5th grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 5th grade social studies in the Washington State Learning Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- United States history, from before colonies to the Constitution
- Founding documents and government
- Geography of the United States
Easy ways to practice social studies at home
- Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently.
- Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying.
- Use an atlas or online map to trace a trade or travel route.
- Ask “Whose voice is missing from this story?” when reading about the past.
What each unit covers
Native Nations & Encounters
Native nations of North America since time immemorial, how they lived in different regions, and how European contact and settlement affected their lands. Native nations are living communities today.
The Thirteen Colonies
Why the colonies were founded, how the three regions differed in land, climate and work, and early self-government such as the Mayflower Compact and the House of Burgesses.
Colonial Trade & Work
Needs and wants, resources, specialization and trade in the colonies, mercantilism, and the Atlantic slave trade and its impact on African peoples, told plainly and age-appropriately.
Road to Revolution
The French and Indian War, British taxes passed by Parliament, colonial protests such as boycotts and the Boston Tea Party, and why Loyalists and Patriots saw things differently.
The American Revolution
The Declaration of Independence and its ideals, key battles from Lexington to Yorktown, the Treaty of Paris, and the people of many backgrounds who shaped the war.
Building a Government
Why the Articles of Confederation were replaced, the compromises of 1787, the three branches, checks and balances, federalism and the Bill of Rights (1791).
Mapping the United States
Map tools (compass rose, scale, legend, latitude and longitude) and the regions, oceans, rivers and mountains of the United States.
History Detective
Primary and secondary sources, timelines and centuries, fact and opinion, claims and evidence, and judging a source by its maker, date and purpose.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Washington report card guide.
Common questions
Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently. Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Washington State Learning Standards 5th grade social studies units include Native Nations & Encounters, The Thirteen Colonies, Colonial Trade & Work, Road to Revolution, The American Revolution, Building a Government.
Free printable 5th grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.