Learning Expectations Dear Parents, This curriculum brochure provides an overview of the essential learning students should accomplish during a specific school year. It is a snapshot of the instructional focus at a particular grade level. FIFTH GRADE The Literacy and Math learning expectations described in this brochure are based on the Common Core Learning Standards adopted by the Illinois Legislature in 2010. The Science, Social Studies and Fine Arts are based on the Illinois Learning Standards adopted in 1997. District 89 is currently aligning Science curriculum for the Next Generation Science Standards for implementation in the 201-2016 school year. All District 89 students are expected to work toward mastery of these standards. To accomplish this goal, students at each grade level must build on the concepts and skills previously learned. Daily curricular plans, instructional strategies and assessment of student work are designed to help students make progress and meet or exceed the learning standards. Parent awareness and support for the grade level expectations contribute to establishing an effective partnership between the home and school. Parents with questions about their child s program are encouraged to contact their child s teacher or principal for more information. Community Consolidated School District 89 22W600 Butterfield Road Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137
English Language Arts In th grade, your child will read widely and deeply from a range of high-quality, increasingly challenging fiction and nonfiction from diverse cultures and time periods. Building knowledge about subjects through research projects and responding analytically to literary and informational sources will be key to your child s continuing success. Your child will write stories or essays that are several paragraphs long. By devoting significant time and effort to producing numerous written pieces over short and extended timeframes throughout the year, he or she also will gain control over many conventions of grammar, usage, and punctuation as well as learn ways to make himself or herself understood. A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in th Grade Ø Summarizing the key details of stories, dramas, poems, and nonfiction materials, including their themes or main ideas Ø Identifying and judging evidence that supports particular ideas in an author s argument to change a reader s point of view Ø Integrating information from several print and digital sources to answer questions and solve problems Ø Writing opinions that offer reasoned arguments and provide facts and examples that are logically grouped to support the writer s point of view Ø Writing stories, real or imaginary, that unfold naturally and developing the plot with dialogue, description, and effective pacing of the action Ø Coming to classroom discussions prepared, then engaging fully and thoughtfully with others (e.g., contributing accurate, relevant information; elaborating on the remarks of others; synthesizing ideas) Ø Reporting on a topic or presenting an opinion with his or her own words, a logical sequence of ideas, sufficient facts and details, and formal English when appropriate Ø Expanding, combining, and reducing sentences to improve meaning, interest, and style of writing Ø Building knowledge of academic words with an emphasis on those that signal a contrast in ideas or logical relationships, such as on the other hand, similarly, and therefore Ø Producing writing on the computer Talking to Your Child s Teacher Keeping the conversation focused. When you talk to the teacher, do not worry about covering everything. Instead, keep the conversation focused on the most important topics. In th grade, these include: Ø Reading closely and drawing evidence from grade-level fiction and nonfiction materials, including the ability to quote accurately from them when answering questions Ø Adjusting communications to accomplish a particular purpose (e.g., providing more background information for audiences who do not know the topic well) Ask to see a sample of your child s work. Ask the teacher questions such as: Is this piece of work satisfactory? How could it be better? Is my child on track? How can I help my child improve or excel in this area? If my child needs extra support or wants to learn more about a subject, are there resources to help his or her learning outside the classroom? Additionally, here are some English Language Arts activities you can do with your child to support learning at home: Ø Invite your child to read his or her writing out loud to other family members. Ask questions about your child s word choices and ideas. Ø Discuss your family stories and history. Encourage your child to ask relatives questions about their lives. Put the information together in an album or brainstorm different ways to tell family tales, such as poems or short stories. Ø Go to a play or musical with your child. Discuss the way the actors bring the words to life. Adopted from National PTA 2011
Mathematics 2 Fifth grade is a milestone and a pivot point for students. The classroom focus on arithmetic during the elementary grades will develop into a more formal study of algebra in middle school. To be ready for algebra, students must have an understanding of fractional arithmetic, in part because even simple equations cannot be solved without fractions. Because of this, whole-number arithmetic comes mostly to a close in th grade, while multiplying and dividing fractions becomes a major focus. A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in th Grade Ø Adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators (e.g., 2-1 4 1-1 3), and solving word problems of this kind Ø Multiplying fractions; dividing fractions in simple cases; and solving related word problems (e.g., finding the area of a rectangle with fractional side lengths; determining how many 1 3-cup servings are in 2 cups of raisins; determining the size of a share if 9 people share a 0-pound sack of rice equally or if 3 people share 1 2 pound of chocolate equally) Ø Generalizing the place-value system to include decimals, and calculating with decimals to the hundredths place (two places after the decimal) Ø Multiplying whole numbers quickly and accurately, for example 1,638 x 73, and dividing whole numbers in simple cases, such as dividing 6,971 by 63 Ø Understanding the concept of volume, and solving word problems that involve volume Ø Graphing points in the coordinate plane (two dimensions) to solve problems Ø Analyzing mathematical patterns and relationships Talking to Your Child s Teacher Keeping the conversation focused. When you talk to the teacher, do not worry about covering everything. Instead, keep the conversation focused on the most important topics. In th grade, these include: Ø Multiplying and dividing fractions, and solving related word problems Ø Decimals (concepts and arithmetic) Ø Volume (concepts and problem-solving) Ask to see a sample of your child s work. Ask the teacher questions such as: Is this piece of work satisfactory? How could it be better? Is my child on track? How can I help my child improve or excel in this area? If my child needs extra support or wants to learn more about a subject, are there resources to help his or her learning outside the classroom? Additionally, here are some Math activities you can do with your child to support learning at home: Look for word problems in real life. Some th grade examples might include: Ø Doing arithmetic with decimals, for example when balancing a checkbook. Ø Multiplying with fractions for example, if you used about 2 3 of a 3 4-cup measure of vegetable stock, then how much stock did you use? About how much is left? Ø Using the length, width, and depth of a garden plot to determine how many bags of garden soil to buy. Adopted from National PTA 2011
