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Harcourt Social Studies: Student Edition Grade 5 United States 2007
Student text.
768 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2005
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February 2, 2020chapter 1 lesson 1
June 28, 2014
This textbook is a fairly comprehensive look at United States history. The book is divided into six units, and each unit is divided into two or three chapters, with each chapter being split into four or five lessons. This makes the book easily digestible, without losing sight of overall themes and time periods. The book is colorful, filled with pictures and maps and text features. There are vocabulary words, "Reading Check" and "Map Skill" questions, as well as supplementary materials included in each section, like poems or brief biographies. There are end-of-chapter reviews and activities. Each chapter begins with a "You are There": a short paragraph or two, written to "you" and what is going on in "your" life if you had lived during the time period of that chapter. It has everything from 'You live Spain and have read a book written years ago by an explorer named Marco Polo...' to 'You are walking along and discover a piece of gold in a stream...' to 'You receive a letter from your cousin in Poland, who says the Germans have just invaded...' It certainly seeks to make history real and relevant to the reader.
Unit One begins with the basics of geography as a whole, and discusses the geography of the United States. This unit also looks at pre-colonial times and the many tribes of Native Americans throughout the regions. Unit Two focuses on the (European) Age of Exploration and the settlement and colonies of the "New World". Unit Three is all about the American Revolution. Unit Four is entitled "A Growing Nation" and gives a basic civics lesson on the constitution, the Bill of Rights, the three branches of government, and so forth. It also looks at the United States' growth and westward expansion, and well as the effects of the Industrial Revolution and some new inventions. Unit Five's topic is the Civil War, as well as post-war reconstruction, Frontier exploration, new industries,and the growth of cities and immigration. The final unit, Unit Six, is everything after the Civil War. World Wars One and Two, The Great Depression, the Cold War, space exploration, Civil rights, and all the way to September 11th. The book ends with a look at the basics of economics, a look at different types of economies (in comparison to the US economy and how it operates), as well as growth and the environment. Additionally, there is a sizable amount of reference materials at the end of the book, with maps and lists and facts and copies of documents.
As I said, this textbook is fairly comprehensive, and while is sweeps over a lot, it is very appropriate for its target audience: the fifth grade. The reading level is appropriate and the content is factual and fairly objective. It is a very traditional fifth-grade history book and a great introduction to the many facets of United States history. However, I would say the book is most focused on the American Revolution, since the most pages (an entire Unit) are devoted to that single topic. The second biggest focus is the Civil War, and as I mentioned, the last unit throws together (very quickly) everything from the last hundred years or so. While this book would do well in a fifth-grade classroom, I recommend NOT using for older grades, who are able to look at things more in-depth. This textbook is intended as a comprehensive *introduction* and overview, with an emphasis on earlier United States history.
Unit One begins with the basics of geography as a whole, and discusses the geography of the United States. This unit also looks at pre-colonial times and the many tribes of Native Americans throughout the regions. Unit Two focuses on the (European) Age of Exploration and the settlement and colonies of the "New World". Unit Three is all about the American Revolution. Unit Four is entitled "A Growing Nation" and gives a basic civics lesson on the constitution, the Bill of Rights, the three branches of government, and so forth. It also looks at the United States' growth and westward expansion, and well as the effects of the Industrial Revolution and some new inventions. Unit Five's topic is the Civil War, as well as post-war reconstruction, Frontier exploration, new industries,and the growth of cities and immigration. The final unit, Unit Six, is everything after the Civil War. World Wars One and Two, The Great Depression, the Cold War, space exploration, Civil rights, and all the way to September 11th. The book ends with a look at the basics of economics, a look at different types of economies (in comparison to the US economy and how it operates), as well as growth and the environment. Additionally, there is a sizable amount of reference materials at the end of the book, with maps and lists and facts and copies of documents.
As I said, this textbook is fairly comprehensive, and while is sweeps over a lot, it is very appropriate for its target audience: the fifth grade. The reading level is appropriate and the content is factual and fairly objective. It is a very traditional fifth-grade history book and a great introduction to the many facets of United States history. However, I would say the book is most focused on the American Revolution, since the most pages (an entire Unit) are devoted to that single topic. The second biggest focus is the Civil War, and as I mentioned, the last unit throws together (very quickly) everything from the last hundred years or so. While this book would do well in a fifth-grade classroom, I recommend NOT using for older grades, who are able to look at things more in-depth. This textbook is intended as a comprehensive *introduction* and overview, with an emphasis on earlier United States history.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews