Social Studies Worksheets and Study Guides Fifth Grade. Local & State Government

The resources above cover the following skills:

National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS)
POWER, AUTHORITY, AND GOVERNANCE
SOCIAL STUDIES PROGRAMS SHOULD INCLUDE EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE STUDY OF HOW PEOPLE CREATE, INTERACT WITH, AND CHANGE STRUCTURES OF POWER, AUTHORITY, AND GOVERNANCE.
KNOWLEDGE - Learners will understand:
Fundamental values of constitutional democracy (e.g., the common good, liberty, justice, equality, and individual dignity).
PROCESSES - Learners will be able to:
Ask and find answers to questions about power, authority and governance in the region, nation, and world.
CIVIC IDEALS AND PRACTICES
SOCIAL STUDIES PROGRAMS SHOULD INCLUDE EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE STUDY OF THE IDEALS, PRINCIPLES, AND PRACTICES OF CITIZENSHIP IN A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC.
KNOWLEDGE - Learners will understand:
Concepts and ideals such as: individual dignity, liberty, justice, equality, individual rights, responsibility, majority and minority rights, and civil dissent.
Key past and present issues involving democratic ideals and practices, as well as the perspectives of various stakeholders in proposing possible solutions to these issues.
National Standards for Civics and Government (NSCG)
What are civic life, politics, and government? What is civic life? What is politics? What is government? Why are government and politics necessary? What purposes should government serve?
Defining civic life, politics, and government. Students should be able to explain the meaning of the terms civic life, politics, and government. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify institutions with authority to direct or control the behavior of members of a society, e.g., a school board, city council, state legislature, courts, Congress
What are civic life, politics, and government? What are alternative ways of organizing constitutional governments?
Confederal, federal, and unitary systems. Students should be able to explain the advantages and disadvantages of confederal, federal, and unitary systems of government. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify examples of confederal, federal, and unitary systems in the history of the United States, e.g.,
Unitary system--state governments of the United States
What are the foundations of the American political system? What is the American idea of constitutional government?
The American idea of constitutional government. Students should be able to explain the essential ideas of American constitutional government. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Explain essential ideas of American constitutional government as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other writings, e.g.,
The people are sovereign; they are the ultimate source of power
What are the foundations of the American political system? What is American political culture?
American identity. Students should be able to explain the importance of shared political values and principles to American society. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Explain that an American's identity stems from belief in and allegiance to shared political values and principles rather than from ethnicity, race, religion, class, language, gender, or national origin, which determine identity in most other nations
Identify basic values and principles Americans share as set forth in such documents as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Gettysburg Address
Explain why it is important to the individual and society that Americans understand and act on their shared political values and principles
What are the foundations of the American political system? What values and principles are basic to American constitutional democracy?
Fundamental values and principles. Students should be able to explain the meaning and importance of the fundamental values and principles of American constitutional democracy. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Explain the meaning and importance of each of the following values considered to be fundamental to American public life
Justice
Equality
Openness and free inquiry
Truth
Conflicts among values and principles in American political and social life. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues in which fundamental values and principles are in conflict. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Describe conflicts among fundamental values and principles and give historical and contemporary examples of these conflicts, such as
Conflicts between liberty and equality, e.g., liberty to exclude others from private clubs and the right of individuals to be treated equally
Disparities between ideals and reality in American political and social life. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues concerning ways and means to reduce disparities between American ideals and realities. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify some important American ideals, e.g., liberty and justice for all, an informed citizenry, civic virtue or concern for the common good, respect for the rights of others
Explain the importance of ideals as goals, even if they are not fully achieved
How does the government established by the constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy? How are power and responsibility distributed, shared, and limited in the government established by the United States Constitution?
Sharing of powers between the national and state governments. Students should be able to explain how and why powers are distributed and shared between national and state governments in the federal system. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify the major parts of the federal system
State governments
Describe functions commonly and primarily exercised by state governments, e.g., education, law enforcement, health and hospitals, roads and highways
Identify powers prohibited to state governments by the United States Constitution, e.g., coining money, conducting foreign relations, interfering with interstate commerce, raising an army and declaring war (Article I, Section 10)
How does the government established by the constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy? How are state and local governments organized and what do they do?
Organization and responsibilities of state and local governments. Students should be able to describe the organization and major responsibilities of state and local governments. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify major responsibilities of their state and local governments, e.g., education, welfare, streets and roads, parks, recreation, and law enforcement
Describe the organization of their state and local governments, e.g., legislative, executive, and judicial functions at state and local levels
Explain why state and local governments have an important effect on their own lives
How does the government established by the constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy? Who represents you in local, state, and national governments?
Who represents you in legislative and executive branches of your local, state, and national governments? Students should be able to identify their representatives in the legislative branches as well as the heads of the executive branches of their local, state, and national governments. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Name the persons representing them at state and national levels in the legislative branches of government, i.e., representatives and senators in their state legislature and in Congress
Name the persons representing them at local, state, and national levels in the executive branches of government, e.g., mayor, governor, president
How does the government established by the constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy? How does the American political system provide for choice and opportunities for participation?
Forming and carrying out public policy. Students should be able to explain how public policy is formed and carried out at local, state, and national levels and what roles individuals can play in the process. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Define public policy and identify examples at local, state, and national levels
Describe how public policies are formed and implemented
What are the roles of the citizen in American democracy? How can citizens take part in civic life?
Political leadership and public service. Students should be able to explain the importance of political leadership and public service in a constitutional democracy. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify opportunities for political leadership in their own school, community, state, and the nation
Knowledge and participation. Students should be able to explain the importance of knowledge to competent and responsible participation in American democracy. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Evaluate the claim that constitutional democracy requires the participation of an attentive, knowledgeable, and competent citizenry
National Center for History in Schools (NCHS)
Historical Thinking Standards
Historical Comprehension
Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.