Grade 5: NYS Social Studies Standards (Key Ideas and Performance Indicators)
Social Studies Standard 5: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
Key Idea 1: The study of civics, citizenship, and government involves learning about political systems; the purposes of government and civic life; and the differing assumptions held by people across time and place regarding power, authority, governance, and law. (Adapted from: The National Standards for Civics and Government, 1994)
Students in grades Grade 5 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Considering the nature and evolution of constitutional democracies
- Exploring the rights of citizens in other parts of the hemisphere and determining how they are similar to and different from the rights of American citizens
- Analyzing the sources of a nation's values as embodied in its constitution, statutes, and important court cases
Key Idea 2: The state and federal governments established by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of New York embody basic civic values (such as justice, honesty, self-discipline, due process, equality, majority rule with respect for minority rights, and respect for self, others, and property), principles, and practices and establish a system of shared and limited government. (Adapted from: The National Standards for Civics and Government, 1994)
Students in grades Grade 5 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Defining federalism and describing the powers granted the national and state governments by the United States Constitution
Key Idea 3: Central to civics and citizenship is an understanding of the roles of the citizen within American constitutional democracy and the scope of a citizen's rights and responsibilities.
Students in grades Grade 5 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Explaining what citizenship means in a democratic society, how citizenship is defined in the Constitution and other laws of the land, and how the definition of citizenship has changed in the United States and New York State over time
- Discussing the role of an informed citizen in today's changing world
- Explaining how Americans are citizens of their states and of the United States
Key Idea 4: The study of civics and citizenship requires the ability to probe ideas and assumptions, ask and answer analytical questions, take a skeptical attitude toward questionable arguments, evaluate evidence, formulate rational conclusions, and develop and refine participatory skills.
Students in grades Grade 5 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Respecting the rights of others in discussions and classroom debates regardless of whether or not one agrees with their viewpoint
- Explaining the role that civility plays in promoting effective citizenship in preserving democracy
- Participating in negotiation and compromise to resolve classroom, school, and community disagreements and problems
Grade 5: English Language Arts Standards (Key Ideas and Performance Indicators)
ELA Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Grade 5 students will demonstrate this standard by-
- Locating and using school and public library resources, with some direction, to acquire information about the constitutions, types of governments, rights of citizens, and laws of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other nations in Latin America
- Reading from informational texts such as textbooks, reference materials, primary sources, biographies and autobiographies, newspapers and magazines, and age-appropriate online and electronic databases and websites to collect and interpret data, facts, and ideas about the roles of citizens in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other nations in the Western Hemisphere
- Comparing and contrasting information about how governmental structures vary from place to place as do the structures and functions of governments in the United States, Canada, and various Latin American nations
- Writing news articles, summaries, and reports about how citizenship is practiced and celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other nations of the Western Hemisphere
- Listening to classroom discussions, oral presentations, debates, multimedia presentations, and newscasts about civic life, politics, and governmental public-policy making in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other nations in Latin America
ELA Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
Grade 5 students will demonstrate this standard by-
- Reading, viewing, and interpreting imaginative texts such as short stories, novels, myths and legends, folktales, films and video productions, and electronic books about the political life, history, and culture of the United States, Canada, and various nations in Latin America
- Writing essays about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship as defined by various constitutions of nations in the Western Hemisphere
- Listening to or reading folktales from various countries in the Western Hemisphere that focus on basic civic values such as justice, honesty, self-discipline, equality, and majority rule with respect for minority rights
- Speaking to present information about how governments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are organized and how they function to meet the needs of their citizens
ELA Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Grade 5 students will demonstrate this standard by-
- Reading to analyze and evaluate information about civic life, politics, and government in various nations in the Western Hemisphere
- Identifying different perspectives (such as social, cultural, ethnic, and historical) on a public policy issue (e.g., environmental pollution, immigration policies, trade barriers, cultural exchanges, language issues, resource management) confronting nations of the Western Hemisphere
- Writing persuasive essays or advertisements about a public policy issue or problem (e.g., global warming, air or water pollution, resource depletion, energy prices, or illegal immigration) which challenges different nations in the Western Hemisphere
- Analyzing the impact of an historical event such as the adoption of the United States Constitution, the British North America Act, or the Canadian Bill of Rights
- Evaluating the effectiveness of regional or global organizations, such as the Organization of American States and the United Nations, in terms of preventing war, ending world hunger, or fighting diseases in various Western Hemisphere nations
- Listening to and analyzing debates before the United Nations concerning public policy matters affecting nations of the Western Hemisphere
- Explaining the importance of various national holidays and celebrations in the United States, Canada, and different nations of Latin America
- Role playing different sides in a debate about various issues challenging nations of the Western Hemisphere such as illegal immigration, population control, trade tariffs, energy resources, and poverty