Steve's 5th Grade Class: 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Slave Trade in the American Colonies

Hello Students:

We have begun a social studies unit on The United States. We have looked at events leading up to the Revolutionary War, a war fought for the independence of the colonists. Today, we will look at a group of people who did not come to this country voluntarily and who had to fight many other battles on the road to their independence. We will make an inquiry into the Slave Trade in the American Colonies and later the United States.

Click here to read a short article about slavery. When you have finished, answer the following questions in your social studies notebook:

1) European colonists were not the only people who made up the population of the American colonies. ___________ who had been captured, brought to America, and enslaved, also lived in the New England colonies.

2) Fewer than ________ slaves lived in the colonies of New England in the year 1700. By the end of the 18th century, the population of enslaved Africans had reportedly reached _________.

3) When the America declared its independence in 1776, ___________ had the second largest slave population in America.

4) Define the following terms:

a. slaves

b. 18th Century

c. population

d. colonists

e. cultures

f. enslaved

g. customs

h. colonized

The Slave Trade in the American Colonies

Hello Students:

Click <a href="http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ss5/b/colslavetrl.cfm">here</a> to read a short article about slavery. When you have finished, answer the following questions in your social studies notebook:

2) Fewer than ________ slaves lived in the colonies of New England in the year 1700. By the end of the 18th century, the population of enslaved Africans had reportedly reached _________.

3) When the America declared its independence in 1776, ___________ had the second largest slave population in America.

4) Define the following terms:

a. slaves

b. 18th Century

c. population

d. colonists

e. cultures

f. enslaved

g. customs

h. colonized

The Slave Trade in the American Colonies

Hello Students:

2) Fewer than ________ slaves lived in the colonies of New England in the year 1700. By the end of the 18th century, the population of enslaved Africans had reportedly reached _________.

3) When the America declared its independence in 1776, ___________ had the second largest slave population in America.

4) Define the following terms:

a. slaves

b. 18th Century

c. population

d. colonists

e. cultures

f. enslaved

g. customs

h. colonized

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Forces That Shape The Land: Continental Drift and Ice, Wind and Water

Hello Researchers:

In our last lesson we learned how once upon a time the earth was one big land mass, Pangaea. Today we will learn how Pangaea broke into pieces and became the seven continents we know today. We will also take a look at the forces that shaped the land of the Western Hemisphere and how they continue to do so today.

Questions:

1) According to the article, how can we summarize the land of the Western Hemisphere?

2) Use continental drift in a short paragraph about the breaking apart of Pangaea.

3) How might land once covered by glaciers look different from places that never had glaciers?

4) Write a description of how natural forces might change the Western Hemisphere in the future.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Looking at the Land: Creating Regions

Hello Researchers:

Read the article below and answer the questions that follow. Click on each part to enlarge.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Questions:

1) What features can be used to organize land into regions?

2) Countries are ______________ regions.

3) Define the word economy.

4) Use boundary and region in two sentences about ways of organizing the Western Hemisphere.

5) What type of map would you use to show baseball fields in Brooklyn?

Art Activity:

Draw how New York City might look in an ariel photograph and on a map. Explain the similarities and differences.

Pangaea Think Quest

Hello Researchers:

Today you will go on a Think Quest to research information and answer questions about the Pangaea Theory.

Click here and answer the following questions:

1) What is the Pangaea Theory?

2) What does Pangaea mean in Greek?

3) It says in the article that "The Pangaea theory was treated with much skepticism when it was first raised." What does skepticism mean?

4) Give three examples of evidence that has led scientists to believe that the Pangaea Theory is true. Explain each example.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Western Hemisphere Riddle

Hello Students:

Today, in our continuing pursuit of the focus question: How is the geography of the Western Hemisphere unique? You will be using the National Geographic web site to answer a riddle.

Click on this link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places

Find the answer to the following riddle:

I am in a place where people speak Spanish and English. There are no subways, but there is a monorail. Alligators live here. Farmers grow oranges here. One famous building here looks like a giant golf ball. The landscape is flat and swampy. There are trees in the Everglades. This place is a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. WHERE AM I?

Make a T Chart in your notebooks to describe the physical and human features of the riddle.

Human Physical

Speak Spanish and English Flat and swampy landscape

No subways, but monorails Everglades

Golf ball building Peninsula

Farmers grow oranges Surrounded by Atlantic Ocean and Gulf

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Human Environment Interaction

Hello Students,

We have just read a few pages from Hatchet to illustrate how humans must interact with their surroundings for survival.

How did Brian interact with his environment? What were the results?

We can see that there is a cause and effect relationship between humans and their environment.

Now you will take a look at one of three different countries in North or South America. You will will work in pairs and read the sections of geography, nature, history, people and culture, and government/economy to INFER how the people used, adapted, and changed their environments. Then you will answer the series of questions below.

North Table will answer the questions for Canada.

West Table will answer the questions for Peru.

East Table will answer the questions for Mexico

The Questions:

Human Environment Interaction

Country:

1. Describe your country’s geography/physical environment.

2. Who were the first inhabitants?

3. How did/do these people use their environment?

Past Present

4. How did/do these people adapt to their environment?

Past Present

5. How did/do these people change their environment?

Past Present

6. Are there more positive interactions in the past or the present? Why do you think that is?

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Exploring the Western Hemisphere

Good Afternoon Students:

Our first social studies unit is entitled:

GEOGRAPHY AND EARLY PEOPLES OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

Today you will be using the web site: www.worldatlas.com to go on a map quest in order to answer questions about the western hemisphere.

Log into the web site and answer the following questions in your social studies notebooks:

1.How many countries are there in North America?

2.What is the name of the entire island that the Dominican Republic and Haiti share?

3.Which continent (North America, South America or Central America) contains the world’s longest mountain range?

4.What is the capital of Canada?

Make sure that you answer using full sentences that echo the questions.

Example:

Question: What is the capital of North Dakota?

Answer: The capital of North Dakota is Bismarck.