Dr. Michael Kester-Haynes

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 22 (Grade 5 Social Studies): The Bill of Rights

Students learn the meaning of the first ten amendments by paraphrasing key rights and applying them to real-world school and community scenarios through evidence-based “Rights in Action” briefs.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 21 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Principles of the Constitution

Students learn how separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism divide and limit government power, using real-world scenarios to identify each principle in action.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 20 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Writing the Constitution

Students explore why the Articles failed, how delegates debated representation and power at the Constitutional Convention, and how key compromises created the stronger, three-branch government outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 19 (Grade 5 Social Studies): The Articles of Confederation

Students examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and learn why its problems—like money, trade, and national defense—led leaders to call for a stronger Constitution.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 18 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Midyear Inquiry Project — “Why Revolution?”

Students investigate multiple causes of the American Revolution and craft a clear, evidence-based claim—using sources, perspectives, and reasoning—to explain what most drove colonists toward independence.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 17 (Grade 5 Social Studies): International Allies and Global Impact

Students explore how France, Spain, and other international allies transformed the Revolution into a global conflict, using maps and sources to see how worldwide support helped secure American independence.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 16 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Major Battles and Turning Points

Students map major Revolutionary War battles and explain why Saratoga, Valley Forge, and Yorktown became key turning points that shaped the path to American independence.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 15 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Patriots, Loyalists, and Perspectives

A 5th-grade unit where students compare Patriot, Loyalist, and marginalized perspectives to see how background and experience shaped views of the American Revolution.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 14 (Grade 5 Social Studies): The Declaration of Independence

The unit teaches students to decode key excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, uncover Enlightenment ideals like natural rights and consent of the governed, and explain why the document marked a major turning point in American history.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 13 (Grade 5 Social Studies): The Road to Revolution

Colonial events from the French & Indian War to the Declaration of Independence are sequenced to reveal how conflicts, taxes, protests, and shifting ideas gradually pushed colonists toward revolution.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 12 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Protests and Boycotts

Colonial protests and boycotts—shaped by taxes, trade laws, and competing perspectives—show how everyday choices and persuasive arguments helped colonists challenge British policies and push tensions toward revolution.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 11 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Trade, Taxes, and Tensions

British trade laws and new taxes—like the Sugar, Stamp, and Townshend Acts—disrupted colonial trade, raised everyday costs, and sparked boycotts and protests, creating rising tensions that pushed the colonies and Britain toward open conflict.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 10 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Colonial Governments and Self-Rule

Early colonial assemblies and town meetings introduced self-government, representation, and citizen participation, forming key foundations of American democracy despite limits under royal rule.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 9 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Midyear Project — “Our Colonial World” Atlas

Create a collaborative class atlas that uses maps, charts, and evidence-based explanations to highlight regional differences, Indigenous homelands, and Atlantic trade routes, showing how geography, environment, and movement shaped colonial America.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 8 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Life in the Colonies

Explore daily life in colonial America by comparing work, religion, economy, and community roles across diverse groups, showing how families earned, traded, and made decisions in a changing society.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 7 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Colonial Regions—New England, Middle, Southern

Compare New England, Middle, and Southern colonial regions by examining how geography and climate shaped crops, jobs, resources, and regional specializations, revealing how land and labor built distinct colonial economies.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 6 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Early Colonies and Settlements

Explore early English colonies by locating settlements like Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth while uncovering why people colonized North America and how geography, climate, and scarce resources shaped their earliest challenges.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 5 (Grade 5 Social Studies): The Atlantic World

Explore how goods, people, and ideas moved among Europe, Africa, and the Americas, highlighting interdependence, trade, taxation, and boycotts that shaped economic choices across the Atlantic world.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 4 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Exploration and Exchange

European exploration was driven by wealth, trade, religion, and competition, shaping ocean routes and encounters that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas while bringing both exchange and profound impacts on Indigenous peoples.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 3 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Peoples and Environments

Indigenous nations adapted to and shaped their environments through practices like controlled burns, irrigation, and sustainable harvesting, showing deep interdependence between people, place, movement, and trade.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 2 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Indigenous Homelands and Nations

Explore the rich diversity of Indigenous nations across North America in this 5th-grade unit, as students map homelands, examine how land and environment shaped daily life, compare cultures respectfully, and recognize Indigenous peoples’ enduring presence and traditions.

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Grade 5 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 1 (Grade 5 Social Studies): Geography of the Americas

Explore how landforms, waterways, and climate shape life across North America in this 5th-grade geography unit, as students map major regions, examine Indigenous homelands and colonial regions, and explain how environment influences settlement, culture, and economies.

The Admin Angle

The Admin Angle: Use Independent Lunch—A Smart, Humane Consequence That Protects Learning

Independent lunch is a structured, dignified reset during a student’s normal lunch period that protects instructional time, reduces cafeteria disruptions, and teaches replacement behaviors through brief reflection, reteaching, and a clear plan for re-entry.

Blog

Bridging the Gap: Strategies That Close the Vocabulary Divide in Math Instruction

Students thrive when math vocabulary becomes clear and accessible. This post unpacks how academic language barriers affect learning and offers strategies to build precise math talk, stronger comprehension, and confident problem-solving.

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Grade 6 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 36 (Grade 6 Social Studies): Cumulative Synthesis & Exhibition

Show how geography, resources, trade, and civic decision-making connect across global networks as students create maps, models, and inquiry exhibits that synthesize history, economics, civics, and spatial thinking.