Unit Outline Template

5th Grade: United States History Since 1860

UNIT TOPIC AND LENGTH:
The students in this class will continue to study American history
starting with the Civil War and into present day. The class will fully
integrate strands of history, geography, civics, and economics
throughout the semester. The students will spend an hour in class each
day completing assignments related to Georgias Common Core
performance standards.
COMMON CORE CONTENT STANDARDS:
History: Students will study the concepts of American history starting
with the Civil War and ending in present day.
Geography: Students will study geography and how it influenced
American history.
Civics: Students will study the concepts and rights as outlined in
amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Economics: Students will study materials from the historical strand to
further understanding of economic concepts.
BIGIDEAS/ENDURING
UNDERSTANDINGS:

Analyze how people from

various cultural groups have
shaped the history of the
United States after the civil
war.
Analyze the costs and benefits
of economic decisions starting
from reconstruction and into
the 21st century.
Construct and use maps to
show and analyze information
about the growth of the United
States.
Evaluate how public issues
related to constitutional rights,
and how they were changed to
fit the social needs of America.
CONTENT:

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
How has the American population
shaped and changed over time after
reconstruction?
How did industrialization change
America and create the capitalistic
economy that we see today?
In what ways does Americas
geography separate the U.S. from
other countries?
How did minorities bring awareness
to injustices, and how did these
groups bring about successful
change?

SKILLS:
The student should be able to

 The Civil War

Reconstruction
Americas Global Expansion
World War I and post-World War
I
The Great Depression and the
New Deal
World War II and post-World
War II
The Cold War
Civil Rights and ratifying the
constitution
Industrialization of the
American economy

explain important historical

concepts regarding American
History from 1860 to present
day.
The student should be able to
describe and locate important
geophagy locations in America.
The student should be able to
describe how the American
economy has changed after the
Civil War.
The student should be able to
describe how amendments to
the U.S. Constitution was
changed to meet the social
needs of the county.

VOCABULARY/KEY TERMS:

Reconstruction- The TIME after the civil war during which the South
rejoined the Union, 1865-1877
Amendment- an addition or change to the Constitution
Carpetbagger- A person from the North that came to the South during
Reconstruction trying to help
Immigrant- a person who moves into a country from another country
Industrial Revolution- time of a great change in the economic face of
the U.S., shifting from agriculture to manufacturing
Monopoly- a business that buys out all other business and has control
Militarism- the building of a strong military
Imperialism- When Nations build empires by adding colonies
Trench Warfare- fighting from long, narrow ditches called trenches
Renaissance- a rebirth of new ideas, music, art, and literature
Prohibition- the banning of something, like the manufacture and
distribution of alcohol
Suffrage- the right to vote
Overproduction- the practice of producing more than necessary
Recession- a decline in the economy that is not as bad as a depression
Depression- a time when people cant find work and many businesses
close, characterized by high unemployment and decreased prices,
leading to a sharp decline in the economy
Nationalism- devotion to ones country
Alliance- an agreement nation make to support and defend each other
Isolation- the belief that he United States should stay out of world
events
Communism- a system of government in which the government has
total control of the people and the economy
United Nations- an international organization of the United States and
other countries
Nonviolent Protests- a way of bringing change without using violence
Segregation- the forced separation of races

Desegregation- ending the separation of people by race

ASSESSMENT

EVIDENCE AND ACTIVITIES:

INITIAL ASSESSMENT:

The students will be given time before class to write a paper about what they
have learned about history and what they hope to learn in this class. The
students will specifically describe what they learned in the 4 th grade, what
was their favorite subjects, and describe three goals for their 5 th grade class.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
The students will be tested on their knowledge of each individual unit within
the Georgia common core performance standards. The students will be given
a written test consisting of true or false, multiple choice, and essay questions.
The students will be graded on what they have learned from the subject
material.

FINAL PERFORMANCE TASK:

The students will be given a cumulative final test over all the subject material
learned from the course. The test will be given in essay format. The test will
consist of 5 essay questions and the student may choose three of the five to
answer. The essay responses will be graded by determining how well each
student understands the subject material by how well they answer each
question.

LEARNING PLAN & ACTIVITIES:

Group participation will be used to help the students complete their
tasks.
Allow student choice of assignment work throughout the week.
Encourage parent involvement in and out of school.
Incorporate technology in the classroom by using computers,
tablets, apps, social media, blogging, and creative technology tools.
Create concept maps for the lessons.
Produce reading guide for students homework.
Address the common core standards for each class period.

RESOURCES:
Each student will be provided with a course book involving the

subject material.
The students will also use computers or tablets to complete in class
assignments.
The internet will be used to research for class projects.
YouTube will be used frequently to show videos of the subject
material.
Learning apps will be used as forms of homework and studying
techniques.