans Reach America

Chapter 6

The French & English Come to America

v     Unit 4--English Colonies

Chapter 7

Settlement of the Atlantic Coast

Chapter 8

New England Colonies

Chapter 9

Middle Colonies

Chapter 10

Southern Colonies

v     Unit 5--Colonies Become a Nation

Chapter 11

Colonies Rebel

Chapter 12

American Revolution

v     Unit 6--Building a New Nation

Chapter 13

Constitution

Chapter 14

Growing Nation

Chapter 15

America on the Move

v     Unit 7--A Nation Divided

Chapter 16

A Divided Country

Chapter 17

Civil War and Reconstruction

6.)

Teaching Methods:

7.)

Assessment:

v     Guided Practices

v     Teacher Observation

v     Oral Presentations

v     Lecture/Discussion

v     Tests & Quizzes

v     Creative Writings

v     Facilitated Inquiry

v     Maps & Charts

v     Student Projects

v     Role Play

v     Daily Homework

v     Essay & Reports