Social Studies — Grade 5

World War II at home: Victory Gardens

Students will learn about home front activities during World War II. Using primary source documents and photographs, students will discover how children their own age participated by growing Victory Gardens. They will design their own gardens and propaganda posters.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

By Linda Mazzei.

Resources on the web

What is geography?

Students work in groups to analyze a website to locate information about a particular country or region, and then create presentations showing how the geographic concepts described in the themes can be used to help solve environmental problems. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Weeping camel: How do rituals compare?

In this Xpeditions lesson, students identify characteristics of traditional and modern rituals found in different cultures. Through reading articles and watching videos of several rituals, students identify some of their characteristics. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Viking longhouse

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear where early Viking explorers may have gone after their visit to America. (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade 5 Science and Social Studies)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Traces: Historic archaeology

In this unit, students will “recover” and analyze artifacts from sites in use from the settlement period to the second half of the 19th century. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Top ten cities

In this Xpeditions lesson, students identify and study the most populous cities in their state, province, or country. They also learn about population distributions. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Spices in your favorite foods

Studying spices is a tasty way for students to learn about natural resources, trade, and our use of international products. In this lesson students will discover the importance of spices in history and will focus on the significance of spices in the foods... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Quilting: The story of the Underground Railroad

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students use the Internet to research the dangers that escaping slaves faced along the Underground Railroad and the factors that helped the slaves make it to freedom. They'll conclude by designing quilts describing what they've... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Pirate map

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore reasons pirates frequented certain areas, taking into account the relationship between piracy and the slave trade. Activities in this lesson engage students in whole class discussion, online learning, and development... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

On the Oregon Trail

In this lesson, students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. The goals of this lesson are: to learn about the pioneer experience on the Oregon Trail to... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Mission geography: USA

In this Xpeditions lesson, students research and learn about the culture, physical geography, and history of states in each region of the United States. Students develop a "family travel plan" and create an itinerary to highlight interesting destinations in... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Go west: Imagining the Oregon Trail

A 2,000-mile trek across a continent — with no idea what awaits you on the other side. Tell your students to put on their traveling shoes and prepare for the journey of their lives! In this lesson from EDSITEment, students compare imagined travel... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Geotourism: Friendly destinations

In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about a partnership between the government of Honduras and the National Geographic Society to highlight the concept of geotourism and its benefits. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Geo-friendly travel: Destination Honduras

In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about a partnership between the government of Honduras and the National Geographic Society to highlight the concept of geotourism and its benefits. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: National Geographic

Computerized civilization

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear about a computer program designed to help answer some of the questions surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the Anasazi. (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade 5–8 Science and Social Studies)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science