Welcome to Fifth Grade! Fifth graders are naturally curious about the world and people as well as their own role in it. They have the ability to reason and make connections between ideas for the first time in their young lives. We seek to expand our students’ awareness and knowledge of the world with a study of ancient civilizations and life science as well as mathematics, reading, writing and speaking.

The fifth grade social studies curriculum is quite extensive yet quite engaging for ten and eleven year old children.  Your child will have the opportunity to travel through many important ancient cultures such as Mesopotamia, India or China, Greece or Rome, and the Middle Ages. We will focus on how geography influenced the development of civilizations and continues to affect the way people live and interact. We will compare and contrast how and why different civilizations occurred and analyze them for similarities and differences. We integrate the use of technology in form of a project that compares and contrasts aspects of several civilizations to today’s culture.

Our science program is a hands-on, inquiry based curriculum. Fifth graders will study landforms, the ocean, light and sound, microorganisms, force and motion and experimental design and review the fourth grade science curriculum. You will truly be amazed at the content that your child will learn through the interactive science units.   We go to the Chesapeake Bay on a field trip that reinforces the environmental science topics taught throughout the year and prepares the students to become the future stewards and caretakers of the bay.

In math, we will continue to explore the following math strands: numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and, data analysis and probability. Your child will have math homework most days to reinforce the skill taught during the school day.  All classes will utilize flexible grouping to meet the individual needs of each child, which means your child possibly having several different teachers this year.  Please be familiar with Blackboard (24-7) to access your child’s math homework or to communicate any questions or concerns you may have to your child’s teacher.

During language arts, your child will be involved with reading and writing in many different genres and styles.  The school focus is in guided reading and word study.  As your child continues to flourish as independent readers, his/her classroom teacher will guide the child through a variety of reading strategies across the curriculum that focus on interpreting the main idea, reflecting on literature, drawing logical conclusions from the text, etc. Through whole group instruction, small group instruction, and one-on-one instruction, children will also have the opportunity to discuss literature as well as non-fiction text.  We also will integrate science and social studies into our language arts program.  An integral part of our school day is teaching the children effective oral communication skills through all disciplines.

Please become a frequent flyer to our fifth grade website.  We are looking forward to posting pictures, student’s writing, accomplishments, etc., on our fifth grade page.   This is a great way for school and home to stay connected so that your child can become a life-long learner. We encourage you as parents to help your child grow and make connections to his/her learning by taking them to museums, films, exhibits, the zoo, the aquarium and other places that can expand and enrich their knowledge. We are fortunate that many of these things are nearby and are free. Not only do these outing build knowledge, but they also can provide a fun experience for the whole family to share.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher.  We are excited to work with you and your fifth grader!

The Fifth Grade Team