Events, people and ideas of the past, and how they connect across time.
5.1 History: why European colonization of North America began and what key people did, starting with the 1565 founding of St. Augustine
5.1A Explain when, where, and why people came to explore, colonize, and settle the United States, including searching for economic gain and religious freedom
5.1B Describe the achievements of significant colonial-period settlers who came seeking religious freedom and economic gain, including Roger Williams, John Smith, William Penn, Anne Hutchinson, and William Bradford
5.2 History: how clashes between Britain and its American colonies produced independence and the creation of the United States
5.2A Analyze what caused and resulted from events leading up to and throughout the American Revolution, including taxation after the French and Indian War as well as colonial reactions to it, for example the Boston Tea Party
5.2B Recognize Patriot heroes and Founding Fathers, including George Washington, the Sons of Liberty, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, and describe what drove them and what they accomplished in the revolutionary period
5.2C Summarize what resulted from the American Revolution, including the birth of the United States
5.3 History: individuals who helped shape the U.S. Constitution and the government it set up
5.3A Recognize what Founding Fathers George Mason and James Madison contributed to the making of the U.S. Constitution
5.4 History: political, economic, and social changes across the United States in the 1800s
5.4A Describe what caused and resulted from the War of 1812, for example impressment of sailors, land disputes with Great Britain, and growth in manufacturing in the United States
5.4B Recognize and explain how changes brought by the Industrial Revolution led to sectional conflict within the United States
5.4C Recognize significant events and ideas tied to the territorial growth of the United States, including the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and Manifest Destiny
5.4D Explain the central role of expanding slavery in bringing about sectionalism, the Civil War, and disagreements about states' rights
5.4E Explain the Civil War's effects, including Reconstruction as well as the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
5.4F Recognize the hardships, opportunities, and contributions of American Indian and immigrant groups, for example settling the frontier and constructing the Transcontinental Railroad
5.5 History: major issues, events, and people in the United States in the 1900s and 2000s
5.5A Explain the importance of issues and events from the 1900s, for example the civil rights movement, military actions, the world wars, the Great Depression, urbanization, and industrialization
5.5B Analyze issues and events from the 2000s, for example the 2008 presidential election and the War on Terror
5.5C Recognize what individuals and groups achieved and contributed in military actions, politics, women's rights, and civil rights, for example the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Tuskegee Airmen, Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Susan B. Anthony
Geography and Place
Maps, places and regions, and how people and environments shape each other.
5.6 Geography: places and regions across the United States
5.6A Describe the political and economic regions of the country that form from patterns of human activity
5.6B Describe United States regions defined by physical traits like vegetation, climate, and landform
5.6C Locate important political features on a map, for example the 50 states and the five most populous cities in the United States
5.6D Draw a map showing important physical features, for example the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Mississippi River, Great Lakes, and Appalachian Mountains
5.7 Geography: where people settle, in what patterns, and which geographic factors shape those choices
5.7A Recognize and describe settlement patterns, for example urban, suburban, and rural
5.7B Explain the geographic factors that shape settlement patterns and population distribution in the United States
5.7C Analyze the geographic factors behind the locations of the United States' five largest urban areas and explain how they are distributed
5.8 Geography: how people adjust to and alter their environment
5.8A Describe how and why people in the United States have adjusted to and altered their environment, for example by using human resources to satisfy basic needs
5.8B Analyze the benefits and drawbacks of how humans have changed the United States environment
Economics and Personal Finance
How people earn, spend, save and trade, and how economies work.
5.9 Economics: basic patterns of economic life in early United States societies
5.9A Explain the economic patterns found in early European colonies
5.9B Recognize major industries in colonial America, for example shipbuilding and growing cash crops
5.10 Economics: how free enterprise grew in the United States, what defines it, and how it helps people
5.10A Recognize how free enterprise developed in colonial America and in the United States
5.10B Describe the way free enterprise operates in the United States
5.10C Give examples of what free enterprise offers people in the United States
5.11 Economics: how supply and demand affect buyers and sellers in a free enterprise system
5.11A Explain how consumers in the United States are affected by supply and demand
5.11B Evaluate how supply and demand affect industry and agriculture in the United States, including the plantation system
5.12 Economics: how work and economic activity are patterned across the United States
5.12A Compare how people across United States regions make a living, then and now
5.12B Identify and explain the ways geographic factors have shaped where economic activity occurs within the United States
5.12C Analyze how immigration and migration influenced economic development and growth in the United States
5.12D Describe how division of labor, specialization, and mass production affected United States economic growth
Government and Civics
How governments are organized, how laws are made, and the principles behind them.
5.13 Government: how colonial America's governments were organized
5.13A Compare the governing systems of European colonists in the early period, including monarchy and representative government
5.13B Recognize colonial representative government, including the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact
5.14 Government: central concepts of the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution
5.14A Explain the purposes and key elements of the Declaration of Independence and why it is important
5.14B Explain what the Preamble states are the goals of the U.S. Constitution
5.14C Explain why the Bill of Rights was created and why it matters
5.15 Government: the structure of government created by the U.S. Constitution of 1787
5.15A Recognize and explain what each of the three government branches basically does
5.15B Recognize why the U.S. Constitution sets up checks and balances, and describe how that system works
5.15C Distinguish national government from state governments, and compare the responsibilities of each within the federal system of the United States
Citizenship and Civic Life
The rights and responsibilities of citizens and how people take part in their communities.
