Curriculum

Expedition

The fifth graders will begin the year by developing their ability to read and understand complex text as they consider these questions: What are human rights? What lessons can we learn about human rights through literature and life? How can we tell powerful stories about people's experiences? They will read, summarize, and analyze eleven of the thirty articles in the Universal Declaration of Human rights, and apply them to several real-life historical and current events. They will grapple with high-level vocabulary words such as ‘inalienable’ and ‘dignity’, and use these words correctly as they write about human rights topics. As they move into the second unit in this module, they will connect these ideas to a fictional text by reading and discussing the novel Esperanza Rising.

Additional texts that align with this unit of study are listed below, should you want to extend learning and discussions at home:

• For Every Child: The Rights of the Child in Words and Pictures by Caroline Castle
• I Have the Right to be a Child by Alain Serres
• Giant Steps to Change the World by Spike Lee and Tanya Lewis Lee
• Out of War: True Stories from the Frontlines of the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia by Sara Cameron with UNICEF
• We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures by Amnesty International

Independent Work

The other major component of their morning will be Independent Work, a time when they will work on their own, in small groups, and one-on-one with me to strengthen and improve their reading and writing. On any given day, students will be first be finishing required tasks related to our Expedition and their guided reading group, and then will be able to choose between several literacy activities, including reading books of their choice from home or our classroom library; responding to their reading through writing; writing stories or reports on topics of their interest; and doing Word Work practice (spelling, grammar, Greek and Latin roots, etc). This is a very self-directed part of the day.

Words Their Way

This year students are using Words Their Way program, which is phonics, spelling, and vocabulary instruction through daily word study and focused skill instruction that covers spelling patterns and focus on manipulating words, not memorizing them.

The best part of a word study is that your child can sort words anywhere!

Depending on your child's specialized needs as determined by a thorough diagnostic assessment, a new set of word cards will be sent home at the beginning of the week. Students will need to complete short sorting activities to work on each day to reinforce the spelling patterns represented within each word (please see below for the word sorts & their instructions).

• Beginning of the Week: Differentiated word sort list and lesson based on spelling pattern is provided and sent home
• Daily at Home and at School - Student will choose a variety of ways to sort and manipulate their words (see below)
• End of the Week: Students test on their differentiated word sort list AND additional words that include the spelling pattern for the week of study