Fifth Graders are studying the history of US -- the history of the United States, which is the history of us. We are looking at our past critically in order to learn from past successes as well as from past mistakes. We are pondering how history may have been different if people had made different choices. Our text asks us questions like these: "Why did [Spanish conquistadors] destroy a great empire? Why did they steal a nation's riches? Were the Spanish evil and ruthless? Or were the times so different that it is difficult for us to imagine them?...Do we have injustices and cruel practices in our country today? What are they? What can we do about them?" This is a year of deep investigation. In Fifth Grade Social Studies we read, we learn, we discuss, we create, we investigate, and we ponder. We make history relevant to us today.