Grade 5 Alberta Social Studies Systems Unit | Paper and Digital

Get your unit about the the systems of authoritariansim, empires, trade, economic practices, and social systems in ancient civilizations planned in minutes. Learn about Ancient China, Greece, Rome, China, India and Arab civilizations through concept-based learning activities, investigations, and complete lessons. Don't be overwhelmed this year! Everything you need to teach. because we've planned it for you.

COMING SOON! Save $$$ with a whole year of Alberta Grade 5 Social Studies!

This unit designed for Alberta teachers includes:

• concept-based learning activities that focus on the concepts rather than memorizing specific details about ancient civilizations
• lesson plans with step-by-step instructions and options for modifications.
• instructions for how to use our activities with and without technology so you can be flexible for your students and classroom environment.
• instructions for printing student workbooks while still offering differentiated options.
• detailed outlines of each activity with a list of materials along with a centralized list and reminders in each section of the lesson plan.
• optional Teacher Slides to support instruction and content delivery. You can choose to teach with or without them.
• vocabulary list with phonetic pronunciations and definitions to help support your students.
• “I can” statements written in student-friendly language so students can self-assess their learning.
• student pages and templates.
• answer keys and suggested answers.
• photos of student examples.
• activities to support learning content specific vocabulary.
• background information for teachers so you don't need to be an expert.
• simple assessments like quizzes. Rubrics are included for teachers to use for marking projects.
• ideas for how to use this resource in the classroom, online, or a mix.
• digital versions of all the student reading and writing pages that use Google Slides. You must download the PDF files and use the access links in the files to get your digital copies.
• an alignment guide for Alberta Outcomes in each resource broken down by lesson and activity.
  

The unit includes additional bonus materials:

• a unit plan to assist with sequencing.
• a list of Alberta Social Studies outcomes to help with planning.
• a list of materials outlined for each activity.
• vocabulary support materials: word wall words, glossary pages, definition worksheets, digital flashcards, word with with phonetic pronunciations and definitions.
• extra assessments to assess student learning of the whole unit.

These resources are included in this unit:

• Authoritarians and Empires: how leaders or governments gain power; monarchies and dictatorships; ways to maintain control and power: heredity, divine right, force; how government systems and social systems are used to gain and maintain power; why people follow authoritarian leaders; how empires grow; differences between civilizations and empires; examples from: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, Ancient India and Arab civilizations; Persian Empire; African Civilizations The Kingdom of Benin, Ife, Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Kush, and Axum; patterns of rising and falling in empires
• Economic Practices: how innovations in farming like animal labour and irrigation technology created food surpluses and allowed workers to specialize in new skills; how increased trade led to settlements and cities in ancient civilizations; farming innovations from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, Ancient India and Ancient Arab Civilizations; trade routes of the Royal Road, Trans-Saharan and Silk Road; how trade routes and geography are related (mountains, rivers, oceans); the social, political, economic and environmental impacts of trade; the social, political, economic and environmental impacts of different technology innovations; comparing trade routes; economic practices: markets, banks, currency and taxes in ancient civilizations; comparing economic practices in ancient civilizations to modern practices
• Social Systems: patriarchy, matriarchy and egalitarian societies; how people in some ancient civilizations were organized by gender; hierarchies: defined by education, wealth, occupations or heredity; how social systems could cause division within civilizations; opportunities and challenges faced by people who were part of the social systems; examples from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, Ancient India and Ancient Arab civilizations

Ninja Note: If you teach in Alberta, this resource has been written for the new social studies curriculum. Learn more about how we're writing and adjusting resources for the new curriculum. https://brainninjas.ca/social-studies-in-alberta/

This activity aligns with:

• the Alberta Social Studies Curriculum Grade 6 ©2025

This activity supports learning about:

• ancient civilizations
• authoritarians
• empires
  

Looking for more social studies for Alberta teachers? Our unit plans include extra vocabulary supports and assessments.

• Time and Place Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 5
• Systems Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 5 COMING SOON!
• Citizenship Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 5 COMING SOON!

COMING SOON! Save $$$ with a whole year of Alberta Grade 6 Social Studies!

Ninja Note: This file is a ZIP file. It requires downloading and extracting before opening the individual PDF files. Each resource contains the digital links and instructions for using the file. 

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