5th Grade Social Studies: Unit 2 of Fifth Grade Social Studies (Flex)
This class is Unit 2 of four units in Fifth Grade Social Studies where we follow the Road to the Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and life in the young republic.
Beth Foster | Humanities Educator
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What's included
Homework
4+ hours per week. This flex class is for learners who just want to learn more about the topics, as well as students who want to get a letter of competition. For learners who are just practicing skills, homework is optional but highly recommended. For those learners seeking a letter of completion, there is about four hours of homework to be completed each week, including reading, quizzes, discussion questions, class projects and writing assignments. There is also a final report. See the rubric below for how the learner will be evaluated. For those students seeking a letter of completion. I will provide an assessment each weekend of the previous week’s assignments.Assessment
For those students seeking a letter of completion. I will provide an assessment each weekend of the previous week’s assignments. Weekly Evaluation Rubric - Comprehension Quiz 20 Points - Classroom Discussion 20 Points - Writing Assignment 20 Points - Collaborative Classroom Project 40 Points Final Assessment for the class is based 50 percent on the weekly evaluation and 50 percent on the final research project.Class Experience
US Grade 5
Unit 2 of Fifth Grade Social Studies focuses on the Road to the Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and life in the young republic. We’ll pick up where Unit 1 ends, journeying through the Revolutionary War, looking at the ideas that brought into existence a government that declares “all men are created equal” and promises the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We’ll also examining what calls of independence and freedom mean in a new nation where large parts of the population are enslaved, indentured, and denied political participation because of race, sex and class. The unit ends with the student completing a research report. Each week on Monday a new interactive lesson that includes lecture videos, discussion and activities will be posted. Also in the online classroom on Monday, students will find that week’s assignments and quiz. I will be available throughout the week to answer questions in the online classroom, to evaluate students’ work and to provide any additional support learners need. On Wednesday, I will post that week’s discussion question about the assigned reading. STUDENT INTERACTION: Throughout the eight-week course, we will work on an ongoing class project to translate the Bill of Rights into modern language with each learner assigned a portion to “translate” each week. This project will also include a group decision making process about which of the amendments are most important. Week 1: The French and Indian War, and the Proclamation of 1763 Week 2: Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshed Acts, and the Committees of Correspondence Week 3: The Boston Massacre, the Tea Act, and the Boston Tea Party Week 4: Coercive and Intolerable Acts, First Continental Congress, and the Battles of Lexington and Concord Week 5: Battle of Bunker Hill and the Second Continental Congress Week 6: Patriots vs. Loyalists, African Americans and Women in the Revolution, the Declaration of Independence Week 7: Battles of Trenton and Saratoga, Winter at Valley Forge, and Mutiny Week 8: Yorktown, the Treaty of Paris, the New Republic, and Shays' Rebellion New sections of each of the fifth grade social studies units are offered eight times a year, beginning in January, February, March, April, May, August, September and October. Unit 1 focuses on early American history including the colony of Roanoke, the Salem Witch Trials, the Plymouth Colony, and the New England, middle and southern colonies. It also looks at Native Americans and their struggle and treatment, as well as the institution of slavery, in the formation of the United States. Unit 2 focuses on the Revolutionary War. Unit 3 focuses on the Civil War, Reconstruction, the women’s suffrage movement, Indian Removal Act, and Jim Crow. Unit 4 focuses on the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and how the U.S. government works. For students seeking a letter of completion, one will be provided following each unit of the class as well as a final letter of completion for those students who complete all four units. If your learner is seeking a letter of completion please message me to let me know so we can work together to ensure success. This flex class is for learners who just want to learn more about the topics, as well as students who want to get a letter of competition. For learners who are just practicing skills, homework is optional but highly recommended. For those learners seeking a letter of completion, there is 3-4 hours of homework to be completed each week. See the rubric below for how the learner will be evaluated. For those students seeking a letter of completion. I will provide an assessment each weekend of the previous week’s assignments. Weekly Evaluation Rubric - Comprehension Quiz 20 Points - Classroom Discussion 20 Points - Writing Assignment 20 Points - Collaborative Classroom Project 40 Points Final Assessment for the class is based 50 percent on the weekly evaluation and 50 percent on the final research project.
Learning Goals
Unit 2 of Fifth Grade Social Studies focuses on the Road to the Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and life in the young republic. We’ll pick up where Unit 1 ends, journeying through the Revolutionary War, looking at the ideas that brought into existence a government that declares “all men are created equal” and promises the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We’ll also examining what calls of independence and freedom mean in a new nation where large parts of the population are enslaved, indentured, and denied political participation because of race, sex and class. The unit ends with the student completing a research report.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Because fifth grade social studies teaches U.S. history, difficult content is inevitable. This includes colonization, slavery, genocide, war, death, disease, and oppression. The historical realities are disturbing to almost all students no matter their age, but may be particularly disturbing to younger learners. While I try to teach these historical realities in a way that shields younger learners from the worst of the historical horrors and in as age-appropriate manner as possible, we will explore these topics. My particular method of teaching history is to try to help my students see history through the eyes of everyday people. What this often looks like in class is reading accounts of these historical events by enslaved and indentured people, enlisted soldiers, or Native Americans who were forced from their lands. I also seek to use historical accounts to help students explore how oppressed people rebelled, revolted, and resisted oppression.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
The fifth grade social studies courses pull from a myriad of sources. We explore the nation's founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights. We will use many primary sources to explore historical events and periods through the eyes of people who were firsthand witnesses.These may include diary entries, letters, court testimonies, and other sources.
