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

Weeks 16–17

Conquest and the Atlantic Slave Trade

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

Daily Plan

Monday

The Fall of the Great Tenochtitlan

Lesson cardWorksheets
Map the strategic alliances formed by the Spanish with the Tlaxcalans to facilitate the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Math
Students solve world problem sets involving the division of 1,200 soldiers into units using long division strategies (5.NBT.B.6).
ELA
Students compare the perspectives of Hernán Cortés and Bernal Díaz del Castillo regarding the arrival at Tenochtitlan to analyze multiple accounts of the same event (RI.5.6).
Science
Students diagram a simple food chain of the Mexican highlands, identifying plants as producers that capture energy from the sun (5-LS2-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Tuesday

Gold and Empire in the Andes

Lesson cardWorksheets
Examine the capture of the Sapa Inca and the subsequent collapse of the Incan Empire under Francisco Pizarro.
Math
Students calculate the total weight of Incan gold artifacts by adding varied measurements using fractions with unlike denominators (5.NF.A.1).
ELA
Students analyze the character traits and motivations of Atahualpa during the encounter at Cajamarca to determine how his choices influenced the plot (RL.5.3).
Science
Students model trophic levels in a rainforest ecosystem by categorizing organisms as primary, secondary, or tertiary consumers (5-LS2-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Wednesday

Power and Labor in New Spain

Lesson cardWorksheets
Analyze the social hierarchy and forced labor conditions established by the Spanish crown under the encomienda system.
Math
Students solve division word problems to determine how many days a grain supply would last for a village of 450 people using the standard algorithm (5.NBT.B.6).
ELA
Students write an argumentative paragraph defending whether the encomienda system functioned more as a land grant or a form of enslavement (W.5.1).
Science
Students create a classroom ecosystem mural to illustrate how decomposers return nutrients from dead organic matter back into the soil (5-LS2-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Thursday

The Middle Passage and Forced Migration

Lesson cardWorksheets
Trace the triangular trade routes that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas, focusing on the forced migration of millions.
Math
Students subtract unlike fractions to find the remaining volume of water in a ship's barrel after a three-week voyage (5.NF.A.1).
ELA
Students read harrowing primary source accounts of the Middle Passage to identify the distinct points of view of the captors and the enslaved (RI.5.6).
Science
Students simulate the flow of energy through a marine food web to show how matter is recycled through the environment (5-LS2-1).
Materials & prepShow

Social Studies

Math

ELA

Science

Friday

Resistance and the Legacy of Survival

Lesson cardWorksheets
Present a collaborative timeline showcasing examples of resistance and the survival of cultural traditions among enslaved peoples in the Caribbean.
Math
Students complete a cumulative assessment featuring multi-digit division and fraction addition based on historical logistics (5.NBT.B.6, 5.NF.A.1).
ELA
Students write a formal opinion piece on how African cultures were preserved through music and stories despite the horrors of the slave trade (W.5.1).
Science
Students write a scientific explanation of how the movement of people and plants across the Atlantic altered local food webs and energy flows (5-LS2-1).
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.

Writing prompt · Week 16 · 2–3 days drafting and revising

#2A — Opinion Essay — Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day?

Multi-source opinion essay synthesizing Encounter, Pedro's Journal, and Reading Passage 2C.

W.5.1

Writing prompt · Week 17 · 1–2 days drafting and revising

#2B — Theme Analysis — Esperanza Rising

Trace how Pam Muñoz Ryan develops a central theme through Esperanza's journey.

W.5.2RL.5.2

Grammar quiz · Week 17 · 20 minutes

#2.1 — Quotation Marks and Dialogue

Punctuate dialogue, format titles in quotation marks, and write original dialogue lines.

L.5.1

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.

Quarter assessment · Week 17 · 40–50 min

#Q2 — Q2 Cumulative Assessment

15-problem quarter assessment on multiplication, division, and fractions.

5.NBT.B.55.NBT.B.65.NF.A.1

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.

Quiz · Week 16 · 25 min

#2.1 — Quiz: Plants, Food Webs, and Energy

10-question quiz spanning plant materials, food-web vocabulary, and energy flow.

5-LS1-15-LS2-15-PS3-1

Unit assessment · Week 17 · 45 min

#U2 — Unit 2 Assessment — Ecosystems and Energy Flow

15-point unit assessment with a food-web model and a CER on plant materials.

5-LS1-15-LS2-15-PS3-1

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.