United States History, Government, Citizenship
45%of exam
ColonizationFoundingExpansionGovernmentCitizenship
Geography, Anthropology, Sociology
30%of exam
MapsRegionsHuman SystemsCultureEnvironment
World History and Economics
25%of exam
CivilizationsComparisonsScarcityMarketsGovernment
Quick Facts
- Test
- Praxis 5004
- Subtest
- Elementary Social Studies
- Part of
- 5001 multiple subjects
- Questions
- 60 selected-response
- Time
- 60 minutes
- Delivery
- Computer delivered
- Score
- State-set passing score
- Note
- Some questions may unscore
Government Branches
Legislates, executes, judges: three branches.
LegislativeExecutiveJudicial
Primary vs Secondary Sources
Primary
- Direct period evidence
- Firsthand account
- Original artifact
Secondary
- Later interpretation
- Explains evidence
- Historical account
Creation time determines source type.
History Evidence Picker
- Created during event→Primary source
- Later explanation→Secondary source
- Asks why→Identify cause
- Asks result→Identify effect
- Dates matter→Build chronology
- Viewpoints differ→Compare perspectives
- Document is named→Recall its purpose
- Government action appears→Identify government level
United States History Eras
- Colonization
- European settlement and control
- Revolution
- Independence from Britain
- Westward expansion
- Territorial growth westward
- Industrialization
- Machine-based production growth
- Great Depression
- Severe economic downturn
- Civil Rights Movement
- Expanded equal-rights demands
- Space Age
- Space exploration expansion
Federal vs State Local
Federal
- National government
- Constitutional powers
- Nationwide concerns
State and local
- Subnational government
- Reserved powers
- Community concerns
Federalism divides governing authority.
Founding Documents
- Mayflower Compact
- Early self-government agreement
- Declaration
- Justified independence
- Articles
- Weak first national framework
- Constitution
- Supreme governing framework
- Bill of Rights
- First ten amendments
- Gettysburg Address
- Union and equality ideals
- Amendment
- Constitutional change process
Government and Citizenship
- Legislative
- Makes laws
- Executive
- Enforces laws
- Judicial
- Interprets laws
- Federalism
- Power shared across levels
- Checks balances
- Branches limit each other
- Citizen rights
- Protected democratic freedoms
- Citizen duties
- Participation and lawfulness
Historical Thinking
- Primary source
- Direct period evidence
- Secondary source
- Later interpretation
- Cause
- Why change happened
- Effect
- Result of change
- Chronology
- Events in sequence
- Context
- Conditions surrounding event
- Perspective
- Viewpoint shapes account
Geography Themes
Location, place, movement, region, interaction.
LocationPlaceMovementRegionHuman environment
Weather vs Climate
Weather
- Short-term conditions
- Today or tomorrow
- Changes quickly
Climate
- Long-term patterns
- Regional averages
- Changes slowly
Short-term conditions differ from patterns.
Map Skills
- Map key
- Explains symbols
- Scale
- Map distance relationship
- Latitude
- Distance north or south
- Longitude
- Distance east or west
- Political map
- Shows boundaries
- Physical map
- Shows natural features
- Projection
- Flat Earth representation
Physical vs Political Maps
Physical
- Natural features
- Mountains and rivers
- Land and water
Political
- Human boundaries
- Countries and states
- Capital cities
Nature differs from boundaries.
Geography Systems
- Location
- Where a place is
- Place
- Physical and human traits
- Movement
- People goods ideas travel
- Region
- Area with shared traits
- Human environment
- People and nature interact
- Natural resource
- Material from nature
- Human resource
- People's skills and labor
Culture and Society
- Culture
- Shared learned ways
- Cultural diffusion
- Ideas spread between groups
- Socialization
- Learning group norms
- Norm
- Expected social behavior
- Community
- People sharing a place
- Institution
- Organized social structure
- Diversity
- Many backgrounds and experiences
Economics Choice
Scarcity forces choices; choices cost alternatives.
ScarcityChoiceOpportunity cost
Scarcity vs Opportunity Cost
Scarcity
- Resources are limited
- Forces choices
- Universal economic problem
Opportunity cost
- Best rejected alternative
- Follows a choice
- Measures trade-off
Scarcity creates choices and trade-offs.
Geography and Economics Picker
- Borders are shown→Political map
- Landforms are shown→Physical map
- Weather repeats long-term→Climate
- Daily conditions change→Weather
- Resources limit options→Scarcity
- One option is chosen→Find opportunity cost
- Buyers want more→Demand
- Sellers offer more→Supply
World History Lenses
- Classical civilization
- Influential ancient society
- Egypt
- Nile-based ancient civilization
- Greece
- Classical Mediterranean civilization
- Rome
- Republic and empire
- Cross-cultural comparison
- Compare societies and ideas
- Continuity
- What remains over time
- Transformation
- Major historical change
Economics Essentials
- Scarcity
- Limited resources, unlimited wants
- Choice
- Select among alternatives
- Opportunity cost
- Best forgone alternative
- Supply
- Amount sellers offer
- Demand
- Amount buyers seek
- Money
- Medium for exchange
- Government role
- Taxes, spends, regulates
Common Traps
Combined test confusion
5004 is social studies ≠ 5001 combines four subtests
Source confusion
Primary means period evidence ≠ Secondary means later interpretation
Weather climate confusion
Weather is short-term ≠ Climate is long-term
Map confusion
Physical shows natural features ≠ Political shows boundaries
Economics confusion
Scarcity limits resources ≠ Opportunity cost follows choice
Last Minute
- 1.5004 only: social studies subtest
- 2.60 selected-response questions, 60 minutes
- 3.History, government, citizenship: 45%
- 4.Geography, anthropology, sociology: 30%
- 5.World history, economics: 25%
- 6.Identify document purpose and context
- 7.Separate branches and government levels
- 8.Read maps by purpose
- 9.Separate weather from climate
- 10.Name scarcity and opportunity cost
- 11.Check causes, effects, chronology
- 12.Passing score depends on state
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