Grade 5

Integrated Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Health

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Integrated Language Arts

In fifth grade, children extend their reading experiences to include a wider variety of genres including historical fiction, adventure, mystery, biography, fantasy, poetry, and nonfiction. These sources provide opportunities to engage in literary discussion and promote understanding of literature. Readers continue to use prior knowledge, make predictions, and connect their own experiences to the text. They self-monitor while reading and use fix-up strategies when needed. At this level, students are challenged to extend their thinking to higher levels. The writing process becomes integrated into all curricular areas. Authentic tasks which require writing for a variety of purposes become the focus. Speaking and listening skills continue to be refined.

Essential Unit Outcomes

The goal for fifth grade students is to reach independence with developing level outcomes. By the end of the school year, the fifth grade student will:

1. Reflect an interest in reading.

2. Reflect an interest in writing.

3. Attempt new techniques in reading.

4. Attempt new techniques in writing.

5. Listen effectively.

6. Identify and use parts of books.

7. Make sensible miscues.

8. Recognize story elements.

9. Identify what is learned from informative texts.

10. Set purpose for reading.

11. Make predictions.

12. Use self knowledge for summarization for meaning.

13. Use cuing systems.

14. Use prior knowledge.

15. Use fix-up strategies.

16. Discuss global understanding related to various texts.

17. Develop interpretations related to various texts.

18. Discuss author's craft related to various texts.

19. Give personal responses to various texts.

20. Identify topics and purposes for writing (to persuade, to inform, to react).

21. Use appropriate styles for the purposes of particular pieces of writing.

22. Engage in the stages of process writing.

23. Orally focus on a topic.

24. Speak expressively.

25. Give peer responses.

26. Identify and use appropriate technologies and resources to perform an authentic task.

27. Identify and use appropriate spelling and language conventions when communicating.

28. Prepare for and work collaboratively to perform a task.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Read to and with your child at least 15 minutes a day.
Visit the library regularly to allow choice of a variety of age-appropriate books, magazines, and newspapers.
If your child is reading and comes to an unknown word, prompt him/her with "What would make sense there?"
Provide real-life writing opportunities (letters to friends or relatives, thank-you notes, scrapbooks, diaries, shopping lists).
Spend quality time talking with and listening to your child tell about daily experiences. These could be written in a journal or scrapbook.

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Mathematics

Mathematics Website

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Science

In the fifth grade science program, students study units on earth science, rocks and minerals, soil analysis, populations, and ecosystems. The earth science unit and the rocks and minerals unit consist of a large number of activities which have a geological emphasis. Simple tests requiring the student to investigate, observe, collect, organize, and display data are applied to rocks and minerals, weathering, erosion, and sedimentation. Using this process, students analyze some chemical and physical properties of twelve rocks and minerals and develop a classification key to identify other rocks and minerals. In the populations unit, students attempt to estimate the number of fruit flies in a culture, duckweed in an aquarium, and daphnia; predict the increase in populations, and explain the decrease when the food supply is exhausted. In the ecosystems unit, students use a wide variety of science processes to develop an aquarium that will sustain a variety of life.

Essential Unit Outcomes

The fifth grade student will:

1. Use various means to differentiate minerals.

2. Observe and classify minerals and soil types based on physical properties.

3. Use knowledge of soil formation and erosion to explore original means of soil conservation.

4. Follow erosion experiments to infer the importance of soil conservation.

5. Use knowledge of weathering and erosion to generate questions and develop appropriate experiments.

6. Design models which demonstrate weathering, erosion, and sedimentation.

7. Organize and communicate observed data.

8. Evaluate soil types to determine which types of soil are best for various purposes.

9. Identify what resources populations need to survive.

10. Collect, organize, and display baseline population data for daphnia, duckweed, or fruit flies and tell how data may change over time.

11. Evaluate and support the possible uses of minerals based on gathered data and support reasoning to others.

12. Investigate the effects of variables on population change.

13. Observe and identify the parts of daphnia, duckweed, crayfish, or fruit flies.

14. Investigate the function of the parts of daphnia, duckweed, crayfish, or fruit flies.

15. Observe and describe the forces that change the land.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Provide experiences related to the environment such as recycling, landscaping, gardening, nature walks, and/or star gazing.

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Social Studies

The fifth grade social studies curriculum presents the story of the development of our nation, with the emphasis on the period up to 1783. Building upon the students' prior knowledge, it provides a chronological structure to the early development of the United States. Through the study of Native Americans, the Age of Exploration, the Thirteen Colonies, the Road to Independence, and Creating a New Government, students gain an understanding and appreciation of the values and attitudes that have built our country. Students will use a variety of resources and real-life situations to integrate the ideas of history, geography, economics, citizenship, values, attitudes, and multi-cultural and global studies through the humanities.

Essential Unit Outcomes

The fifth grade student will:

1. Use a variety of sources to formulate a definition of history and connect events of the past to current events.

2. Examine different explanations for how Native Americans arrived and settled on the North American continent.

3. Differentiate between five Native American cultural regions and consider their attitudes toward the environment.

4. Use a variety of resources to gather information to compare Spanish, French, Dutch, and English settlements and the impact of each on the development of the United States.

5. Compare Spanish, Italian French, Dutch and English explorers, the countries they represented, the land they claimed and settled, and their impact on existing cultures, then share the information.

6. Describe, analyze, and evaluate reasons for establishing early settlements and American colonies.

7. Using the geographical location of different colonies, analyze how physical and human characteristics of the environment affected aspects of the culture.

8. Evaluate the causes and results of the French and Indian War.

9. Explain the reasons for taxation and the impact of taxes on the colonists.

10. Apply geographical concepts and processes to evaluate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

11. Examine decisions and analyze conflicts between conscience and respect for authority related to the American Revolution and evaluate the colonial reactions.

12. Convey respect for diverse peoples by recognizing the contributions of Native American and African American groups to the creation of our democratic society.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Provide opportunities for your child to experience cultural diversity (ethnic celebrations, ethnic foods, visit museums, historical landmarks, national parks).

Help your child to become aware of the history and geography of his/her country.

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Health

The health and safety program is designed to help children achieve and maintain healthy bodies and healthy minds and to help children recognize and react in a positive manner to situations regarding safety.

Fifth grade students study family life and human development, and personal hygiene. There is continued focus on substance abuse, nutrition, and personal safety. Students also learn some first aid procedures and how to recognize an emergency. In addition, pioneers in medicine are included.

Essential Unit Outcomes

The fifth grade student will:

1. Examine the impact of specific coping behaviors on self and others.

2. Evaluate the effectiveness of various personal coping behaviors.

3. Define personal strategies for making decisions.

4. Develop strategies for goal setting.

5. Identify principles that influence interpersonal relationships.

6. Identify social factors that influence drug use.

7. Identify and practice assertive behavior to resist pressures to become drug involved.

8. Practice techniques for resisting peer pressure to use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.

9. Practice skills in decision making and apply them to situations involving drug abuse.

10. Analyze how external forces such as socioeconomic changes, media, and job pressures influence family relationships.

11. Identify the anatomy of the human reproductive system.

12. Explain the physiology of the human reproductive systems.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Help your children learn to make good decisions (drugs, peer pressure, nutrition, right vs. wrong, exercise).