Fifth Grade

Students in fifth grade continue to deepen skills in communication, reading, and writing. Students practice word recognition at higher levels, reading multisyllabic words fluently using knowledge of syllable types and word analysis skills (prefixes, suffixes, and root words). Students use the writing process to plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms, communicating well-developed ideas in multiple paragraphs. Students build knowledge, develop vocabulary, and deepen comprehension through close reading of increasingly complex text centered around content-integrated units of study.

The fifth-grade standards place emphasis on number sense with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. This focus includes concepts of prime and composite numbers, identifying even and odd numbers, and solving problems using order of operations for positive whole numbers. Students will develop proficiency in the use of fractions and decimals to solve practical problems. Students will collect, display, and analyze data in a variety of ways and solve probability problems, using a sample space, a tree diagram, or the Fundamental Counting Principle. Students will also solve problems involving volume, area, and perimeter. Students will be introduced to expressions with a variable. Students will solve problems using strategies including place value and the properties of addition and multiplication. All of these skills assist in the development of the algebraic concepts needed for success in the middle grades. Students will continue to develop more sophisticated ways to communicate and represent their mathematical thinking. Problem solving, reasoning, exploration, and connections are essential components of instruction so that students develop a deep understanding of concepts.

Transforming Matter and Energy

Grade five science takes a deeper dive into foundational concepts in physical science, and students begin to make connections between energy and matter. Students explore how energy is transformed, and learn about electricity, sound, and light. They also learn about the composition of matter, and explore how energy can change phases of matter. They apply an understanding of force, matter, and energy when they explore how the Earth’s surface changes. Students continue to develop scientific skills and processes as they pose questions and predict outcomes, plan and conduct investigations, collect and analyze data, construct explanations, and communicate information about the natural world. Mathematics and computational thinking gain importance as students advance in their scientific thinking. Students continue to use the engineering design process to apply their scientific knowledge to solve problems.

United States History to 1865

Students will use skills for historical and geographical analysis to explore the early history of the United States and understand ideas and events that strengthened the union. The standards for this course relate to the history of the United States from pre-Columbian times until 1865. Students will continue to learn fundamental concepts in civics, economics, and geography as they study United States history in chronological sequence and learn about change and continuity in our history. They also will study documents and speeches that laid the foundation for American ideals and institutions and will examine the everyday life of people at different times in the country’s history through the use of primary and secondary sources.