5.16 Citizenship: landmarks, symbols, customs, and celebrations that stand for American principles and beliefs and help form national identity
5.16A Explain Uncle Sam and other patriotic symbols; Labor Day and other national celebrations; and the donkey and the elephant as political symbols
5.16B Perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" by singing or reciting it, and explain its history
5.16C Recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag and explain what it means
5.16D Explain why landmarks matter, including Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, and the White House
5.17 Citizenship: why it matters that individuals take part in democracy locally, statewide, and nationally
5.17A Explain why individuals owe a duty to take part in civic affairs in their locality, state, and nation
5.17B Explain how to contact local, state, and national officials, whether elected or appointed
5.17C Use voting to reach decisions as a group
5.18 Citizenship: why strong leadership matters in a constitutional republic
5.18A Recognize national leaders, past and present, among them the president and a range of members of Congress, along with their political parties
5.18B Recognize the leadership qualities of national leaders, from the past and today
5.19 Citizenship: the basic rights that the Bill of Rights secures for American citizens
5.19A Describe the basic rights that the Bill of Rights guarantees, including freedom of press, speech, and religion; the right to assemble and to petition the government; the right of keeping and bearing arms; the right to a jury trial; and the right to have an attorney
Culture and Society
The beliefs, customs and traditions of different groups and how cultures change and interact.
5.20 Culture: how the arts connect to the periods in which they were produced
5.20A Recognize notable art, music, and literature from different eras of United States history, for example "Paul Revere's Ride," "Yankee Doodle," and the painting American Progress
5.20B Explain how the time period of creation shows in works of art, music, and literature
5.21 Culture: how racial, ethnic, and religious groups have contributed to American culture
5.21A Describe customs and traditions of religious, ethnic, and racial groups across the United States
5.21B Summarize how members of racial, ethnic, and religious groups have shaped our national identity
Science, Technology, and Society
How inventions and scientific advances have changed the way people live and work.
5.22 Science, technology, and society: how science and technology have shaped American society
5.22A Recognize what notable people in science and technology accomplished, for example Neil Armstrong, the Wright Brothers, George Washington Carver, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, John Deere, Eli Whitney, and Benjamin Franklin
5.22B Recognize ways that technological innovations, scientific discoveries, and fast-growing technology industries have promoted United States economic development, including the space program and the transcontinental railroad
5.22C Explain how discoveries and innovations in transportation, communication, and medicine have helped people and society across the United States
Social Studies Skills
Finding, analyzing and communicating information from sources, and reasoning about evidence.
5.23 Social studies skills: thinking critically to organize and apply information from many valid sources, technology included
5.23A Tell apart valid primary and secondary sources, find them, and use them to learn about the United States, for example artifacts, documents, visual and written material, oral accounts, biographies, interviews, and technology
5.23B Recognize and raise questions about the credibility of primary sources and secondary sources of various types
5.23C Analyze information through absolute and relative chronology: order events in sequence, group them, trace causes and effects, compare, contrast, find main ideas, summarize, generalize, predict, and draw inferences and conclusions
5.23D Arrange and interpret information in visuals, including maps, timelines, charts, and graphs, as well as in outlines, reports, and databases
5.23E Recognize varying viewpoints on a topic, issue, or event from history or the present
5.23F Recognize the historical context surrounding an event
5.23G Pinpoint the main claim a primary or secondary source makes
5.23H Build a claim on a social studies topic and present it, with supporting evidence, through images, speech, or writing
5.24 Social studies skills: gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data with geographic tools
5.24A Apply map elements to make and read maps: compass roses, scales, symbols, legends, and grid systems
5.24B Interpret geographic data, natural resources, and population distribution by presenting them in varied formats, for example maps and graphs
5.25 Social studies skills: communicating through writing, speaking, and visuals
5.25A Use social studies vocabulary accurately
5.25B Weave main ideas and supporting details into spoken and written communication
5.25C Share ideas aloud, drawing on research and experiences
5.25D Produce written and visual work, for example bibliographies, outlines, graphic organizers, reports, and journal entries
5.25E Use basic language skills for respectful discussion of social studies topics, including topics with more than one perspective
5.26 Social studies skills: solving problems and making decisions, on one's own and with others
5.26A Practice democratic procedures by simulating decisions about school, local, or state issues
5.26B Work through a problem-solving and decision-making process: spot a problem, collect information, brainstorm options and weigh their pros and cons, pick and carry out a solution, then judge whether it worked
How many 5th Grade TEKS Social Studies Standards are there?
There are 77 5th Grade TEKS Social Studies Standards on this page, in 8 strands: History and Chronology, Geography and Place, Economics and Personal Finance, Government and Civics, Citizenship and Civic Life, Culture and Society, Science, Technology, and Society, and Social Studies Skills.
How do I write an assessment for a 5th Grade TEKS Social Studies standard?
Pick a standard on this page and choose Make a quiz or Make an exit ticket. AssessmentWiz opens the generator with the standard's code and text filled in, so every question targets that standard.
What does a code like 5.1A mean?
TEKS social studies codes read grade, knowledge and skills statement, student expectation. In 5.1A, the first number is the grade (K for kindergarten), the next number is the knowledge and skills statement, and the letter is the student expectation under it.