Curriculum

5th Grade Curriculum Overview

As the last year of elementary school, 5th grade is an important time for students to cement the skills they have gained throughout the lower grades as well as develop them even further in preparation for middle school. Fifth grade is about helping students to practice, refine and grow their skills, taking all that they have learned to the next step. Fifth graders build on what they learned in 4th grade by thinking and analyzing in deeper ways about what they learn and read. They are also encouraged and expected to be more independent in their learning, requiring less guidance and support from adults and teachers.

Reading Overview

Most of a 5th grade reading curriculum focuses on teaching students to understand the texts they read and develop ideas about what they read and learn. Specifically, they are taught to support their ideas using specific details from the text. Students are expected to carefully think about and ultimately use details such as quotes, facts, and events from a text to develop and explain what they think and what they have learned. Students practice this as they read texts together as a class as well as through the reading they do independently. The students learn specific strategies they can use to do this. Fifth graders further deepen these skills as they write extensively about what they read.

In order to build reading skills, your 5th grader:

• Begins to use direct quotes from texts to explain and prove ideas about the text.
• Reads a variety of genres of text including: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama.
• Uses details from the text to: summarize the text, identity the main idea or theme of a text, compare characters or events in a text or compare different texts of the same genre (for example, two fantasy texts).
• Interprets and understands metaphors and comparisons made in a text.
• Identifies an author or narrator’s point of view and explain how this affects the content of a text.
• Compares multiple perspectives on the same event, idea, or theme.
• Uses the context of a text to determine the meaning of unknown words.
• Uses technology and digital media to further understanding of a topic and find the answers to questions.
• Gathers information from multiple sources about one topic.

Writing Overview

Fifth graders build on the skills they learned in 4th grade to become clearer and more developed writers as they write many different kinds of pieces about a variety of topics along with using details and organization to write strong pieces. Students are taught to use their writing to share their unique ideas and own perspectives. They are taught to use connected and specific details in their writing as well. Students are taught specific ways to do this and spend much of the writing time in class working on their own individual writing pieces.

In order to build writing skills, your 5th grader:

• Writes opinion pieces which include: 1. An introduction and conclusion 2. A logical and clear structure 3. Reasons, proofs and ideas that support the author’s opinion.
• Writes informational pieces which: 1. Explain a topic using specific details such as definitions, quotations and facts 2. Include an introduction and conclusion.
• Writes narrative pieces which: 1. Introduce and describe an event in a logical ordered way 2. Use details such as dialogue, thoughts and emotions 3. Include a conclusion.
• Plans, revises, and edits his/her writing.
• Thinks about the best way to approach writing and tries different ways to do so. For example, writes in a different tense, or from a different perspective such as 1st or 3rd person.
• Uses technology (under adult guidance) to publish writing, research and communicate with others.
• Builds stamina in order to type at least two pages of text within one sitting.
• Uses multiple sources to write and create a research project.
• Takes notes on information and cites the sources used.
• Writes over a range of times including long (over weeks) and short (one sitting, or a day or two) periods of time.

Math Overview

In 5th grade, students practice more complex computation with larger numbers, fractions and decimals, and use all operations including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They also often solve equations which require multiple steps and which must be solved in a specific order, for example, equations in parentheses must be solved first. 5th grade math also emphasizes real life situations to help students strengthen their skills and solve problems which occur in their own lives and uses real life objects and math tools such as money, rulers, and visuals to teach new concepts. As in previous grades, 5th graders are often asked to explain how they solve problems in order to ensure that they truly understand the concepts underlying the equations they solve.

In order to build math skills, your 5th grader:

• Uses addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to solve word problems.
• Adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides multi-digit numbers.
• Practices using parentheses and brackets in equations, knowing the proper order to use to solve the equations.
• Writes, adds, subtracts, multiplies, compares and rounds decimals.
• Solves division equations which include remainders, and divides numbers that have up to 4 digits by numbers that have up to 2 digits.
• Adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides fractions with different denominators.
• Plots fractions in the correct order on a line graph.
• Solves word problems which measure distance, time, size, money, area, perimeter and volume and uses whole numbers, fractions and decimals.
• Estimates and predicts answers to word problems and equations based on knowledgeable guesses.
• Understands the relationship between different units of measurement and is able to convert one unit to another (for example, centimeters to meters).
• Plots coordinates on graphs and compares their distance and positions.
• Reviews the qualities and different categories of 2-dimensional shapes.

Science Overview

Similar to other subjects in 5th grade, science lessons emphasize to students the importance of analyzing what they learn in order to deepen their thinking and knowledge and develop their own ideas and conclusions. For example, as they conduct experiments and investigate topics, they are encouraged to use these experiences to come up with conclusions and ideas and ask further questions for future experiments and investigations. Furthermore, they are asked to support these ideas and questions with specific reasons. In 5th grade, students will switch classes to learn the various science topics.

Here are the following units your child will learn about with each teacher:

• Mrs. Austin - Earth's Systems
• Mrs. Pisano - Life Science (nicole_pisano@wrsd.net)
• Mrs. Sullivan - Earth, Space, and Gravity (gina_sullivan@wrsd.net)
• Mrs. Walsh - Physical Science (amanda_engdahl@wrsd.net)

Social Studies Overview

5th grade curriculum focuses on American history beginning with the colonization of America through the end of the American Revolution. As 5th graders study social studies they are taught to analyze and think about the reasons behind events and why events occurred as well as make connections and comparisons.

In order to build social studies skills your 5th grader:

• Uses primary sources and different types of media such as film and art to learn about a historical event.
• Learns about historical events through the context of geography and where the events occurred and how the geography affected different events.
• Researches, organizes and presents research on various topics, events and figures.
• Discusses topics focusing on explaining an opinion using specific details, facts and reasons to support one's opinion.
• Uses technology to research both past and current events and topics.
• Deepens his/her understanding of government and civic responsibility.

Homework Expectations

The purpose of homework is to review and reinforce skills taught in the classroom. Students should be able to complete homework independently, but if they get frustrated they should stop. If that happens just send me an email or a note and I will review it with them in class.

In 5th grade, students can receive up to 50 minutes of homework a night. However, homework will vary night to night. At times students will receive homework that they have multiple nights to complete which will be considered a long term assignment. This may impact the amount of time they spend on homework on a given night. For example, a student may have more than 50 minutes of homework if they decided to complete a long term assignment in one night versus breaking it up over several nights. Sometimes there will be homework over the weekend which may include completing a long term assignment or studying for an assessment. All assignments will be posted on Google Classroom and written in student agenda books.

Communication

Home-school communication is important to students’ success. Please contact me with any questions, concerns, or to let me know if something is going on at home that might impact your child at school. Email is the quickest way to contact me but I am also available by phone or for in-person conferences before or after school.

Email: valerie_austin@wrsd.net

Phone: (508) 829-1754

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