Skill-Builders. Grades 4 5. Social Studies. Writer Kate O Halloran. Editorial Director Susan A. Blair. Cover Designer Roman Laszok

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1 Daily Skill-Builders Social Studies Grades 4 5 Writer Kate O Halloran Editorial Director Susan A. Blair Cover Designer Roman Laszok Interior Designer Mark Sayer Production Editor Maggie Jones WALCH PUBLISHING

2 Table of Contents To the Teacher iv Social Studies Skills Addressed v PART ONE: MAP SKILLS Daily Skill-Builders Social Studies Grades 4 5 PART TWO: U.S. REGIONS PART THREE: U.S. HISTORY PART FOUR: U.S. GOVERNMENT ANSWER KEY APPENDIX

3 To the Teacher Introduction to Daily Skill-Builders The Daily Skill-Builders series began as an expansion of our popular Daily Warm-Ups series for grades 5 adult. Word spread, and eventually elementary teachers were asking for something similar. Just as Daily Warm-Ups do, Daily Skill-Builders turn extra classroom minutes into valuable learning time. Not only do these activities reinforce necessary skills for elementary students, they also make skill-drilling an engaging and informative process. Each book in this series contains 180 reproducible activities one for each day of the school year! How to Use Daily Skill-Builders Daily Skill-Builders are easy to use simply photocopy the day s activity and distribute it. Each page is designed to take approximately ten to fifteen minutes. Many teachers choose to use them in the morning when students are arriving at school or in the afternoon before students leave for the day. They are also a great way to switch gears from one subject to another. No matter how you choose to use them, extra classroom minutes will never go unused again. Building Skills for All Students The Daily Skill-Builders activities give you great flexibility. The activities can be used effectively in a variety of ways to help all your students develop important skills, regardless of their level. Depending on the needs of your students and your curriculum goals, you may want the entire class to do the same skill-builder, or you may select specific activities for different students. There are several activities for each topic covered in Daily Skill-Builders, so you can decide which and how many activities to use to help students to master a particular skill. If a student does not complete an activity in the allotted time, he or she may complete it as homework, or you may allow more time the next day to finish. If a student completes a skill-builder early, you may want to assign another. Daily Skill-Builders give you options that work for you. Students in one grade level vary in their abilities, so each Daily Skill-Builders covers two grades. In a fourth-grade class, for example, some students may need the books for grades 3 4. Other students may need the greater challenge presented in the 4 5 books. Since all the books look virtually the same and many of the activities are similar, the students need not know that they are working at different levels. No matter how you choose to use them, Daily Skill-Builders will enhance your teaching. They are easy for you to use, and your students will approach them positively as they practice needed skills. iv

4 Requirements To Be U.S. President What do you have to do to become president of the United States? Well, yes, you have to win the election. Even before the election, though, there are certain requirements you have to meet. These requirements are laid out in the U.S. Constitution. If you do not meet them, you cannot even run for president. Read the statements below. Some describe the requirements to be president. Some do not. Write whether each statement is true or false. Write T for True or F for False on the line next to each statement. 1. You must have held at least one elected office. 2. You must be a citizen of the United States. 3. You must have been born in the United States. 4. You must be at least 35 years old. 5. You must be no more than 60 years old. 6. You cannot have spent more than 10 years living outside the United States. 7. You must have been a U.S. resident for at least 14 years. 8. You must have served in either the U.S. Armed Forces or the Peace Corps. walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing 171

5 The Great Seal A symbol is a picture that stands for something. This is the Great Seal of the United States. It includes several different symbols. One is the American bald eagle. The eagle was chosen as a symbol of the country because of its strength and independence. The shield on the eagle s chest has 13 stripes, for the 13 original states. In one talon, the eagle holds an olive branch. It stands for peace. The other talon holds 13 arrows. They stand for power. Together, they show the United States wants peace, but our people are willing to fight to defend our country. In its beak the eagle holds a ribbon. On it are the words E Pluribus Unum. This Latin phrase means Out of many, one. It means that many states came together to make one nation. This was the first motto of the United States. Think of things that are important to you. Use these things to draw your own symbol in the space below. 172 walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing

6 We the People... Write a constitution for your own classroom. List at least five rights that students in your class should have. Then explain why you need those rights. Do you have these rights in your class? If not, have you looked at the whole picture? Would any of the rights you want limit the rights of other students? Would they limit the rights of other members of the school community? If you need to, edit your list of rights so that they do not conflict with the rights of others. walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing 173

