What's Happening in Fifth Grade?

Science is an exciting subject in fifth grade.  We create ponds and terrariums and fill them with fish and anoles to help us study ecosystems and food chains.  We study sound and light energy and finish up the physical science unit with a section on electricity.  We also cover the Solar System and the bodies that make it up. 

Social Studies starts off with our Native American unit.  We cover the tribes of the different regions of North America.  We end it with a festival that involves authentic music, dance, food and exhibitions.  From there, we work our way across the United States learning about the states and regions.  We also focus on how our government runs.

Math keeps us extremely busy.  We recently adopted a new math series.  The students are engaged in a variety of activities everyday.  These activities range from pencil and paper work to card games and other “brain busters”.  The curriculum is spiraled so concepts keep returning again and again throughout the year.  We’ve been seeing great results.

Reading skills are taught throughout the entire day and across the curriculum.  We focus on fluency, comprehension, decoding and other skills needed to make strong readers.  We have several novels that we read together and a few that are independently completed.

English centers on the writing process.  We work on drafting, revising, editing and producing a final product.  We also study grade level grammar and mechanics.

Above all is religion.  The sacraments are a major focus in fifth grade.  In addition, we “travel” the Liturgical Calendar and focus on the message of Jesus.