Science I Can Statements State Goal 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. Living Things: Classification Ø I understand that all living things are made of cells which are composed of different tissues and organized in different ways. Ø I can identify the differences between plant and animal cells, as well as the parts and functions. Living Things: Genetics and Reproduction Ø I know that some characteristics of living things are inherited and some are learned. Ø I understand the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction and that inherited characteristics come from both parents. Ø I understand that the probability of inheriting a certain trait can be shown using a Punnett Square. Ø I understand that males produce sperm cells and that females produce egg cells. Together, fertilization results. Environment and Interaction of Living Things Ø I can define an atom. Ø I understand that a molecule is made of two or more atoms. Matter and Energy: Energy/Electricity Ø I understand kinetic and potential energy. Force and Motion Ø I can identify and understand Newton's laws of motion. Ø I understand the universal law of gravitation. Ø I can calculate average speed. Ø I know the difference between mass and weight. Earth Science: Basic Earth Science and the Earth's Structure Ø I understand the characteristics of the Earth's crust and the principle of superposition. Earth Science: The Earth's Dynamic Process Ø I know how fossils form. Ø I can identify the three basic kinds of rocks and the physical properties of minerals. Ø I understand water erosion and its results. Ø I know the layers of the earth. Ø I understand the rock cycle. Earth Science: The Atmosphere Ø I understand the composition of the atmosphere. Astronomy Ø I know what a constellation is and why it is useful. Ø I know what the Milky Way is and why it's called that. Ø I know that mass doesn't change on different planets but that weight does. Ø I know the characteristics of stars and solar systems. Ø I know what a light year is and how it's used. Ø I know the order of the planets and how they revolve around the sun.
Social Studies Fifth grade students study the following United States historical eras: Exploration and Discovery, Colonization, Revolution, Growth and Expansion, Civil War, Industrial Revolution and the Twentieth Century. Political Systems Ø Describe political development of European colonies in North America Ø Know the fundamental concepts in the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution Ø Explain roles of government at the national level Ø Know rights and responsibilities of citizens Ø Understand how individuals and groups influence policy Economic Systems Ø Describe influence of slavery and indentured servitude on early US economy Ø Understand concepts of supply, demand and competition Ø Explain interdependence between producers and consumers Ø Identify goods and services provided by differing levels of government History Ø Analyze motives for settling in America Ø Identify causes and effects of the American Revolution, and the roles of its leaders Ø Analyze major political events since the Constitution, including roles of leaders in the historical eras Geography Ø Understand effect of physical features and resources on settlement patterns Ø Explore relationship among resources, population distribution and economic activities Social Systems Ø Describe how changes in production (hunting, agriculture, industry) and population caused changes in social systems Ø Describe ways institutions meet the needs of society Ø Explain the effect of language, stories, arts and media on culture
Fine Arts 2 The fine arts are an essential part of a child s education. In art and music classes, students begin to develop the language, skills and techniques of the arts. They create their own art and music and begin to understand how works of art and music are produced and how they provide a means for enjoyment and creative expression. Art Ø Incorporate art elements in art production including: use of lines to create textures, value, cross-hatching and stippling, and use of one point perspective to create depth Ø Utilize design principles in art production Ø Recognize artworks by modern artists and various world cultures Ø Explore media choices, processes and tools in art production Music Ø Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of music Ø Sing from a multi-voiced choral music score Ø Understand the work of composer Ø Understand how music expresses and reflects the ideas of various people, places, and time. Health & Physical Education Health and physical education help students develop the knowledge, skills and habits that can lead to life-long health enhancing behavior and activity. Ø Apply skill combinations (locomotor, non-locomotor, manipulative) to games and dance Ø Follow safety procedures Ø Demonstrate use of strategies during activities Ø Participate in health-related fitness activities (Fitnessgram) Ø Demonstrate cooperative skills during activities
Learning for Life Addressing Student Differences Children enter school with different abilities and different learning needs. The Learning Expectations brochures describe what an average learner is likely to accomplish by the end of a specific grade level. But not all students progress at the pace of a typical learner. Teachers recognize the need to modify, adapt or enrich the learning experiences of those students who are developing knowledge and skills at different rates. The District also provides support programs to address the diverse needs of students beyond the general classroom program of instruction. These programs include Reading Recovery, English as a Second Language, Challenge, Literacy Skills, and Special Education. Assessing Student Performance Classroom learning experiences are designed to help students make progress toward meeting District 89 grade level expectations and the Illinois Learning Standards. Students receive teacher feedback on the accuracy and quality of their work in a variety of ways. Teachers access student performance based on the level of mastery towards the learning standards. Communicating Student Results Each school and teacher has a system for communicating with parents about instruction and the behavioral and academic progress of students. School and classroom newsletters, websites and other print materials are sent home to give parents an ongoing stream of information about current topics of study and classroom activities. Teachers rely on phone messages, e-mail and personal notes to convey information about individual students. The comments and scores on graded work help parents gauge how well their child understands assigned tasks. Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled each November and at other times upon request. A Student Performance Report Card summarizes a child s performance in the classroom and in any support program in which he/she participates at the end of designated reporting periods at each grade level. These reports align with grade level expectations and State Standards.