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Fifth Grade

Language Arts

To build the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to be college and career ready, fifth grade students will read widely and deeply from a range of high-quality, increasingly challenging fiction and nonfiction from different cultures and time periods. They will respond analytically to grade level literary and informational sources, conduct research projects, and write multi-paragraph stories and essays. By writing and speaking daily, they will gain control over the conventions of grammar, usage, capitalization and punctuation as a means of communicating clearly and will have the opportunity to engage in rich, structured conversations on grade level topics and texts. Fifth grade students will:

  • Expand, combine and reduce sentences to improve meaning, interest and writing style.
  • Build knowledge of academic language.
  • Identify and judge evidence that supports an author’s particular argument to change the reader’s point of view.
  • Integrate information from several print and digital sources to answer questions and solve problems.
  • Write opinions, offering reasons and providing facts and examples logically grouped to support the writer’s point of view.
  • Write stories with developing plots that include dialogue, description, and effective pacing of the action.
  • Report on a topic or present an opinion that follows a logical sequence of ideas with supporting facts and details.

Mathematics

Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in fifth grade will:

  • Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.
  • Use models to represent multiplication and division of fractions and explain why the procedures for multiplying and dividing fractions make sense.
  • Fluently use multi-digit numbers and decimal numbers in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division computations.
  • Understand and measure volume for three-dimensional shapes.

Science

Science engages students in enjoyable, active learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a toad. The science curriculum allows students to experience the joy of doing science while learning both skills and concepts. In fifth grade, students will:

  • Apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas effectively and understand the nature of science.
  • Understand the effects of volcanoes, earthquakes, weathering and erosion on the earth's surface.
  • Observe magnetic forces between two magnets or between a magnet and materials made of iron.
  • Understand features of static and current electricity.
  • Understand that traits are passed from the parent organisms to their offspring, and that sometimes the offspring may possess variations of these traits that may help or hinder survival in a given environment.

Social Studies

Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community and the world. As students engage in social studies, they learn about civic competence in addition to various cultures, history, geography, and economics. Fifth grade students will:

  • Investigate the growth and development of early American colonies.
  • Understand key events leading to self-government, including the Declaration of Independence, the impact of the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States of America.
  • Examine the principles of the U.S. Constitution and its impact on the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens.
  • Describe and evaluate significant events impacting America during the 19th century, such as westward expansion, the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution.
  • Analyze and assess the causes, consequences, and implications of the Unites States as a world power, including the role of the U.S. during WWI, the great depression, WWII and issues facing the world today.

Information Technology

In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology to accomplish a variety of tasks. Fifth grade students will:

  • Create a multimedia product using technology tools and work cooperatively on a project with a group.
  • Evaluate appropriateness and validity of information resources and technology.
  • Use the keyboard efficiently and effectively.

Fine Arts

Learning the elements of art is an important part of expressing creativity. Students learn abstract thinking, expression, quality work and problem solving when engaged in the arts. The fine arts core includes visual arts, dance, and drama. Fifth grade students will:

  • Create an illusion of depth by using one point perspective.
  • Understand principle of shading and color theory using tints, tones, shades.
  • Practice conditioning principles of balance, strength, flexibility, endurance and alignment.
  • Learn to duplicate dance movement, memorize sequences, isolation of body parts and joint articulation.
  • Identify motives and objectives of characters in play, films or stories.
  • Use games and process drama techniques to develop emotional range, character voice, and movement.
  • Identify the use of musical sound and the actor/audience relationship in live theatre.

Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education

Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best, and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In fifth grade, students will:

  • Identify personal strengths and talents and make effective decisions based on positive self-worth.
  • Recognize the consequences of substance abuse and practice responsible decision-making.
  • Develop skills for building healthy interpersonal relationships.
  • Understand personal hygiene and “universal precautions” and their role in preventing disease transmission.
  • Understand what a person eats affects physical activity and health.
  • Improve individual fitness using the five components of physical fitness.
  • Develop skills in individual and team activities.

Library Media

Providing students with information-processing and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. Students use the library to find reading materials for enjoyment and for information. Fifth grade students will:

  • Use the online catalog independently to locate books.
  • Take independent notes from both print and electronic sources.
  • Outline a topic to present organized information in various forms.
  • Analyze, question and think critically about media.