Grade 5 Curriculum

Overview

In Fifth Grade, teachers focus on easing students into Middle School by emphasizing personal responsibility, time management, and self‑control. Students are thrilled to claim lockers, navigate independently between Middle  School classrooms, and use their iPads for increasingly sophisticated academic tasks.

While learning to keep lockers and binders organized, juggle multiple homework assignments and projects, and participate maturely in lively class discussions, they also celebrate key milestones: leading their first parent‑teacher conference in October, joining the Leadership Summit during the Month of the Young Adolescent, and collaborating with older peers during snack and lunch, and through student government, school dances, and clubs. The year culminates in a spring overnight trip to Frost Valley, where students reflect as a class and apply the communication and team‑building skills they have honed to real‑life situations they may encounter throughout their Middle School journey.

Language and Literature

Language and Literature in the Fifth Grade serves to enrich the Individuals & Societies and Essential Questions curriculums, while developing vital grammar, writing and editing skills necessary for success throughout middle school, high school, college and beyond. Going beyond basic comprehension, class discussions reach toward a deeper understanding of the characters and plot, as well as the author’s intent and writing techniques. Students are asked to write about the literature, developing essay skills, persuasive and expository writing skills, in addition to creative and technical writing mechanics. Spelling and vocabulary are also addressed through reading and writing assignments. Throughout the year, students also focus on typing projects using the basic guidelines for MLA formatting.

Individuals and Societies

Individuals and Societies begins with a study of man’s prehistoric beginnings, explores the Neolithic Revolution, and analyzes the development of several ancient civilizations. The curriculum uses both a textbook and literature chosen to bring this era to life. Readings, discussions and activities focus on geography, society, religion, art and architecture, achievements and government. Students develop critical and creative thinking skills by connecting ancient history to today’s world through a variety of projects and writing assignments.

Mathematics

The core of Fifth Grade Math is to develop greater efficiency with all four operations, including basic facts, regrouping, and mental math, while working with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. Students also delve deeper into geometry, measurement, graphing, and probability, and learn to describe and explain mathematical concepts in class discussions and in writing. The common Fifth Grade question, “Is this right?” is often met with, “Explain why you think it’s right.” Students learn to look more at the process and algorithms rather than just the answer.

Science

Fifth Grade covers concepts in Physical, Life, and Earth Science which follow the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards). Units include Gravity and the Four Spheres, Solar System Patterns and Star Brightness, Plant and Abiotic Resources, Matter Movement Among Organisms and the Environment, Visualizing Matter and Compounds, and Theories of Matter. Each unit includes opportunities to explore concepts in greater depth through labs and investigations. Field trips allow students to explore concepts in real-life settings.

Co-Curriculars

Grade 5 Students partake in several co-curricular activities such as music, art, physical education, and world language. Please see our Beyond Core Academics page.