United States History, Geography, Economics, and Government:

Early Exploration to Westward Movement

Strand: Geography

Grade 5

Main Concepts:

· The Vikings were the earliest explorers to the New World.

· The Maya, Aztec, Inca, were three major pre-Columbian civilizations in North America.

· Through exploration, trade routes were discovered.

(Balboa, John and Sebastian Cabot, Vespucci, Cartier, de Champlain, deLeon, Columbus, Hudson,Magellen)

Overarching Question: How have maps constantly evolved due to changes in the world (population, income, climate, politics, exploration)

In what ways have world maps evolved over the last four centuries?

Strand: Geography Grade: 5

Goals: To address the Geography learning standards in the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework

• Use maps and globes to identify absolute locations (longitude and latitude).
• Identify the location of the North and South Poles, the equator, the prime meridian, Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Hemispheres.
• Distinguish between political and topographical maps and identify specialized maps that show information such as population, income, or climate change.
• Compare maps of the modern world with historical maps of the world before the Age of Exploration, and describe the changes in 16^th and 17^th century maps of the world.

Enduring Understandings:

• English peoples and indigenous people (Native Americans of North America) differed in their views of ownership of land.
• Geographic locations of the first 13 colonies determined regional differences (climate, farming, populations and sources of labor)
• Westward expansion affected the growth of the republic.
  
  

Essential Questions:

Strand: Geography Grade: 5

Results: Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge:	Skills
Evidence/Assessments:
Learning Experiences/Instruction: