Fifth Grade: A Curriculum Overview
2010 - 2011*
(curriculum may change without notice)
General goals for the year:
Fifth grade will be an exciting and memorable school year for you and your child. All of us in the Bowman Elementary School's community want your child to promote their personal best work. That is why in fifth grade, we stress appropriate organizational skills, including time management, excellent study habits, and setting priorities. We also encourage each student to develop proper social skills to become a productive and responsible member of their communities. The third goal is for students to discover, with deep curiosity, to learn the main concepts through the fifth grade curriculum. It is the hope that your child will gain a love of learning throughout fifth grade and their entire lives.
Fifth grade curriculum theme:
Much of the curriculum for the fifth grade school year will be theme-related. Our themes will especially revolve around the areas of science and social studies. The theme linking our curriculum to the fifth grade will be known as Discovery.
I. Anthology/Guided Reading
The Lexington Public Schools uses the Scott Foresman Anthology Reading Series as their reading program. Through this curriculum, structured lessons will be taught to each student, so they may transfer these lessons into skills we use for everyday reading. Guided Reading, also known as "Book Groups," is also a major part of our reading program at Bowman Elementary School. Each student reads "grade-appropriate" literature with small group instruction. Each group generally consists of between five to eight students. These groups are predominantly homogeneous; students are matched with a novel to ensure that each child has a manageable amount of challenge.
II. Independent Reading
Independent Reading is a time when students devote and practice their understanding of what they have learned through direct instruction and modeling. Students should be able to choose and read a "just right" book. Students will be keeping a year long journal on the books they choose for independent reading. Homework will always include 30 minutes of reading a novel of the student's choice. Our school media center has many books that may be checked out and brought home to read. I ask that all classroom library books remain in the classroom at all times for all students to enjoy. Thank you.
III. Read Alouds
Read Alouds allow all students to have similar knowledge of the same stories. During read alouds we can share writing techniques and comparisons with other texts we are familiar with. The difference with shared reading is that in read alouds, only the teacher has a copy of the book.
VI. Whole Class Reading
During the school year we will occasionally read a novel together as a whole class, such as in the science and social studies curriculum. Each student will have their own copy of the book as we read together as a whole class. Everyone will become fully involved in the story at their own level.
We will be using the structure of Scott Foresman and The Six Traits of Writing as the framework for our writing instruction. This workshop will begin with a mini-lesson which focuses on certain aspects of writing. All students will work on their own pieces of writing. At the end of the workshop there will be sharing of some of the student's work. Drafting, revising, and editing will be done through peer conferencing and teacher conferencing.
We incorporate the John Collin's Writing Method:
Type 1 - Brainstorm/Draft
Type 2 - Correct for Content
Type 3 - Individual Revision/Editing
Type 4 - Peer Revision/Editing
Type 5 - Publishable Piece of Writing
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In addition to the Writer's Workshop, the students do writing for all curricular areas.
The Lexington Public Schools uses the Scott Foresman Anthology Reading Series combined with the Rebecca Sitton Spelling program which focuses the correct use of spelling words in all writing. Fifth graders will learn to spell their "high-frequency" words. These are words that are used most often in writing. All of these words will become their "priority words" throughout the year. "Priority words" must be spelled correctly 100% of the time in all writing assignments. We will conclude with approximately 75 words during this academic year. I thank you for your cooperation.
Along with the "high frequency" and "priority" words each week, which all students must learn to spell, students will also use the weekly spelling tests in the Scott Foresman Anthology Reading Series. This list consists of words that may be used in the weekly reading assignments.
Handwriting and Keyboarding Curriculum
In fifth grade, the students are expected to write in cursive for certain Type 5 writing assignments. This requirement will be extended through the academic year. Students will practice the formation of cursive letters throughout the school year.
Keyboarding will also continue to be taught to fifth graders using the "Type to Learn 3" computer program. Each class is given thirty minutes each week in the computer lab to successfully complete the program two times. At this time, we have five laptop computers in our classroom and three Alpha Smart keyboards. All computers run on the Mac OS X operating system. All students will have the opportunity to access the computers in our classroom.
All student work that this written by hand must be done in pencil unless otherwise noted.
The Lexington Public Schools uses the University of Chicago's "Everyday Math" Program. This program contains direct instruction, cooperative learning, sharing strategies, hands on activities, real-life problem solving opportunities and homework known as "Study Links." Students are exposed to a variety of problem solving strategies to develop a method that works best for them.
The following are a partial list of goals for our mathematics curriculum...
I. Number Sense
- Read whole numbers and decimals
- Identify place value to 100 billion and to the thousandths place
- Differentiate between prime and composite numbers
- Identify, name, and compare fractions greater and less than one
- Rename fractions and decimals
- Make equivalent fractions
- Apply the rules of divisibility
- Change simple fractions to decimals and percents
- Master multiplication and division through the twelves table
- Use factor strings, exponents, word form, number phrase, and scientific notation
- Round whole numbers and decimals
- Add and subtract fractions and decimals
- Recognize square roots of square numbers up to 144
- Uses calculator to find square roots and square numbers
- Multiplies fractions
- Read, write, and identify numbers up to 1,000,000
- Recognize and write money and decimals
- Master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts
- Estimation and rounding of figures
- Solving single and multistep work problems
II. Patterns, Relations, and Functions
- Uses a rule to complete a table
- Represents positive and negative balances with counters
- Write an algebraic expression with variables
- Uses a balance model for solving equations
- Identify patterns in tables and data
- Determining the validity of number sentences
- Using parentheses appropriately
- Solving sentences with a variable
III. Geometry and Measurement
- Reads a thermometer and number line
- Converts units of time and measurement
- Recognizes and compares metric units of length and volume
- Determines appropriate measurement to use
- Reads map legends and used scale to compute distances
- Uses tools for measurement (scales, protractors, compass, ruler)
- Uses a coordinate grid to identify points and graphs ordered pairs
- Finds area and perimeter of polygons
- Demonstrates an understanding of the sum of angles and circles
- Reading custom and metric units of measurement
- Using grids to coordinate regions, directions, and routes
- Understanding time zones
- Line segments, lines, and rays (lines of symmetry)
- Classifying polygons and angles (compasses and protractors)
IV. Statistics and Probability
- Finds and uses maximum, minimum, mean, median, mode, and range
- Interprets a data table and circle graph
- Uses data to draw conclusions
- Demonstrates an understanding of sampling
- Draws conclusions about sampling
- Constructs a graph from a given set of data
- Collecting and organizing data
- Examining maximum, minimum, range, median, and mode
- Understanding chance events
The Everyday Math Program is supplemented in the following ways:
- Problem Solving Enrichment
- Multiplication and Division Quizzes (Timed)
I. Inquiry Skills:
- Uses appropriate science process skills: asking questions, observing, classifying, measuring, predicting, inferring, recognizing patterns, recording and analyzing data
- Plans and conducts simple investigations that include “fair tests” (with controlled variables) where appropriate
- Clearly communicates science-related ideas through writing, drawing and discussion.
II. Electric Circuits and Magnetism:
- Classifies materials into electrical conductors and non-conductors (insulators) by performing tests
- Demonstrates that a complete circuit can be constructed in more than one way using the same materials
- Builds a simple switch
- Discovers that electricity can produce light, heat, sound, motion and magnetism
- Recognizes that magnets have poles and that sometimes the poles attract each other and sometimes repel
- Makes an electromagnet and demonstrates how to change its force
- Constructs a model that utilizes electric circuits; explains the type of circuits involved and how they work in the model
- Relates the amount of electricity used and pollutants resulting from its generation
III. Investigating and Inventing:
- Describes scientists and engineers in a way that reflects a diversity in race, gender and scientific interests
- Understands that scientists design different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they are trying to answer and that engineers design different kinds of inventions depending on the problems for which they seek solutions
- Raises questions about the world and is willing to seek answers by making careful observations and trying things out
- Recognizes when comparisons might not be fair because some conditions are not kept the same
- Offers a reasonable explanation for the results of their investigation and considers explanations suggested by others
- Plans and designs a prototype to solve a practical problem; tests prototype and revises design to improve it
- Supports point of view with scientific evidence and/or test results
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- Raises questions about the world
- Understands scientists may design different investigations
- Recognizes comparisons may not be fair under certain conditions
- Supports a point of view with scientific evidence
IV. Simple Machines:
- Identifies six simple machines
- Recognizes that simple machines make it easier to do work
- Designs and constructs a compound machine consisting of two or more simple machines and shows that it can be used to solve a problem
V. Meteorology: (pilot year)
- Identifies the components of weather: air: temperature, pressure, and wind, water: clouds and precipitation
- Measures properties of weather using various weather instruments
- Explains that climate is average weather over a period of decades
The Bowman Big Backyard Experience for fifth grade will be nature walks.
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Social Studies Curriculum
I. Native Americans, Explorers, and Early America
- Describes encounter between Native Americans and Explorers
- Explains the reasons for historical world exploration
- Identifies and describes the experiences of explorers
- Distinguishes the thirteen colonies by location and type
- Describes how and why each colony was founded
- Describes each colony geographically, economically, culturally, and politically
- Expresses the choices colonists made concerning settlement and economic opportunity
II. Colonists
- Identifies events leading up to the American Revolution
- Describes major events of the American Revolution and their impact
- Describes the formation of the United States government
- Identifies major United States government documents
- Uses input devices (Alphasmarts, keyboards, mice, printers)
- Accesses programs (Appleworks, Type to Learn)
- Navigates within a program
- Saves files over a network (Appleworks, Type to Learn)
- Practices responsible use of hardware, software, and networks
- Edits text in a word processing document (Appleworks, Word)
- Formats text in a word processing document
- Imports graphics into a word processing document
- Defines column, row, and a cell in a spreadsheet (Appleworks)
- Collects and enters data in a spreadsheet
- Enters formulas into a spreadsheet
- Creates a slideshow using text and graphics (Keynote or Powerpoint)
- Accesses curriculum related world wide web sites (with parent permission)
*Excerpts adapted from Lexington Public Schools Elementary Handbook
**Curriculum is subject to change without notice
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