The fifth grade core is presented in a chronological framework, separated into eras in a modification of the organizing framework of the National Standards for History. Under the rubric of these interconnected eras, students will be able to explore each era's essential ideas and events. The eras are: Exploration and Colonization, Beginnings of Self-Government, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Expansive 19th Century, and The United States on the World Stage. By framing the history of the United States within comprehensible sections, students will be supported in their own cognitive development. As students develop a basic understanding of key events and the basic chronology of United States history, the nation's geography, and its economic history, they will be building a foundation that will serve them well in the years to come.