What to expect:
 

In fifth grade, children will read a variety of increasingly difficult materials, including newspapers, magazines, books, plays, biographies, poetry, myths, legends and other informational and technology-based content. They will read for different purposes, such as to find information or for fun.

 

At this age, children are able to focus on elements of writing including style, structure and the author’s purpose for writing. They can explore words with multiple meanings and make educated guesses about what words mean and learn the places and countries they came from.
 

By the end of the school year, 5th grade students will:

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• Write summaries that follow a logical order and include the main points and details of a piece of writing.

• Develop stories with well-thought-out characters, descriptive settings and interesting plots.

• Use word parts such as affixes, roots and stems to determine the meaning of words.

• Develop a variety of sentences of different lengths with correct structure.

• Provide evidence (facts, examples and details) from a piece of writing to support ideas and draw conclusions.

• Develop longer writing pieces through editing and rewriting to create clear and organized work.

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Course Objectives: 

 

1. Reading and Writing Processes: Students in Grade 5 extend their critical reading and writing skills to proficiently read grade-appropriate complex literature, informational text, and mixed media. Instruction focuses on use of text evidence, summarizing, paraphrasing, and engaging in collaborative conversation. 

2. Critical Reading and Writing: Students analyze texts for literary elements with a focus on figurative language, author’s purpose, and structure. Students continue to practice the writing process by writing narrative, informative (grade level focus mode), and opinion pieces incorporating grade level grammar concepts such as sentence structure. 

3. Vocabulary: Students expand their personal and academic vocabulary they can use in their writing and speaking by studying Greek and Latin roots and distinguishing among multiple meaning words in complex text. 

4. Language: Students will apply knowledge of grammar and rhetorical style to reading and writing.

5. Research: Students will engage in inquiry to acquire, refine, and share knowledge.  

6. Independent Reading and Writing: Students develop stamina for longer periods of independent reading and writing.

7. Speaking and Listening: Students will speak and listen effectively in a variety of situations including responses to reading and writing.