5th Grade

Welcome to Fifth Grade! This is a crucial year as it bridges the gap between the Lower School and the Middle School. Students in Fifth Grade are introduced to Midterm Exams and Final Exams which will continue throughout Middle School. While in Fifth Grade, students have the opportunity to earn money for acts of kindness, spectacular behavior, and for following the class rules. Money can be lost for not following the rules and for unacceptable behavior. The students’ earned money comes in handy for Business Day in January and the end-of-the-year Auction in May. This money system teaches the students accountability and personal responsibility, which are two extremely vital skills to possess during Fifth Grade and throughout students’ academic careers.

The curriculum of Fifth Grade is as follows:
• Classic and contemporary literature is analyzed and discussed in Reading, with spelling/vocabulary words taken from each novel. A different style of book report is assigned at the end of each novel study to ensure comprehension while using diverse aspects of technology.

• Math concentrates on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers, integers, decimals, and fractions. Place value, probability, measurement, and a plethora of other topics are taught at an accelerated level.

• English is taught in conjunction with Writing. This way, the skills learned in English can be transferred into students’ writing.

• History and Geography are incorporated in the Social Studies curriculum, which includes units on early civilization, the English colonies, the American Revolution, Civil War times, and the twentieth century. A supplemental resource, Time For Kids, is utilized every week to keep up with current events.

• Science is covered in three units: Earth Science, Physical Science, and Life Science. Hands-on labs are conducted weekly; interactive games on the SmartBoard are also incorporated to build on the week’s lessons.

Fifth Grade students also participate in the following Specials:
• Señora Arroyo teaches Spanish two days a week in the Fifth Grade classroom.

• Art occurs twice a week and is taught by Mrs. Jacobs in the Art classroom. The students will express themselves by honing their skills and techniques with a variety of materials. They will start to recognize famous works and styles of art, as well as develop an art vocabulary. Creativity and self-expression are encouraged.

• Ms. Wallace teaches Music twice a week in the Music classroom. Pitch matching, good vocal sound quality, team singing for a uniformed sound, vocal warm-ups, sight singing exercises, note reading, music theory concepts, music flash cards, key signatures, notation of notes, basic song writing, composition of scales, and traditional songs are all taught and mastered. Orff instruments are introduced to incorporate improvisation. The students also participate in a Christmas concert and a Spring concert each year.

• Once a week, Fifth Grade joins Mrs. Williams in the Library, where she guides them in picking their AR books, as well as allows them time to read silently and take AR tests.

• Sacred Studies is taught once a week by Father William in the Sacred Studies classroom. The overarching theme is love of God, self, and others. The students will learn Jesus’ summary of the Law, that God is Love, and that prayer is talking and listening to God. They will also explore various Bible stories, serve as Readers for Morning Prayer Chapel services, and practice service to others. Also, they review the I-Care Rules and practice mediation and conflict resolution. Fifth Grade shares P.E. with the Middle School students at the end of every day under the supervision of Coach Cleveland, Coach Keiper, Coach Fox, and Coach Wideroff. Physical Education will teach age-appropriate fundamentals of several sports, including how to properly catch and throw a ball, how to catch and run with an irregular shaped ball in Flag Football, how to dribble and shoot a basketball, how to manipulate and shoot a ball using the feet in Soccer, how to control and shoot a puck with a stick in Hockey, how to hit a ball off of a tee and control a putt in Golf, how to hit and return a ball in Tennis, how to field and throw a ball in Lacrosse, and proper running technique in Track.