Early American History Activities for 5th Grade Students 

Students are often excited about the latest TikTok video, fashion trend, or video game. Due to the amount of technology and information readily available, it can be hard to keep students motivated to learn! This is especially true when teaching about aspects that occurred long ago. To counteract this, history teachers work so hard to create exciting lessons. Often, this includes connections to student lives, hands-on materials, and collaboration with others. Thankfully, these Early American US History activities for 5th-grade students will help show students how exciting history is! After using these ideas, US History for 5th graders will be a class they always remember. 

 

Why Learn About the Past?

Learning about the past is often dull to students. Many times, they feel it does not relate to them and is something they do not need to learn. However, the past helps make current decisions! Learning about inventions, experiments, and tough choices provides a wealth of information. Thankfully, the ideas below are perfect for upper elementary students as they learn Early American and US History. 

 

Exciting Early American History Activities 

Upper elementary students can be hard to please. They want independence, but they also need a lot of support. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to include both of their needs in engaging activities. 

 

1. STEM Challenge-Spinning Wheel:

Many times, students need to work with their hands. They like to touch and hold things to gain a deeper understanding. Additionally, they are creative! Thus, they love to design something out of STEM items. While it is easier to include these challenges in math or science, it is also possible in cross-curricular, 5th-grade social studies lessons. For instance, students can create a spinning wheel model when discussing what events led to the Revolutionary War. 

 

2. STEM Challenge: Age of Exploration Ship

This project will enhance any lesson on the Age of Exploration. Best of all, students are going to have so much fun. They will use their supplies to build a fast-sailing ship. Students can even have their ships compete against each other. 

 

 

3. Google Classroom Student Projects:

Often, students are so creative! They can create digital timelines, digital pamphlets, and digital posters. Honestly, students will love creating visual aids. Additionally, by students creating projects, such as Early American timelines, their work can be hung up to increase the learning of all students. 

 

 4. Early American History Interactive Notebooks:

Staying organized is a challenge for many students. Thankfully, interactive notebooks help keep notes organized and students engaged. For instance, students can piece together US History maps and explain critical locations over the years. 

 

5. Reading Passages:

I love to use nonfiction reading comprehension passages! To add engagement, students annotate while reading. Best of all, this means students are interacting with the text and understanding it deeper. To make it even more exciting, invite students to color-code vital keywords and phrases. 

 

6. Interactive PowerPoints:

The best Early American US History activities for 5th-grade students involve powerful lessons. Thankfully, interactive PowerPoints provide quite the virtual experience! The Early American History PowerPoints are perfect for powerful classroom presentations or individual lessons for students to click through. 

 

US History – American History Complete Curriculum 

Teaching involves making so many tough decisions. To help ensure students have an incredible year, check out the US History Complete Curriculum! It contains over 1,000 pages of activities and slides to ensure students love every minute of the class! The lessons include deep levels of learning, collaboration, and engagement. 

 

Pacing Guide 

It can be hard to keep track of everything with so many responsibilities. To help teachers, here is a FREE United States History Pacing Guide! It includes binder covers, spines, tabs, section dividers, and a sample pacing guide. Additionally, there are editable files to fit each teacher. It even includes helpful organization tips!

Students deserve to have so much fun in 5th-grade social studies! They spend so much time in class, so it should contain aspects that hold their interests. Thankfully, the activities for 5th-grade social studies above will be sure to help students understand the importance of history! 

 

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