Grade 5 Curriculum

Social Studies

Focus

• Geography of the United States, Canada, and Mexico
• History of the United States from the first Americans up to the mid 1800’s

Methods and Materials:

• Text: Build Our Nation,  American History and Geography  (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003)
• Workbook
• Supplemental worksheet
• Atlas, globe, maps, encyclopedia, electronic encyclopedia, and the Internet

Grades:

Grades are based on Chapter tests, quizzes, homework, projects. and class participation.

Projects are long term using class time as well as for homework. Students will work in small groups or individually. Research for projects will be conducted using print material as well as using the Internet. All Internet research done at school will use approved children’s search engines or use specific web addresses reviewed by myself.

We will also have a mock Town Meeting where students will debate a question of local interest.

Some thoughts:

I want to tell you about our social studies program. We will be studying United States history this year, beginning with the geography of the Americas and the first peoples and cultures. We'll go on to explore the first encounters with people from other continents, the growth of the American colonies, the American Revolution, the formation of the new nation's government, and the expansion of the nation. In addition, we will be including local history through visits to local historical sites and a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village.

This is an important year for students. They will learn about the social and political issues that have shaped our country-some of which still challenge our efforts to govern, protect, and provide for the many different people of this huge country. Students may begin to see more clearly how their education in social studies will come into full play when they become adults with greater responsibility for themselves and increased opportunities for involvement in their nation and their world.

As we begin the school year, I want to remind you that your involvement is very important to your child's intellectual and personal development. There will be many opportunities throughout the year for you to support your child's learning. After all, social studies is not just about facts and dates; it's about people-what they need, how they interact, how they solve their conflicts, and what they want for themselves and for others. These are issues you concern yourselves with as a family every day.

I look forward to working with you and your child, and to a rewarding year for all of us.

Math

Grade 5 students are divided into two heterogenous groups. One group stays in the fifth grade homeroom for math with Mrs. Ethier, while the other group has their class with Mrs. MacDonough in the Math Room. At the mid-year piont, the groups switch teachers. The text that we use is Houghton Mifflin Math 2007 edition.

Topics covered:

• Place Value/Addition and Subtraction
• Multiplication, Division, and Algebra
• Measurement: Data and Graphing
• Addition and Subtraction of Fractions and Decimals
• Multiplication and Division of Fractions and Decimals
• Geometry and Measurement
• Ratio, Proportion, Percent, and Probability
• Algebra, Integers, and Coordinate Graphing
• Problem Solving
• Writing in Math

Students are involved in a program we call Skills Drills. This is an opportunity for the students to practice their basic facts and to improve on their performance. Students that have not mastered the basic facts should continue to practice with their flashcards. Once per week math class is a double-block and we often use this time for whole group hands-on activities. Problem solving activities occur frequently, and we often ask the students to explain how they got their answers in writing.

Some thoughts:

Each chapter in our math book has lessons dedicated to problem solving activities. Each chapter introduces a new problem solving strategy and has at least one other problem solving lesson. The problem solving strategies taught are:

• Act It Out
• Look for a Pattern
• Guess and Check
• Make a Table
• Make a List
• Work A Simpler Problem
• Work Backwards
• Logical Reasoning

Each lesson consists of an example with a detailed description of how to use the strategy. Students then try some problems using the strategy. Follow-up problems are given as homework from the Practice Workbook. The workbook page does not have an example of the strategy; only problems for the student to solve.

If your child has a difficult time with the problem solving strategies when doing his/her homework ask him/her about what strategy they should be using. If the textbook is at home refer to the lesson and review the example. (The lesson number is located on the upper left-hand corner of the textbook page and the workbook page.) If you have the "Math at Hand" book you can use this as a reference. Many problems can be solved with more than one strategy; if the focus strategy does not seem to be working, try something else. All of the problems in the workbook can be solved by one of the fifth grade strategies. Although many of the problems also could be solved using algebra, we do not expect the students to use skills they have not yet been taught.

As a last resort, write us a note on the homework page stating that your child gave his/her 'best effort" for 20 minutes but could still not solve the problems. We will review the problems in math class.

Science

The Science Program here at St. Mary School is designed around scientific understanding of the physical world and the process that is used to gain this understanding. The goal is to provide each student with the opportunity to understand and explore the physical world that we have before us. I look upon science as a tool for discovery, and not an end result. Science is more about asking the right questions, than getting the expected answers. Science cannot answer all questions, but it is willing to ask them. This is the approach that I take into the classroom. The science for grade five is to consist of three units. For each unit, the students will use one of the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series texts.

The first unit is the Earth Science unit. It will have the students using the text "Earth's Changing Surface." In this unit they will learn about the surface of the planet and the factors that bring about change. This will include maps, weathering, erosion, and deposition. The unit will finish with a study of the history of the planet’s surface including a study of fossils, the geological time scale and dinosaurs.

The second unit is the space unit. The students will be using the text “Astronomy.” Here they will continue their study of our planet and it’s moon. The planets in our solar system, our galaxy, and the universe including comets and asteroids will also be included.

In the Third unit, the students will be using the text "From Bacteria to Plants." They will be learning about life science from the simplest life forms through the kingdom of plants. The unit begins with an introduction to the scientific process, and how to be a student of science. This will be followed by section on how science defines life, and how science organizes and classifies life. Next they will explore viruses, bacteria, and the roles these play in our world. They will learn about the kingdoms of Protists and Fungi, and finish off the unit with the plant kingdom. In studying plants they will learn about mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.

