Fifth Grade Curriculum Overview
Reading
Fifth graders enjoy a variety of literary pieces as well as
informational and practical texts. They begin to pay more attention to
detail, organization, and logic of what they read and the ways authors
support ideas with evidence. They compare pieces they have read and
defend their reading preferences. They detect the implied motives of
characters as revealed in dialogue and action. They use appropriate reading
strategies and word attack skills according to purpose of the text.
Writing
Fifth graders use written language to formulate hypotheses, evaluate
information and ideas, present and support arguments, and influence the
thinking of others. They make written presentations to inform or
persuade, selecting vocabulary for impact. They include concrete images
in poetry and in prose. They can complete routine forms they encounter
as students and consumers and write social correspondence such as
informal letters and invitations. They revise their writing for meaning
and clarify and pay particular attention to organization and coherence
among the paragraphs of the longer pieces they produce.
Mathematics
The mathematics curriculum is organized into five strands: (1) Number and Operations in Base Ten; (2) Number and Operations—Fractions;(3) Measurement and Data; (4) Operations and Algebraic Thinking; and, (5) Geometry. Problem-solving strategies are embedded
into each of the 5 strands.
Social Studies
Fifth graders build on concepts developed in fourth grade; however, they
extend the focus to geographic regions of the United States, Canada,
and Latin America. Students learn about people in the Western Hemisphere
and their physical environments. Social, economic, and political
institutions will be compared among societies.
Science
The focus for fifth grade students is on using evidence, models, and reasoning to form scientific concepts through inquiry based investigations.
Science Concepts:
1.) Cells & Body Systems
2.) Heredity
3.) Heat Transfer
4.) Matter & Energy
5.) Earth Systems
6.) Environments
7.) Force & Motion
Art/Music
Arts Education includes four separate and distinct disciplines; dance,
music, theatre arts, and visual arts—each with its own body of knowledge
and skills, The intent of the National Standards for Arts Education,
along with the standard courses of study in each area, is that a
comprehensive understanding of one or more of the arts is accomplished
by each student throughout the K-12 Program.
Health/PE
The
Healthful Living Education program promotes behaviors that contribute to
a healthful life-style and improved quality of life for all students.
The Healthful Living Education portions of the NC Standard Course of
Study support and reinforce the goals and objectives of its two major
components—health education and physical education.