Grade 5 Social Studies
7 units matched to the Alberta Curriculum.
Organizing ideas
- The rise and fall of ancient civilizations: what helped them grow and what led to change
- The influence of the environment on ancient civilizations: rivers, mountains, deserts and seas
- Economic practices, including trade networks and taxes
- Authoritarian governments and social systems: who held power and who had a say
- The legacies of ancient civilizations and empires, from writing and law to roads and ideas
- Informed citizenship: using evidence and different sources to understand the past and take part today
Units
Unit 1
Where and When?
Where early civilizations grew up (the Nile, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, China, the Mediterranean, the Americas) and how to read BCE and CE dates. The peoples of the Americas are shown as living peoples.
Learning outcome: the rise and fall of ancient civilizations · locating civilizations on a map and placing them on a timeline, with BCE and CE dates
Unit 2
Rise and Fall
Food surplus, rivers, trade and strong leaders helped civilizations rise. Drought, invasion, fighting inside and worn-out farmland could lead to decline, usually through several causes together.
Learning outcome: the rise and fall of ancient civilizations · what helped civilizations grow, and the many causes of decline
Unit 3
Land and Water
How the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, the Andes, the Greek coast and the lakes of Mexico shaped farming, homes, tools and trade, and how droughts and floods created challenges.
Learning outcome: influence of the environment on ancient civilizations · how rivers, mountains, deserts and seas shaped farming, building and trade
Unit 4
Trade and Taxes
How people traded goods and ideas, the Silk Roads, barter and early coins, and how rulers collected taxes and tribute in grain, labour or goods.
Learning outcome: development of economic practices, including trade networks and taxes · barter, coins, trade routes, tribute and taxes in ancient economies
Unit 5
Rulers and Society
Authoritarian rule (pharaohs, emperors), how societies were organized into groups with different power, written law codes, and the contrast with Athenian democracy, which only some people could take part in.
Learning outcome: authoritarian governments and social systems · pharaohs, emperors, social groups, laws and who had a say
Unit 6
Gifts from the Past
What ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Greece, Rome, the Maya and the Inca left behind, such as writing, a 60-minute hour, paper, democracy, roads and languages.
Learning outcome: legacies of ancient civilizations and empires · writing, laws, roads, ideas and inventions that last until today
Unit 7
Be an Informed Citizen
How archaeologists and historians use evidence, telling primary from secondary sources, fact from opinion, spotting bias, and why informed citizens check facts before they vote or act.
Learning outcome: informed citizenship · primary and secondary sources, fact and opinion, bias, and taking part as a citizen
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