As far as lecture development, I pull on several sources. The sources I use most often include Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" and Eric Foner and Lisa McGirr's "American History Now."
Joined July, 2020
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Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in History from Gettysburg College
Bachelor's Degree in English from Campbellsville University
From ancient times, humans have used stories to better understand themselves and their place in the universe. Stories explain our past and how we can create a better time and world for ourselves and those who will come after us. This is the heart of humanities education. Humanities education within an ecosocial justice framework asks students to consider the stories they read, write, hear, and tell and how these stories impact all humans, the earth itself, and the creatures with whom they share the planet. We will consider stories of the past and of this moment, literature, poetry, theater, folklore, speeches, primary sources, and more.
Everyone we meet has something to teach us, and we have something to teach everyone we meet. Learning and teaching are as necessary to human life as breathing air, drinking water, and eating food. I teach English Language Arts, social studies, literature, and history classes at the third grade through high school levels. My role as an English Language Arts teacher is to help every student find their individual voice and learn to express it in written and spoken language. As a social studies and history teacher, my role is to help every student better understand the world that came before them, the moment in which they live, and a vision for a better future.
A couple of notes about semester courses that apply for both live and flex sections.
✔️ INTERACTIVITY: Live semester classes are highly interactive and center around discussion and group activities. For students who prefer less interactivity, flex classes are suggested.
✔️ STUDY HALL: Students enrolled in any of my semester courses, live and flex, are invited to attend study hall, which is held on most Monday and Wednesday evenings during the fall and spring semesters, at no additional cost. This is when students can get extra help with assignments, ask questions, work with classmates on group projects, or log in and work on homework with other learners.
✔️ WORKBOOK: Students enrolled in elementary and middle school courses, live and flex, will receive a virtual interactive workbook before the course begins. The workbook is created using Google Slides. Students will complete homework in the workbook, and the teacher will provide feedback on homework in the workbook. Students enrolled in high school courses will receive a link to a Google Drive where they will complete homework, and the teacher will provide feedback.
✔️ LETTERS OF COMPLETION: At the end of courses, I provide a letter of completion and final grade for all students who have earned a C or better in the course. My goal is for every student to successfully complete the course. Learning is not about doing every assignment perfectly every time. We will work together to improve throughout the course. Students who engage and complete homework will earn an A.
✔️ FINANCIAL BARRIERS: If the class fee is a barrier to your student’s enrollment, please message me for more information about payment plan options and scholarship opportunities. I will most likely respond by asking you what fee would make the course accessible for your student. We will work together from that point to find a way to make the course financially accessible.
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In addition to the classes I teach, I organize two online clubs. ACT: Animal Club for Tweens & Teens focuses on animal welfare and rights. The EcoSocial Justice Club: A Current Events Discussion Club for Young Historians is for middle and high school social studies and history students to continue conversations that began in class. While all learners are invited to join ACT, the EcoSocial Justice Club’s prerequisite is that students are enrolled in or have completed one of the Foster Woods Folk School’s middle or high school social studies or history courses.
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I invite learners to call me by my first name, Beth. My pronouns are she or they. I am lead teacher at the Foster Woods Folk School, an Appalachian school dedicated to teaching the humanities within an ecosocial justice framework. I was a newspaper reporter and editor for many years before directing a nonprofit center focused on social justice. I have a master of arts degree in American history, and bachelor of arts degrees in political science, English, and communications with a journalism emphasis. I am also a Gaelic language learner. When I am not teaching or learning, I care for the 30 dogs and cats living at The Foster Woods Folk School animal sanctuary. I enjoy visits from the many birds, opossums, deer, and other wild creatures who stop to say hello, as well as learning gardening, canning, and preserving from my parents.
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🛑 Plagiarism and AI Policy
Homework is assigned to encourage learners to think more deeply and critically about what we are learning and reading. The point of homework is not to just fill the page. The point of homework is for learners to practice expressing their thoughts, ideas, opinions, analysis, and research in their own language. Because of that the Foster Woods Folk School has instituted a strict policy regarding students submitting plagiarized content and AI-generated content as their own work.
All homework submitted for assignments is checked using software designed to detect plagiarized and AI-generated content. If a submitted assignment returns a score of being plagiarized or AI-generated, the teacher assessing the assignment will further investigate by submitting the assignment to additional plagiarism and AI detection software, and further investigating the results. If the teacher determines that the assignment was plagiarized or AI-generated, the following policy will apply.
1. On the first instance, the teacher will provide their determination to the student and their adult in writing. The teacher will invite the student and their adult to attend an office hours meeting to discuss the incident. The student will receive an F on the assignment with no opportunity to re-submit the assignment.
2. On the second instance, the teacher will provide their determination to the student and their adult in writing. The teacher will invite the student and their adult to attend an office hours meeting to discuss the incident. The student will automatically fail the course with no opportunity to re-submit the assignment. The student may continue to attend class meetings, but no letter of completion or certificate of completion will be issued to students who have committed two acts of submitting plagiarized or AI-generated content.
Refunds will not be issued for class fees for students who fail a course because of submitting plagiarized or AI-generated assignments.
Appeals Process: If a student believes that the teacher’s assessment of their work being plagiarized or AI-generated is wrong, the student may appeal by requesting a meeting with the Foster Woods Folk School board president, Will York. In the case of an appeal, York will meet through Outschool Zoom with the student, the student’s adult, and the teacher. York’s decision is final.Reviews
Live Group Class
$13
weekly or $100 for 8 weeks8 weeks
Completed by 27 learners
No live video meetings
Ages: 9-13
