Lower School

Grade Five

Program Overview

Ten-year-olds are remarkable for their competence in many areas. They are now able to read well, to write with some degree of fluency, to manipulate numbers accurately. They are shifting from a concrete orientation toward the world (how many dogs, what kind of dogs, what do the dogs do?) to a more abstract and analytical perspective (how are dogs treated and why, how do the dogs compare, what are the implications of inbreeding?). They are ravenous learners and hungry for information about the world. They are increasingly oriented toward the feedback of their peers rather than their families or teachers. They take relationships very seriously, and because they are beginning the transition to puberty at different times, there are often shifts in identity, friendships, and social groups. They are highly interested in fairness and rules.

These attributes have led us to create a program for fifth-grade students that:

• is academically challenging. We fill the day with compelling ideas, information, and projects. We ask students to think deeply and critically about what they are learning. We require them to do their best work and help them set goals for themselves.
• develops independence. Students receive many assignments at the beginning of the week and have to prioritize and pace themselves. Also, they begin to take more responsibility for resolving conflicts and work together as a class to work out classroom issues.
• utilizes their strengths as leaders. They help pre-kindergartners settle down at naptime. They deliver messages to the rest of the school. They read with their second-grade buddies. They are important.

Fifth grade is a time of great accomplishment and learning.

Reading and Writing

* literal, inferential, and applied comprehension * shared reading * literary analysis * figurative language * synonyms and antonyms * recognizing prefixes, suffixes, and common root words * optional participation in Mass Book Awards program * using plot diagrams to plan story * show vs. tell * revising and editing * C.O.P.S. (capitalization, organization, punctuation, spelling) * publishing * poetry * essay writing * biography * letters and journals * spelling *

Resources: Literature Circles, Daniels * Reader’sHandbook, Great Source * Action Strategies for Deepening Comprehension, Wilhelm *

 

* Book Buzz * celebration of National Poetry Month * pentominoes * plant snack * *Native American role-play * Mayan, base 4, Egyptian number systems * “rivercrossing” team games * biography project * Irish budget simulation * oral history interviews * book-writing and -binding *