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Fifth Grade Curriculum 

Religion

Fifth grade is taught from the THIS IS OUR FAITH series – a developmental program, based on Scripture and rooted in the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Each grade has a particular theme, but all grades study the Trinity, Sacraments, Church, Morality, the Bible and Prayers and Precepts.  The main theme in the 5th grade curriculum is the sacraments.

• Students learn that Sacraments are celebrations of life. Things, places, time and people are images of God’s love
• Jesus is a sacrament of God’s presence.  Jesus teaches God’s word, heals with God’s power, brings us to God in prayer and is the sacrament of God.
• The Church is the sacrament of Christ’s presence.  Christ teaches through the church, heals through the church and prays with the church.
• The sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist
• The Sacraments of Healing – Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick
• The Sacraments of Commitment – Marriage and Holy Orders
• Throughout the year, students also study Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week and Easter.
• Students also study how the church honors Saints and Mary.
• Students learn how our church celebrates Holy Days.
• Students learn what Catholics believe, how Catholics worship, How Catholics live and how Catholics pray.
• Student attend, participate in and often take leadership roles at the 9am weekly Mass and in celebrations of liturgical seasons, especially Advent and Lent.

Math

Through the study of Number Sense, Measurement, Spatial Sense, Algebraic Sense and Probability and Statistics, students learn to reason logically, solve problems, apply concepts, make connections and communicate understanding.  Specific areas of study include:  

• Numbers and Operations
• Place Value: Whole Numbers and Decimals
• Addition and Subtraction: Whole Numbers and Decimals
• Data and Graphs
• Multiplication: Whole Numbers and decimals
• Metric Measurement
• Division: Whole Numbers and Decimals
• Understanding Fractions and Mixed Numbers
• Customary measurement
• Multiplication and Division of Fractions
• Geometry Ratio and Percent
• Probability Perimeter, Area and Volume
• Problem solving and estimation is taught throughout the curriculum

Literacy

Our literacy program integrates Reading, Writing and Language Arts (grammar) and Spelling. Strategies learned include predicting, inferring, monitoring, self-questioning, summarizing and evaluating, finding main idea, topic and details, fact and opinion, comparing and contrasting, cause and effect, making judgments, following directions, and noting details

• Word Skills/Phonics/Decoding – base words, vocabulary, suffixes, homophones, prefixes, synonyms, antonyms, multiple-meaning words, syllables, analogies, word roots, compound words, contractions and possessives, and context
• Writing Workshop – The writing process is taught using different types of writing including essay, persuasion, description, report, personal narrative, and story, writing sentences, book reports, friendly letters, poems, news articles, paraphrasing, answering essay questions, instructions and elaborating sentences
• Use of the Six-trait writing process
• Spelling – using words in context with Literacy and other areas of curriculum
• Grammar, Usage and Mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, etc.)
• Listening, Speaking and Viewing – include speechmaking, map reading, debating, speaking to persuade, making introductions, watching a play, explaining directions, and making announcements
• Study Skills – using and making time lines, charts, using the library, skimming and scanning, summarizing, maps and globes, taking notes, writing directions and diagrams

Social Studies

• The student evaluates historic and current events in the context of Catholic Social teaching
• The student examines and understands major ideas, eras, themes, developments, turning points, chronology, and cause and effect relationships in U.S. and World History
• The student applies the methods of social science investigation to investigate, compare and contrast interpretations of historical events
• The student uses maps, charts, and other geographic tools to understand the spatial arrangement of people, places, resources, and environments on Earth’s surface
• The student understands the complex physical and human characteristics of places and regions
• The student observes and analyzes the interaction between people, the environment and culture
• The student understands and can explain the core values and principles of U.S. democracy
• The student analyzes the purposes and organization of governments and laws and applies principles of Catholic social teaching
• The student understands basic economic concepts and analyzes the effect of these concepts on individuals, groups and society

Science

Our curriculum relates to the National Science Education Standards

Life Science

• Structure and function in living systems
• Reproduction and heredity
• Regulation and behavior
• Populations and ecosystems
• Diversity and adaptation of organisms

Physical Science

• Properties and changes of properties in matter
• Motions and forces
• Transfer of energy

Earth Science

• Structure of the earth system
• Earth’s history
• Earth in the solar system

Human Body

• Personal health

Science process skills that are developed are:

Observing, communicating, classifying, estimating and measuring, inferring, predicting, making operational definitions, making and using models, formulating questions and hypotheses, collecting and interpreting data, identifying and controlling variables and experimenting. 

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