Grade 5
English Language Arts
Fifth graders continue to read more challenging materials. They are expected to clearly summarize what they have learned from reading and discussions and give evidence and details from their materials to support that. Students determine the theme of a story, play or poem and tell how the characters respond to challenges. They read to answer questions or solve a problem with information from several books, articles or online sources. In writing, they use the Reading and Writing Companion as they continue to develop skills to gather, organize, interpret and present information.
Math
Fifth grade math challenges students to work fully with fractions and more with decimals, including adding and subtracting decimals. Algebraic thinking increases with the use of rules and tables, as well as evaluating expressions and solving equations. Properties are introduced as well as inequalities. Geometry includes nets and volumes, but also graphing positive ordered pairs on coordinate planes. Students begin looking at probability through mean, median and range. We love to see continued support at home with mastering multiplication and division facts.
Science
Science in fifth grade teaches students about landforms and environments and simple machines.
Social Studies
What really happened at the Boston Massacre? Who lived in the Americas before Columbus? And what was debated at the Constitutional Convention? These are just a few of the questions that students will explore in 5th grade as they begin the study of early American history. Students also learn about core concepts in the Bill of Rights, the separation of powers, and economic decision-making systems.