5FifthGrade
All quarters

Quarter 2 · Weeks 10–18

Age of Exploration & the Columbian Exchange

Europeans cross the Atlantic and the world is rearranged. The Columbian Exchange becomes the analytical lens for the rest of the year. Math turns to multi-digit multiplication, division, and unlike-denominator fractions; science traces matter and energy through ecosystems.

Q2 worksheet bundle (100 pages)With answers (125 pages)Answer key only (25 pages)

Subject Focus

Mathematics

Multi-Digit Multiplication, Division & Unlike Fractions

5.NBT.B.5, 5.NBT.B.6, 5.NBT.B.7, 5.NF.A.1, 5.OA.A.1

ELA

Opinion Writing & Theme Analysis

RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RI.5.2, RI.5.3, RI.5.6, W.5.1, W.5.7, L.5.1

Science

Ecosystems & Energy in Food Webs

5-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1, 5-PS3-1

Social Studies

Age of Exploration & the Columbian Exchange

NYS 5.3, 5.4, 5.8

Anchor Texts

  • •Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
  • •Encounter (revisit)

Milestones & Signature Deliverables

  • Opinion essay: Was the Columbian Exchange beneficial or harmful?
  • Hemispheric voyages map with calculated distances
  • Food-web model tracing matter & energy
  • Mid-year portfolio review

Weekly Planner

Expand any week to see its objectives, activities, and materials at a glance — then jump into the daily plan.

  • Weeks 10–11

    Causes of European Exploration

    Why Europeans turned to the Atlantic — trade, technology, and rival kingdoms.

    Objectives

    • •Why Europeans turned to the Atlantic — trade, technology, and rival kingdoms
    5.NBT.B.55.NBT.B.7RI.5.2RI.5.3W.5.15-LS1-1NYS 5.3

    Activities

    1. →Monday: The Quest for Spicy Gold
    2. →Tuesday: Winds of Change and Caravels
    3. →Wednesday: Guiding Stars and Magnetic Needles
    4. →Thursday: The Rivalry of Crowns
    5. →Friday: The Launch of a New World

    Materials

    • •Student notebook & vocabulary log
    • •Atlas or wall map of the Western Hemisphere
    • •Math manipulatives (place-value blocks, unit cubes)
    • •Science lab notebook & balance scale
    • •Lined drafting paper or word processor
    • •Anchor text: Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
    • •Anchor text: Encounter (revisit)
    Open the full Mon–Fri lesson plan

  • Weeks 12–13

    Columbus and Early Voyages

    Columbus, Cabot, Vespucci — the first transatlantic crossings and their human cost.

    Objectives

    • •Columbus, Cabot, Vespucci — the first transatlantic crossings and their human cost
    5.NBT.B.55.NBT.B.6RI.5.6RL.5.2W.5.15-LS1-1NYS 5.3

    Activities

    1. →Monday: Landfall and the First Encounters
    2. →Tuesday: The World of the Taíno
    3. →Wednesday: Mapping a New Continuity
    4. →Thursday: Claims of the North and South
    5. →Friday: Synthesis of the Transatlantic Crossing

    Materials

    • •Student notebook & vocabulary log
    • •Atlas or wall map of the Western Hemisphere
    • •Math manipulatives (place-value blocks, unit cubes)
    • •Science lab notebook & balance scale
    • •Lined drafting paper or word processor
    • •Anchor text: Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
    • •Anchor text: Encounter (revisit)
    Open the full Mon–Fri lesson plan

  • Weeks 14–15

    The Columbian Exchange

    Goods, foods, animals, and diseases that crossed the Atlantic — and reshaped the world.

    Objectives

    • •Goods, foods, animals, and diseases that crossed the Atlantic — and reshaped the world
    5.NBT.B.75.NF.A.1RI.5.3W.5.15-LS2-15-PS3-1NYS 5.3NYS 5.4

    Activities

    1. →Monday: A Collision of Two Worlds
    2. →Tuesday: Biological Cargo and Ecosystem Shifts
    3. →Wednesday: The Invisible Invaders: Pathogens Spread
    4. →Thursday: Tastes of Power and Pain
    5. →Friday: Synthesis of a Global Network

    Materials

    • •Student notebook & vocabulary log
    • •Atlas or wall map of the Western Hemisphere
    • •Math manipulatives (place-value blocks, unit cubes)
    • •Science lab notebook & balance scale
    • •Lined drafting paper or word processor
    • •Anchor text: Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
    • •Anchor text: Encounter (revisit)
    Open the full Mon–Fri lesson plan

  • Weeks 16–17

    Conquest and the Atlantic Slave Trade

    Cortés, Pizarro, the encomienda, and the forced migration of African peoples.

    Objectives

    • •Cortés, Pizarro, the encomienda, and the forced migration of African peoples
    5.NBT.B.65.NF.A.1RI.5.6RL.5.3W.5.15-LS2-1NYS 5.3

    Activities

    1. →Monday: The Fall of the Great Tenochtitlan
    2. →Tuesday: Gold and Empire in the Andes
    3. →Wednesday: Power and Labor in New Spain
    4. →Thursday: The Middle Passage and Forced Migration
    5. →Friday: Resistance and the Legacy of Survival

    Materials

    • •Student notebook & vocabulary log
    • •Atlas or wall map of the Western Hemisphere
    • •Math manipulatives (place-value blocks, unit cubes)
    • •Science lab notebook & balance scale
    • •Centimeter cubes for volume work
    • •Anchor text: Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
    • •Anchor text: Encounter (revisit)
    Open the full Mon–Fri lesson plan

  • Week 18

    Quarter 2 Synthesis & Opinion Essay

    Was the Columbian Exchange more harmful or beneficial? Build the argument; assemble the food web.

    Objectives

    • •Was the Columbian Exchange more harmful or beneficial? Build the argument
    • •assemble the food web
    5.NBT.B.55.NBT.B.65.NBT.B.75.NF.A.1RI.5.6W.5.15-LS2-15-PS3-1

    Activities

    1. →Monday: Tracing Consequences Across the Atlantic
    2. →Tuesday: Cultivating Arguments and Energy Flows
    3. →Wednesday: Complex Webs and Competing Claims
    4. →Thursday: Refining the Global Narrative
    5. →Friday: The Final Synthesis Showcase

    Materials

    • •Student notebook & vocabulary log
    • •Atlas or wall map of the Western Hemisphere
    • •Math manipulatives (place-value blocks, unit cubes)
    • •Science lab notebook & balance scale
    • •Centimeter cubes for volume work
    • •Lined drafting paper or word processor
    • •Anchor text: Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
    • •Anchor text: Encounter (revisit)
    Open the full Mon–Fri lesson plan