7 Constitution Read the words in the box. Next, read the sentences below. Then choose the word that best completes each sentence. Write it on the lines. 1. The part of the government that carries out laws is called the C branch. 2. The first plan for governing the United States was the Articles of O. 3. Power is kept even by a system of checks and N. 4. The government is divided into three parts, or S. 5. Members of the group who were to plan the Constitution were called T. 6. The first ten changes to the Constitution are called the Bill of I. 7. A state s population affects how many people it sends to the House of T. 8. The part of the government that says what is lawful is the U branch. 9. All states have the same number of representatives in the T. 10. The government branch that makes laws is called the I branch. 11. The Constitution was worked out at the Constitutional O. 12. Changes to the Constitution are called N. 174 walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing

8 Federal Government The American government has three parts. The chart below shows what each part, or branch, does. Write the name of each branch on the line in the box. Three Branches of Government _ Branch What it does: Makes laws Who does it: Senate, House of Representatives _ Branch What it does: Carries out the laws Who does it: President, government departments and agencies _ Branch What it does: Decides what is lawful Who does it: Courts walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing 175

9 Checks and Balances Our government is built around a concept called checks and balances. This keeps any one person or group from having too much power. For example, Congress can pass a bill, but the President can veto it. This makes sure the legislature cannot pass whatever laws it wants. The legislature can pass the bill again, though. If the bill is passed with enough of a majority, it can become law without the President signing it. This makes sure the President does not veto whatever he wants. The judicial branch also has checks and balances. These make sure the Supreme Court cannot rule the president or Congress. At the same time, they make sure the President and Congress cannot rule over the judicial branch. Describe what you think could happen if one person or group had complete control of the country. Explain why this would be a good or a bad thing. Write a brief paragraph. 176 walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing

10 U.S. Government Crossword Use the clues below to complete the puzzle amendment Congress Constitution democracy election federal government political party president state vote Across 3. a government system with separate states united under a central authority 6. the Senate and House of Representatives, which make laws for the United States 8. the process of choosing by vote 10. to make a choice in an election 11. an organized group of people with the same political aims (2 words) Down 1. a form of government in which the power is held by the people 2. a political and geographic subdivision of a country; there are 50 in the United States 4. a change made to the Constitution 5. the head of state of the United States 7. the system for governing, or running, a country 9. the document that gives the basic laws of the United States walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing 177

11 Federal Government Structure The United States federal government has a lot of power. To make sure that power is not abused, it is shared among three branches of government. Each branch has some control over the other branches. This is called a system of checks and balances. The three branches can balance one another out. The chart below shows the structure of the federal government. Choose words from the box to complete the chart. Federal Government Congress Executive Branch House of Representatives Judicial Branch President Senate Responsibility: Makes laws Legislative Branch Responsibility: Makes sure laws are obeyed Responsibility: Decides about the meaning of laws Vice President Supreme Court Government Departments Government Agencies Other federal courts 178 walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing

12 Federal, State Governments Your state has its own government. The country as a whole has a government, too. How do the state and the federal governments tell who has the final say in things? The framers worked out a system. Each state has the final say in some things. The federal government has the final say in other things. Some powers are shared between state and federal governments. Listed below are some of the things government takes care of. Decide who has the final say on each one: the federal government, state government, or both. Write each task on the correct line in the chart. Bonus question: What other things does government take care of? Add them to the chart. collect taxes ratify amendments to the Constitution regulate businesses within the state regulate trade with foreign countries make and enforce laws make treaties with foreign countries print money declare war build roads borrow money conduct elections set up local governments Federal Government Shared Powers State Government walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing 179

13 The Legislative Branch Read the description of the legislative branch. Then use the information to fill in the chart below. The United States government has three parts. Each part, or branch, does different things. The legislative branch makes the laws. This branch includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together, they make up the U.S. Congress. We have laws for a lot of things. Some laws say that certain things are not allowed. For example, there are laws against stealing. But laws do other things, too. Laws say how the government can raise money and how it can spend it. Laws protect the environment. They protect people, too. Laws say that people have to be paid at least a certain amount a minimum wage. They say that people cannot be harassed at work or treated badly because of race, religion, or sex. Laws affect our lives in many ways. Legislative Branch Congress includes and Laws for 180 walch.com 2004 Walch Publishing