Fifth Grade
"Fifth graders stand at a threshold. They still love to know, and they are just beginning to love to wonder why. We honor both, and we get them ready for the leap into reasoning that comes next."
Kelly Cochran
Fifth Grade Teacher
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Fifth graders stand at a threshold, and I consider it a privilege to walk them toward it. They still love to know things, and they are just beginning to love to wonder why, so I build a classroom that honors both the foundation they have built and the reasoning they are ready to begin. Our reading turns toward analysis and discussion, where students learn to weigh evidence, consider more than one interpretation, and defend a thoughtful opinion with respect for others. Their writing becomes more argument-driven and their math more abstract, asking them to justify their thinking rather than simply arrive at an answer. As the oldest students in the Lower School, my fifth graders also grow into leaders and role models, and I give them real responsibility so they can practice it. My deepest goal is to send them into the Upper School prepared and eager, confident in what they know and excited by everything they have yet to question.
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READING
We read a variety of books during the fifth grade, some tied to the history we study this year, and some for their literary value. Students learn to read, analyze, and write about literature, with oral discussions, comprehension activities, and oral presentations. These books include: Pedro’s Journal, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Johnny Tremain, A Wrinkle in Time, The Hobbit, Hatchet, Sing Down the Moon, Treasure Island, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Streams to the River, River to the Sea, Shades of Grey, The Red Badge of Courage, and a short story collection.
WRITING
This subject covers the Writing Process, as well as sentences, nouns, verbs, adjectives, capitalization, pronunciation, pronouns, adverbs, and prepositions. We also use a Wordly Wise workbook to encourage vocabulary development. The students will write research reports, a biography, as well as fiction. We will practice creating outlines, researching, taking notes, writing a first draft, revising, and making a final draft.
We use a spelling workbook that has new words for the students to learn each week. Each Monday they take a pretest, we work with the words all week in class and for homework, and then each Friday there is a spelling test. In addition, there is an Academy Spelling Bee each year for students 1-5th grades. -
We use the sixth grade version of the Houghton Mifflin Mathematics textbook. This book covers the California Standards for the sixth grade. These include: Operations with Whole Numbers and Decimals, Data Analysis and Statistics, Fractions and Number Theory, Operations with Fractions, Integers and Rational Numbers, Expressions and Equations, Ratio, Proportion, Percent, Applications of a Percent, Geometry of Plane Figures, Geometry and Measurement, Statistics and Probability, and Coordinate Graphing.
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In fifth grade the students study United States History. We begin by studying some basics about geography, pluralism, and how history is researched and written. Next, we study how Native Americans populated the Americas, European Exploration and Settlement, and Life in the English Colonies. We also cover the Revolutionary War, Life in a Growing Nation, The Civil War, and a final chapter that covers the beginning of the 20th century.
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Students are asked to present their work in a variety of academic areas. All major projects and reports are presented to the class, as well as many other short-term assignments. With smaller class sizes, we are able to give students the opportunity to become comfortable while public speaking, and have the time to practice often and provide individual feedback.