11th Grade
Reduce Video
Fifth Grade Curriculum
5.3.a. Science
Earth's Water
Students read about Los Angeles and Southern California and the need to access increasing supplies of water from terrestrial sources despite their proximity to the vast Pacific Ocean and hundreds of miles of coastal estuaries, wetlands, and marshes. The unit also focuses on where water is located, whether that water is available for human use, what goods and services water ecosystems provide for people, and ways that people manage water for the present day and for the future. Students learn about the water cycle, availability of fresh water, salinity and density of water, and the interaction of humans with freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems. They also learn how water management practices on land contribute to some of the changes occurring in marine ecosystems.
5.3.b. Science
Changing States - Water, Natural Systems, and Human Communities
This unit provides students with the opportunity to explore two primary ways water moves through the water cycle-evaporation and condensation-and how this movement of water is connected to humans and human communities. Students use their experiences with the water cycle to build a real-world understanding that natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter. In doing so, students learn about the relevance of the water cycle to human communities and their own lives.
5.3.c. Science
Precipitation, People, and the Natural World
This unit teaches students about precipitation and its importance in California. Students learn about the many different natural precipitation patterns that exist in California and the rich variety of ecosystems that depend on these precipitation patterns for their proper functioning. For example, fresh water from precipitation is vital to California's important agriculture industry. Residential centers such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco would not have been possible without snowfall in the Sierra Nevada. Students also learn how human activities influence the quantity, distribution, and chemical characteristics of the precipitation.
5.3.d. Science
Our Water: Sources and Uses
Most people in California live in areas where precipitation is low. This unit teaches students to identify sources of fresh water and describe the reservoirs of Earth's water and the variations in the ten hydrological regions of California. They learn that water moves from one natural reservoir to another over time. Students brainstorm about ways in which humans use water and learn that the availability of fresh water is limited because some of it is trapped in ice at the poles, in glaciers, and in the atmosphere and that most of Earth's water is comprised of ocean salt water. The lessons provide students with a broader perspective of fresh water resource management, in which natural systems and human communities interact.
5.4.1. history-Social Science
Human Settlement and the Natural Regions of the Eastern Seaboard
Students explore the human settlement and natural features of the eastern sea board, including the physical locations of the American Indian nations and the 13 colonies from the 1600s to 1763. Students act as "naturalists," recording examples of flora and fauna native to the eastern seaboard through excerpts from primary sources. Knowledge of the plants, animals, and the ocean services in the "New World" helps students understand what made the region attractive to Europeans and American Indians alike, and what made permanent settlement possible. The development of early economic systems in the Americas, particularly the staple crop economies, are discussed and the increased likelihood of European encroachment into lands occupied by American Indian nations is introduced.
5.8.4. history-Social Science
Nature and Newcomers
Through the perspective of the overland trail settlers in early American history, this unit teaches students to uncover connections between the natural environment (natural systems and resources) and the built environment (the ways that human beings attempt to influence the natural world). Students learn about the experiences of settlers on the trails and the factors that influence human beings when making decisions about natural resources, natural cycles, and natural processes. While investigating the physical landscape, vegetation, and climate of the major western overland trails, as well as the effects of natural cycles and processes upon the settlers, students understand the settlers' motivations for moving west.
5.3.a. Science
Earth's Water
Students read about Los Angeles and Southern California and the need to access increasing supplies of water from terrestrial sources despite their proximity to the vast Pacific Ocean and hundreds of miles of coastal estuaries, wetlands, and marshes. The unit also focuses on where water is located, whether that water is available for human use, what goods and services water ecosystems provide for people, and ways that people manage water for the present day and for the future. Students learn about the water cycle, availability of fresh water, salinity and density of water, and the interaction of humans with freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems. They also learn how water management practices on land contribute to some of the changes occurring in marine ecosystems.
5.3.b. Science
Changing States - Water, Natural Systems, and Human Communities
This unit provides students with the opportunity to explore two primary ways water moves through the water cycle-evaporation and condensation-and how this movement of water is connected to humans and human communities. Students use their experiences with the water cycle to build a real-world understanding that natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter. In doing so, students learn about the relevance of the water cycle to human communities and their own lives.
5.3.c. Science
Precipitation, People, and the Natural World
This unit teaches students about precipitation and its importance in California. Students learn about the many different natural precipitation patterns that exist in California and the rich variety of ecosystems that depend on these precipitation patterns for their proper functioning. For example, fresh water from precipitation is vital to California's important agriculture industry. Residential centers such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco would not have been possible without snowfall in the Sierra Nevada. Students also learn how human activities influence the quantity, distribution, and chemical characteristics of the precipitation.
5.3.d. Science
Our Water: Sources and Uses
Most people in California live in areas where precipitation is low. This unit teaches students to identify sources of fresh water and describe the reservoirs of Earth's water and the variations in the ten hydrological regions of California. They learn that water moves from one natural reservoir to another over time. Students brainstorm about ways in which humans use water and learn that the availability of fresh water is limited because some of it is trapped in ice at the poles, in glaciers, and in the atmosphere and that most of Earth's water is comprised of ocean salt water. The lessons provide students with a broader perspective of fresh water resource management, in which natural systems and human communities interact.
5.4.1. history-Social Science
Human Settlement and the Natural Regions of the Eastern Seaboard
Students explore the human settlement and natural features of the eastern sea board, including the physical locations of the American Indian nations and the 13 colonies from the 1600s to 1763. Students act as "naturalists," recording examples of flora and fauna native to the eastern seaboard through excerpts from primary sources. Knowledge of the plants, animals, and the ocean services in the "New World" helps students understand what made the region attractive to Europeans and American Indians alike, and what made permanent settlement possible. The development of early economic systems in the Americas, particularly the staple crop economies, are discussed and the increased likelihood of European encroachment into lands occupied by American Indian nations is introduced.
5.8.4. history-Social Science
Nature and Newcomers
Through the perspective of the overland trail settlers in early American history, this unit teaches students to uncover connections between the natural environment (natural systems and resources) and the built environment (the ways that human beings attempt to influence the natural world). Students learn about the experiences of settlers on the trails and the factors that influence human beings when making decisions about natural resources, natural cycles, and natural processes. While investigating the physical landscape, vegetation, and climate of the major western overland trails, as well as the effects of natural cycles and processes upon the settlers, students understand the settlers' motivations for moving west.
