5FifthGrade
Quarter 2: Age of Exploration & the Columbian Exchange

Weeks 12–13

Columbus and Early Voyages

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
Download PDFOpen printable viewWorksheets (20 pages)With answers (25 pages)Answer key (5 pages)

Daily Plan

Monday

Landfall and the First Encounters

Lesson cardWorksheets
Students map the routes of Columbus’s four voyages to the Caribbean and Central America while identifying the specific geographical regions he encountered.
Math
Students solve multi-digit multiplication problems to calculate the total mileage of Columbus’s first voyage across the Atlantic (5.NBT.B.5).
ELA
Students analyze Jane Yolen’s 'Encounter' to compare the narrator's perspective with traditional historical narratives regarding Columbus’s arrival in San Salvador (RI.5.6).
Science
Students set up an experiment measuring plant mass over time to observe how plants gain weight from air and water rather than soil (5-LS1-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Tuesday

The World of the Taíno

Lesson cardWorksheets
Students examine primary source accounts of the Taíno people’s social structures and initial interactions with Spanish explorers on the island of Hispaniola.
Math
Students use the standard algorithm to find the total food rations needed for the crew of the Santa María over a 36-day period (5.NBT.B.5).
ELA
Using 'Encounter' as a mentor text, students write a claim-based paragraph about the structural choices the author uses to convey a theme of loss (RL.5.2).
Science
Students diagram the process of photosynthesis to show how sunlight provides the energy for plants to convert carbon dioxide and water into food (5-LS1-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Wednesday

Mapping a New Continuity

Lesson cardWorksheets
Students debate the geographical impact of Amerigo Vespucci’s realization that the Americas were a distinct landmass rather than part of Asia.
Math
Students apply partial-quotient division to determine how many days of supplies remain given a fixed daily consumption rate on a long-haul voyage (5.NBT.B.6).
ELA
Students compare Amerigo Vespucci’s letters with John Cabot’s reports to identify different motivations for exploring the Atlantic coast (RI.5.6).
Science
Students conduct a starch test on leaves kept in the dark versus those in the light to prove that sunlight is necessary for food production (5-LS1-1).
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Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Thursday

Claims of the North and South

Lesson cardWorksheets
Students research John Cabot’s 1497 voyage to Newfoundland and its role in establishing English claims in North America.
Math
Students solve word problems involving the division of large gold weight totals into smaller portions for Spanish royal taxes using partial quotients (5.NBT.B.6).
ELA
Students draft an argumentative essay using evidence from historical texts to support a claim about the human cost of the Encomienda system (W.5.1).
Science
Students create a flow chart illustrating how energy from the sun is transformed into chemical energy in plant matter (5-LS1-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Friday

Synthesis of the Transatlantic Crossing

Lesson cardWorksheets
Students synthesize their learning by creating a comparative timeline that marks the overlapping voyages of Columbus, Cabot, and Vespucci and their lasting impact.
Math
Students complete a performance task calculating voyage costs and crew distribution using both multiplication and division algorithms (5.NBT.B.5, 5.NBT.B.6).
ELA
Students conduct a peer review of their argumentative essays, focusing on the strength of their evidence regarding the consequences of early transatlantic crossings (W.5.1).
Science
Students present a model showing how a plant survives in a sealed terrarium using only air, water, and light (5-LS1-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

ELA Supplement This Week

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Standards-tagged tasks landing in this window — reading responses, vocabulary, writing, grammar, or assessments from the Grade 5 ELA Package.

Reading passage · Week 13 · 45 minutes

#2C — A Voyage Across the Ocean

Original passage that retells 1492 from two viewpoints — the language of "discovery" vs. "encounter".

RI.5.1RI.5.2RI.5.3RI.5.6

Math Supplement This Week

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Standards-tagged worksheets, quizzes, and assessments landing in this window — drawn from the Grade 5 Math Package and aligned to the CCSS being taught right now.

Worksheet · Week 12 · 30 min

#2B — Multi-Digit Division

3-digit ÷ 2-digit through 4-digit ÷ 2-digit, with remainder problem-solving.

5.NBT.B.6

Quiz · Week 13 · 20 min

#2.2 — Quiz: Division Mastery

10 problems on multi-digit division and contextual interpretation.

5.NBT.B.6

Science Supplement This Week

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NGSS-aligned labs, worksheets, quizzes, and assessments landing in this window — every lab ends in a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning response students record in the science notebook.

Worksheet · Week 13 · 40 min

#2B — Building a Food Web

Vocabulary, build a multi-organism food web, and trace specific energy paths.

5-LS2-1

Social Studies Supplement This Week

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NYS-framework map work, primary sources, comparison charts, and quizzes landing in this window — with state adaptations for TX, FL, CA, and VA available in the hub.

Multi-day inquiryPrimary source · Week 12 · 50 min

#2B — Voyages and Multiple Perspectives

Paired primary-source readings: a passage from Columbus's 1492 log alongside the Taíno perspective recorded by Bartolomé de las Casas.

NYS 5.3NYS 5.8
Daily / In-classComparison chart · Week 13 · 40 min

#2C — The Columbian Exchange

Two-column chart of plants, animals, and diseases that crossed the Atlantic in each direction after 1492.

NYS 5.3NYS 5.8
Weekly quizQuiz · Week 12 · 20 min

#Q2.1 — Quiz 2.1 — Explorers and Voyages

10-question quiz on key explorers, sponsoring countries, and routes.

NYS 5.3

Student Workbook Pages for This Week

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Color-coded printable pages students grab during the week — surfaced right when they're used.