Download the Fifth Grade Social Studies Checklist

1: Major Pre-Columbian Settlements

• 5.1: I can describe the major pre-Columbian settlements, including the cliff dwellers and pueblo people, the American Indians, the nomadic nations, and the wood-land peoples.
• 5.1.1: I can talk about how geography and climate helped various nations to decide on locations of villages, the kinds of homes that they built, and how they found food, made clothes, and created tools.
• 5.1.2: I can describe the customs and traditions of some of the major pre-Columbian settlements.
• 5.1.3: I can describe how some of the major pre-Columbian settlements set up systems for exchange of goods and services. I can describe the systems of government in some of the major pre-Columbian settlements.

2: Early Exploration of the Americas

• 5.2: I can talk about the routes of early explorers and the purpose of the explorations in the Americas.
• 5.2.1: I can talk about the traits of early explorers that made them entrepreneurs. I can describe some of the new technologies that made sea exploration by latitude and longitude possible.
• 5.2.2: I can tell you about the goals, difficulties, and accomplishments of the explorers during their journeys. I can talk about the roles of sponsors and European leaders in the expeditions. I can give some reasons why European leaders wanted to explore and colonize new territories.
• 5.2.3: I can trace the major routes of the land explorers of the United States. I can trace the major Atlantic trade routes.
• 5.2.4: I can show which lands were claimed in the Americas by Spain, France, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia.

3: Colonization of the Americas

• 5.3: I can describe good and bad relationships among different American Indian nations. I can describe good and bad relationships between Indian Nations and the new settlers.
• 5.3.1: I can talk about the fight for control of territories in North America among the English, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Indian nations.
• 5.3.2: I can give examples of cooperation between colonists and Indians during the 1600s and 1700s.
• 5.3.3: I can discuss major conflicts that occurred before the Revolutionary War.
• 5.3.4: I can talk about the factors that led to the colonists’ defeat of the Indian nations. I can give examples of resistance to encroachments and assimilation by Indian nations.
• 5.3.5: I can describe some of the conflicts over territory between Indian nations.
• 5.3.6: I can give examples of achievements that were made by important leaders in the colonies.

4: The Evolution of Society During the Colonial Era

• 5.4: I can talk about major political, religious, social, and economic institutions that evolved during the colonial era.
• 5.4.1: I can give examples of how location influenced the founding of the original 13 colonies. I can show where the 13 colonies were located using a map. I can use a map to show the locations of American Indian nations that were already living in the areas that were colonized.
• 5.4.2: I can talk about the groups that founded the various colonies. I can discuss some of the reasons that the groups had for founding the colonies.
• 5.4.3: I can talk about the role of religion in the founding of the early colonies.
• 5.4.4: I can describe the First Great Awakening. I can talk about some of the leaders of the movement. I can talk about the shifts in religious ideas, practices, and allegiances that took place during the time.
• 5.4.5: I can provide reasons that the British colonial period led to development of self-government and a free-market economy. I can discuss differences in the British, French, and Spanish colonial systems.
• 5.4.6: I can describe how slavery was introduced into America. I can give examples of struggles of slave families. I can discuss the struggle between people that agreed with slavery and people that wanted slavery to end.
• 5.4.7: I can discuss how early democratic ideas and practices emerged during the colonial period.

5: Events Leading to the American Revolution

• 5.5: I can explain the cause of the American Revolution.
• 5.5.1: I can discuss how politics, religion, and the economy all contributed to the Revolution.
• 5.5.2: I can talk about why the first Continental Congress, the second Continental Congress, and the Committee of Correspondence were important.
• 5.5.3: I can talk about how the Declaration of Independence was drafted. I can tell you about the important people associated with the Declaration of Independence. I can tell you why the Declaration of Independence is so significant to our country.
• 5.5.4: I can talk about the views, lives, and impact of important people during the American Revolution.

6: During and After the American Revolution

• 5.6: I can talk about the major events and consequences of the American Revolution.
• 5.6.1: I can describe major military battles during the Revolutionary War. I can talk about the roles of American and British leaders during the Revolutionary War. I can discuss Indian alliances during the Revolutionary War.
• 5.6.2: I can discuss how nations and individuals contributed to the outcome of the Revolutionary War.
• 5.6.3: I can talk about the role of women during the Revolutionary War.
• 5.6.4: I can give examples of the hardships that families living in the colonies had to face as result of the Revolutionary War.
• 5.6.5: I can give examples of how state constitutions that were established after 1776 served as a model for the U.S. Constitution.
• 5.6.6: I can talk about why the land policies developed by the Continental Congress were important.
• 5.6.7: I can give examples of how the Declaration of Independence caused some people to look at slavery differently.

7: The Constitution

• 5.7: I can describe people that were significant in the development of the U.S. Constitution. I can discuss the importance of the Constitution as the foundation of the American Republic.
• 5.7.1: I can give examples of the failings of the Articles of Confederation.
• 5.7.2: I can talk about the significance of the new Constitution of 1787. I can discuss reasons for the addition of the Bill of Rights.
• 5.7.3: I can describe the fundamental principles of American constitutional democracy.
• 5.7.4: I can describe how the Constitution is designed to secure our liberty through the establishment of the three branches of government.
• 5.7.5: I can talk about the meaning behind calling on citizens to safeguard the liberty of Americans within a unified nation, respecting the rule of law, and preserving the Constitution.
• 5.7.6: I can recite songs that express American ideals.

8: America from 1789 to the Mid-1800s

• 5.8: I can discuss patterns of colonization, immigration, and settlement of the American people from 1789 to the mid-1800s.
• 5.8.1: I can talk about the groups of people that immigrated to the United States from Europe between 1789 and 1850. I can talk about the different types of transportation that they used to travel to the Ohio Valley, the Mississippi Valleys, and the Cumberland Gap.
• 5.8.2: I can name the states and territories that existed in 1850. I can tell you where they were located on a map.
• 5.8.3: I can talk about explorations of the trans-Mississippi West after the Louisiana Purchase.
• 5.8.4: I can tell you about the lives of settlers on the overland trails to the West.
• 5.8.5: I can tell you about the migration of Mexican settlers into Mexican territories of the West and Southwest.
• 5.8.6: I can tell you some similarities between the statehoods of California, Texas, Oregon and other western lands. I can tell you why the Texas War for Independence was important for the growth of the United States. I can tell you why the Mexican- American War was important for the growth of the United States.

9: State Capitals

• 5.9: I can locate the fifty states on a map. I can tell you the capitals of the fifty states.