5th Grade Social Studies

Connecting Government and Themes

Unit 1


Connecting Themes

Themes

  • Beliefs and Ideas of a society influence the social, political and economic decisions of that society

  • When there is conflict between/within societies, change is the result

  • Actions of individuals, groups, and/or institutions affect society through intended and unintended consequences

  • Location affects a society's economy, culture, and development

  • Movement and migration of people and ideas affects all societies involved

  • Production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services produced by the society are affected by its location, customs, beliefs and laws

  • Scarcity of all resources forces parties/societies to make costly choices

  • New technological innovations have many types of different consequences, depending on how people use the technology

Pay attention to these themes as you navigate the units!

Citizenship, Business and the Government

Citizenship

  • The government protects its citizens through laws and protections known as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

  • In return, citizens uphold the nation's beliefs by participating in politics through voting for representatives, running for office and paying taxes

  • The government is made by and for its citizens and works to protect its people and their property rights while citizens participate in democracy by being politically active

Amendments to the Constitution

  • The Constitution as we know it today has many crucial amendments that work to make this document current and fitting with our society's beliefs

  • The process for amending the Constitution is difficult because it requires 1 of 2 things: two-thirds majority approval in both the House of Representatives and Senate or 34 states' approval in a Constitutional Convention

  • Important amendments: 19th amendment (right to vote for women), 1st amendment (freedom of speech, religion and press), 14th amendment (equal protection under the law)

Play this Amending the U.S. Constitution Quizizz to test your knowledge!

Life in the Economy

  • There are 4 sectors in the economy: primary (extraction and production of resources like agriculture), secondary (manufacturing and processing like factory work), tertiary (service industries like fast food places) and quaternary (intellectual activities like education and government)

  • These sectors work together and provide each other crucial help to create a functioning economy

  • Producers and consumers also work together to create supply and demand that drives the economy to produce and buy more

  • The government provides services to the people by using tax dollars to invest in infrastructure, distribute public services like transportation and provide welfare through local governments

  • Banks are an important part of the economy since they store our savings and allow businesses to get loans that stimulate the economy

Play this game to test your history knowledge!