The students will have workbooks and handouts to support the texts. Homework assignments are given weekly and along with the labs. The lab work is mostly data collection and recorded in a logbook, with the analysis and conclusions portion completed at home. The students are expected to read the current section in the text each night for fifteen minutes and take some form of notes (the bulk of the notes are taken in class). No assignment should take more than 30 minutes on a given night, some of the labs may have involved questions, but they are given multiple nights to complete these assignments. If a student requires greater than 30 minutes, they should stop and see me in the morning or at the beginning of class.

They will be quizzed weekly, to assess the students progress and retention of material and their comprehension of the terminology. Tests will come at the end of each unit.

Labs will be bi-weekly and are intended to support the material that is being covered in the text.

Each quarter the students should expect about 10 homeworks (20%), 10 Quizzes (40%), 5 Labs (20%), 2 Tests (20%).

Religious Education

Here at St. Mary School we attempt to create an atmosphere of Christian values and ideals. We teach the children to look upon Religion, not as another subject, but rather as a way of living, a process of developing a lifelong relationship with God. This goal is achieved through various means, one of which is our Religion textbook. In addition to the basic text, we begin and end our school day with prayer. All students learn about Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, the Saints, the Blessed Mother, and the Holy Days of Obligation. During the seasons of Advent and Lent, the Fourth and Fifth Graders are given the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In May all the children participate in the "Living Rosary" and the crowning of Mary.

In the Fifth Grade Religion curriculum, the central theme of the text entitled We Believe, We Meet Jesus in the Sacraments by Sadlier highlights the reception of each Sacrament. The students are taught that they encounter Christ in an intimate way through the sacramental life of the Catholic Church. The students are taught to enflesh the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and the Beatitudes by reaching out to those in need through various service projects performed throughout the school year. They respond to the particular needs that arise as far away as Haiti, or as close as St. Anne's Food Bank here in Shrewsbury. The children are taught to put their love of God into action.

Language Arts Program

Literature

In Grade 5 Literature, we are using the Story Town series by Harcourt. This series contains award-winning literature of many genres, which engage students' interest, and inspire them to read and write.

Story Town is a research based developmental reading and language arts program. The foundation of the program is high quality children’s literature and informational texts organized into six themes. “Book Check Jr.,” a precursor to the 7th and 8th Grade “Book Check,” will supplement students’ text book anthology by encouraging them to read contemporary and classic works of quality literature and respond to that literature in an in-class book report format.

Materials:

• Story Town Text
• Story Town Practice Workbook
• Supplemental activity and work sheets

English

In Grade 5 English and Writing, we are using the Story Town series. The emphasis will be placed on studying grammar as a way to enhancing writing. We will study sentence structure, and parts of speech.

We will use the John Collins Writing Program as the basis for learning about the writing process, and we will learn about narrative, informative, persuasive, and descriptive writing.

Materials:

• Story Town Grammar Practice Workbook
• Supplemental activity and work sheets

Spelling

In Spelling, we will use a combination of several spelling lists, including lists of high-frequency and often misspelled words. These will be used weekly for homework assignments and spelling tests. Students will be expected to spell these words correctly in their daily writing.

Materials:

• Weekly activity and work sheets
• Supplemental activity and work sheets

Grading will be based on tests, quizzes, in-class work, homework, and other assignments.

Study Skills

The purpose of the Study Skills Course is to help students become the best they can be, by learning new academic and interpersonal skills. Using a combination of discussion and practical application, students will learn to incorporate the skills they are learning into all areas of the curriculum. Students will keep a Study Skills folder, containing class notes and handouts.

Specific skills will include:

• Using planners and calendars
• Time management and organization
• Reading skills
• Homework how-to's
• Note-taking skills
• Memorization techniques
• Test-taking skills
• Project planning
• Interpersonal skills, such as conflict resolution and cooperative work

Spanish

The Spanish curriculum in grade five is designed to make learning Spanish interesting, easy and fun. Students learn by singing songs in Spanish, playing games, solving puzzles, drawing, rhythmic repetition, making and using flash cards. Each class begins with the prayer "Padre Nuestro".

Vocabulary is increased and includes descriptive adjectives. Students learn to speak and write simple sentences and answer questions using quien (who), que (what), por que (why), como (how), donde (where) and cuando (when).

Favorite games called "Follow the Trail", "Tacos" and "Around the World" are used to review and reinforce vocabulary.

Technology

Technology is integrated across the curriculum in Grades PreK-8. The Massachusetts Department of Education Recommended Instructional Technology Standards can be found here. The following is a sampling of technology use and is subject to change based on new applications and curriculum. Students in Grade 3 through 5 use desktop computers in their classroom and have weekly technology classes using the wireless computer lab. Weekly Computer Activites:

• Continue with Type to Learn 3
• Create a poster using Print Shop
• Power Point slideshow with 5 slides using wordart, clipart, change of font and font color, and adding background
• Internet research using search engines and/or teacher reviewed sites; how to access student link page from home; site the web sources used in research; Internet safety
• Webquests that support the curriculum
• Word processing using features of various toolbars in Word.