Language Arts covers reading (skills, literature books) grammar, and writing. Daily assignments will be given. We will be reading many novels throughout the year as well as nonfiction topics in our National Geographic Units. Students will be involved in researching and presenting group projects. Students are required to have a book at their desk for our daily silent reading time. Also 20 minutes of at home reading is part of their daily homework.
Everyday Math is a spiral curriculum which connects the skills learned in math to the outside world. Students will have daily practice work in math. Students will also work on performance tasks related to the concepts covered. This is another way the students will be able to show their understanding of the concepts and help the teacher look at specific areas for reteaching or enrichment. Students will be given class time to complete the performance assessments.
Science will consist of hands-on learning. We begin the year with a unit on Electricity. The students will then use their knowledge of electricity to work with littleBits elelctronics. The students will use the design method to engineer different projects using littleBits. The students will also use thier enginneering skills in a unit on Energy Conservation. Our goal is to bring awareness to the whole school on how to be smart users of energy. Later in the year the students will experiment with a unit on Variables. In this unit the students learn how to set up a controlled experiment and how to test different variables. Our last unit will be on plants and living things. This unit explores the life science of plants and animals. In Health the fifth graders will study to 9 body systems and focus on the respiratory system. It is important for the students to understand how our bodies work and how to keep our bodies healthy.
Fifth grade Social Studies begins with learning about the European Explorers who discovered our great land. Settling the Thirteen Colonies and Westward Expansion will follow. After the Colonists are told they can't have the land they won in the French and Indian war, they revolt! Taxes follow. The American Revolution is on! After winning their independence, the new country must decide how to govern itself. Next comes more Westward Expansion with Conestoga Wagons and the Oregon Trail! The Underground Railroad enables many runaway slaves to find freedom in the North. Our year will close with a unit about the Civil War.
Relgion in 5th grade focuses on continuing to grow in our faith through the study of prayer, parts of the Mass, the 7 Sacraments, Saints in our church, and the study of the Works of Mercy. We also frequently attend Adoration on Thursdays and pray the rosary monthly. At the end of the year we will start the Family Life Series which will focus on the beauty of our changing bodies.
Spelling tests are given weekly to students given every Thursday.
Our 5th & 6th Graders are offered enrichment opportunities that are built into their curriculum. We call these multi-age classes, "Learning Labs". Students take one of these classes two times a week each semester. The labs we offer include: Engineering & Design, 3D Art, Art, Video Design, and Rhythm & Logic. The classes are designed to encourage students to think outside the box and explore their imaginations. Important abilities are ignited through these offerings, such as: problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, and more!