Curriculum
Fifth Grade is packed full of excitement, adventure, and an abundance of learning. The fifth graders turn a corner regarding their level of responsibilities and come to understand the need for self-discipline. As the middle school grades approach, we are confident that the experiences at this grade level will give our students a firm foundation on which to build.
The goal of the fifth grade religion program is to challenge the students to begin thinking about their Catholic faith and through that process to develop their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The students study the Bible and what it tells us about Jesus Christ. Fifth graders study the Sacraments to develop a deeper understanding of how they bring us closer to Jesus. We have open discussions about our faith and pray together in class. Family life is taught in the spring of the year. This unit is taught in both religion and science. In religion, the objectives of this unit align with our unit on the Sacrament of Marriage. In science the students are presented with general information on human reproduction.
Fifth grade literature is taught through the use of trade books and supplemental materials. The primary focus of our reading program is to strengthen comprehension and to build a qualitative and quantitative vocabulary. Students are given a variety of opportunities to enhance their understanding of the material, including scene plays, book reports and review.
The English curriculum is comprised of proper grammar usage and the augmenting of the students’ basic writing skills. In fifth grade, the students learn the parts of speech, types of sentences and paragraphs, the writing process, and much, much more!
Spelling, another component of fifth grade language arts, serves to instruct students in the correct patterns of letters that form words and the correct use of the phonics rules. It also provides students with the tools to recognize the incorrect usage of letter patterns and rules, in order to edit their own and others’ writing.
Fifth grade math uses the Houghton Mifflin textbook series. We start the year with a review and further study of the place value of numbers. It is expected that students already know the basic math facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. We do spend time reviewing these basic operations using larger numbers as their concepts of numbers have broadened. An in-depth unit of study is fractions. Fifth grade also works with units in geometry, measurement, and graphing. Emphasis is placed on mathematical vocabulary and correctly using/understanding math terms for solving problems. There is much practice with problem solving strategies using story problems, and multi-step problems, which also reinforce the practice of math facts.
Fifth grade social studies consists largely of American and Minnesota history plus several world history units. One of the major goals of fifth grade social studies is that students understand how governments and societies are formed, how they evolve in response to people’s needs and demands, and how the struggles and achievements of the past still affect us today. To achieve this goal, the curriculum utilizes a wide variety of engaging activities such as role-playing, journaling, art creations, debates, skits, and Internet projects.
Fifth grade science combines hands-on experiments, student projects, class discussions, and offers opportunities for success to students with many different learning styles. The fifth grade year begins with several life science units, involving the study and classification of all living things. The year ends with a unit on the environment, which includes ecosystems, biomes and pollution. Fifth graders traditionally find science to be a fun and exciting class, allowing the teacher to capitalize on their enthusiasm to generate impressive levels of learning.
A major highlight of the the fifth grade is writing and presenting PRIDE, a student-based assembly. Students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade gather each month to showcase and share activities and special projects from the various classrooms. The fifth grade students enjoy their involvement in this tradition.
Highlights of Subject Areas
Language Arts/Reading
Language Arts Block Daily
Math
Reinforce basic skills and lay the foundation for algebra
Science
Last year where curriculum is spread out in 3 units-life, earth, physical.
Social Studies
American and Minnesota History
Religion
Character development, Friendship Retreat
Field Trips
Art Institute
Orchestra Hall
Science Museum
Friendship Retreat