The Lincoln Bicentennial Teacher Network

5th Grade

The fifth grade social studies curriculum covers the broad scope of United States history. The lessons designed by the Network focus on significant events, both of the time period and from Lincoln’s personal experiences, that served to shape his beliefs, values, and actions as a leader of the United States of America. Building upon these ideas, the second lesson takes a look at why he has remained an American and World legacy. Students will understand how his idea of preservation of the Union was his main goal and his actions and words supported his ultimate achievement.

The lessons focus on the essential questions below. The lessons are to be integrated into your existing curricula. The lessons may extend over duration of days based upon a traditional 60 minute block. Even though the lessons build upon each other, the intention is for the lessons to be integrated and adapted into units you may already be doing in your classroom to meet individual classroom needs.

The lessons were designed with the assumption that certain background knowledge would be needed in order to start each lesson. However, students will engage in activities that will build on the events of the time such as growth of slavery after the cotton gin, the Underground Railroad- Harriet Tubman, and the Missouri Compromise. All of the content addressed in the activities reflects back to the essential questions and standards for fifth grade.
The lessons integrate Economics, Culture, History, Geography and Civics standards into the activities. The students will be required to use higher level thinking skills as they interpret quotes, pictures and primary source documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation. The students will compile all these resources into a “Life of Lincoln” book as they read, write and respond to the events/actions of Lincoln’s Life. The student’s books will be illustrated with various resources that are easily accessible to the teacher within the lessons.

The lessons can be taught in its entirety or in sections as the teacher deems necessary for her students. The links to videos such as the opening of the “I Have a Dream Speech” where Martin Luther King addresses Abraham Lincoln at his monument is linked under resources at the end of the lesson. This activity leads students to analyze why Lincoln has remained a significant historical figure and can be easily viewed via the internet by students.
The reading passages, maps, speeches, and other resources students will need are also provided so that the teacher will have everything easily accessible. The goal for this standards based unit of study is to provide a depth of quality, relevant lessons about Abraham Lincoln for students to assimilate with easy implementation by the teacher.