Geography-5th Grade

Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States. Understand world geography and the effects of geography and religion on society with an emphasis on the United States.

Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features of God’s creation. 

Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems. Analyze and explain the moral implications of our interactions with the Earth’s physical systems.

Understand relationships between geographic factors and society. Understand relationships between geographic factors, society and the Church.

Understand the historical significance of geography. Understand the historical significance of geography and the Church.

Mark major ocean currents, wind patterns, land forms, and climate regions on a map.

Create thematic maps and graphs of the students’ local community, Illinois, United States, and the world using data and a variety of symbols and colors (e.g., to indicate patterns of population, disease, economic features, rainfall, vegetation). 

Describe the locations of major physical and human features in the community.

Explain how major urban centers in Illinois are connected to other urban centers in Illinois and the United States (e.g., transportation arteries, communication systems, cultural and recreational relationships).

Design symbols as references for map interpretation and place them in a legend/key to be used on a map.

Determine the absolute location of places chosen by the teacher and students using a map grid with latitude and longitude.

Locate, on a map, significant Catholic shrines throughout the world.

Demonstrate understanding of Earth/Sun relationship in order to explain day/night and length of day at different locations on Earth.

Explain how and why people alter the physical environment (e.g., by creating irrigation projects, clearing land to make room for houses and shopping centers, planting crops, building roads).

Explain the process of erosion and its effects of rainfall on unprotected soil surfaces (e.g., newly tilled farm fields, deforested hillsides). 

Explain the relationship between plants and animals in a local ecosystem.

Describe the role of humans as stewards of the earth.

Create a map showing the occurrence of natural hazards in the United States.

Map the location of students in your school by coloring the different areas (cafeteria, classrooms, gym, etc.) to show different population densities at a given time of day.

Analyze map and aerial photos of the community to determine how humans use, abuse, and protect resources.

Identify factors that influence the location of cities (e.g., transportation arteries, physical features, migration, business, industry).

Recognize the need to pray for victims of natural disasters.

Compare maps of the United States showing land forms, climate, and natural vegetation regions to maps that show population distribution to identify the relationship between settlement and physical features.

Analyze how customs and traditions of people from different parts of the world change over time. 

Describe how physical characteristics of a region or a nation influence people’s point of view and the decisions they make over time.

Describe how the customs and traditions of the Catholic Church are the same worldwide.