Welcome to 5th Grade!

I am grateful to teach at St. Frances Cabrini School. I am the 5th-grade homeroom and religion teacher. I also teach 5th and 6th grade Math, Science, and Geometry.  My entire teaching career has been in Catholic education.   Fifth Grade students are nearing the end of their elementary school journey. They are becoming more aware of the world around them and are encountering a more complex set of emotions within themselves. New social and emotional skills are vital at this time. Because St. Frances Cabrini Catholic School is small, with only one class per grade, I get to know my student individually and ensure they are safe, engaged in learning, and demonstrating progress socially, academically, spiritually, and personally.

I look forward to providing your child with a quality education.

Child Development

Spiritual

5th graders enjoy being part of a group so they also seek a sense of belonging to the Church. They are very concerned with justice and fairness. They are beginning to see things from another’s point of view so are interested in service activities.

Social/Emotional

For most 5th graders, their peer group is very important to them. They are becoming increasingly independent of adults and turn to peers, reading, and television for information. Fifth graders are becoming more aware of the world around them and the individuality of others and of themselves as well. They are typically friendly and good-natured and enjoy group activities.

Physical

There can be a wide variety of physical maturity within a group of 5th graders and socially, emotionally, and intellectually as well. Sensitivity to these differences is vitally important.

 •Large muscles developing quickly

• Drawn to outdoors and physical challenges

•  Handwriting may become messier than fourth grade

•  Due to growth spurts, frequently hungry and can tire easily

Classroom Highlights

5th-grade students will work and learn in cooperative groups. We typically attend 2 plays a year in Olympia. Fifth graders also participate in the school Learning Fair for which we present research we have done on a state of our choosing.

Service Activities

5th graders look forward to being actively involved in service activities. Our first class service activity is to support sick children and their siblings at Mary Bridge Hospital. We also include a prayer for healing. In addition, we are buddies with the 1st grade. We help them learn to play cooperatively at recess and attend assemblies and Masses with them. Fifth graders enjoy these activities – they learn to be selfless and models for others.

Curriculum

The best part of 5th grade is that through the generosity of our parents, our classroom (and all grades K-8) has an interactive smart board! My class loves using it to learn. Fifth grade also has Learner Response Systems (some call them “clickers”) which are used to enhance our learning – it’s very up-to-date technology and we are fortunate to be able to have it.

Religion: The main focus in Religion is on Jesus’ life and the Sacraments. We also study the liturgy and prayers and learn from Mary and the Saints how to live lives of faith.

Literature and Vocab: The focus in Literature and Vocab is comprehension, vocabulary, and reading fluency. We analyze narratives, such as the novel Holes, and learn the difference between fact and opinion, cause, and effect, and word relationships. We also learn about the author’s purpose and perspective. The vocabulary is included in the materials that we read.


Language Arts (Writing and Grammar): We focus on grammar (parts of speech) and writing effective sentences and paragraphs. The grammar exercises come from the “Voyages in English” workbook. The students also have weekly spelling words. We do several types of writing, including personal narratives, opinion pieces, research, how-to, formal and informal letters, and short stories.

Social Studies: We learn about American history from the early colonies through the Constitution, the 50 states, map skills, and citizenship. This includes a unit on geography and comprehending and comparing.

Science: 5th grade is about living things and how they adapt to their surroundings; ecology, the earth – its resources and climate; astronomy. We also learn about life science including learning about living things, reproduction, adaptations, and ecology.

Technology: 

Our fifth graders are 1:1 with technology and each student has their own Google Chromebook. Throughout each school week, they use it to conduct research, practice note-taking skills, and create presentations that allow them to combine their writing and oral presentation skills with a creative technology component. We reinforce digital citizenship through student collaboration on projects, and they use Google Classroom to allow for effective communication on mini-projects and class assignments.

We are learning to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel programs to:

• Generate ideas and create original works using a variety of digital tools
• Locate and organize information
• Practice personal safety and ethical behavior
• Use a variety of hardware to support learning
• Select and use common and online applications

Enrichment: Students attend weekly enrichment classes for library, music, PE, and Art.