Fifth grade is the concluding year of Elementary School at TRAIL. It is a year filled with in-depth research and collaborative learning. Students gain independence as they utilize their educational foundations to explore new ideas. Over the course of the year, students explore topics such as the human brain, leadership over time, and systems for food production and distribution. They strengthen their skills in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
In fifth grade, students review, strengthen, and extend their understanding of reading comprehension strategies while developing a greater appreciation for literature. They read award-winning novels and nonfiction with a greater emphasis on inferential thinking skills to gain a deeper understanding of the text. Through the use of book clubs and class discussions, students analyze literature in order to identify social, moral, and cultural issues within a story. They discuss connections between characters, multiple texts, and real-world issues. Reading for research and learning becomes exceedingly important as students leave elementary school and enter middle school, and is therefore emphasized in fifth grade. Fifth grade students learn new ways to gather information from a variety of sources and regularly practice synthesizing this information through annotation and note-taking skills.
Fifth grade students practice and develop writing skills within a variety of genres. They learn more about the writing process through expository, creative, and narrative writing practice. Emphasis is placed on writing in a clear, descriptive, and organized manner that takes the audience into consideration. Fifth grade students also work more closely with the selection of words and how strong word choice can dramatically enhance the quality of their writing. Also, students become careful peer editors in which they offer constructive feedback and give examples from the piece to help push one another’s writing. Nonfiction writing is an integral part of fifth grade, as students learn to write different types of essays, lab reports, conduct research, and integrate quotes from texts into their writing while accurately citing sources.
Fifth grade students extend their understanding of the foundations of mathematics. They learn additional skills and concepts related to place value, number operations, geometry, measurement, data and probability, and fractions. There is also an emphasis on problem-solving as it relates to the world and how using math is valuable in our everyday lives. Problem-solving math groups allow students opportunities to work collaboratively on challenging word problems while sharing strategies with classmates. Students improve their ability to communicate math thinking both verbally, and in writing.
Students will use Panama Pacifico to bring each unit to life in many different ways. Some examples of our learning journey will include students examining human impact on resources and reflecting on how their own consumption of these resources impacts the world around them. Through the fourth grade science program, students are guided to ask deeper questions that will lead to richer discussion around the unit topics. Fourth graders learn skills that integrates forces, resources, life, earth, and physical science. The modules are designed to inspire curiosity, investigation, and innovation. Students are also taught to become more proficient at finding answers for themselves by exploring multiple forms of media. There is a strong emphasis on cooperative learning as students use one another as resources and work as a team to make discoveries.
In social studies, students will gain building blocks for critical thinking, develop a strong reading and writing foundation, and learn what it means to be responsible, active citizens. With engaging content students takes a fresh approach to social studies in the classroom. Topics supports students in developing themselves and how they interact with the world. Students investigate how decisions affect who we are and our relationship with others.
Students are expected to use their previously learned language skills in independent and original ways. Students can understand short stories and engage in guided conversations with one person or multiple people. Students learn more complex grammar and the concept of register to address different people.
Our fifth graders are engaged in multiple independent and collaborative music projects. In addition to playing in a full orchestra setting and singing through a wide variety of vocal repertoire, Each student has the opportunity to create his/her own music compositions using the using traditional compositional methods or the latest technology tools, such as Noteflight, Garageband, and Sibelius. As the year’s highlight, students collaboratively create and perform a full-length song that summarizes their music skills, diversity of their personal taste, and performance styles. As a group, students perform their original composition during the exhibition’s final presentation. Students are exposed to a variety of world music and its evolution across genres and styles in a historical context. Students continue building their independent thinking and problem-solving skills through a wide variety of basic music theory, ear-training, and performance activities. A key focus of the fifth grade music curriculum is to give students an opportunity to make independent creative decisions and effectively apply peer feedback to their own independent work. Students learn how to productively build on each others’ ideas throughout the process.
Fifth grade students solve challenging problems in larger groups and apply strategies to resolve conflicts independently. They are taught advanced skills and concepts associated with games and sports and develop their own innovative games and activities. Fifth grade students use their bodies in response to stimuli and as a medium for expression. They refine the traditional gymnastic skills and work cooperatively to create their own movement sequences. Students understand the interconnectedness of factors that contribute to a safe and healthy lifestyle, set goals, and identify strategies that will help to develop well-being. They practice specific techniques for throwing, jumping, and running events, evaluate their performance, and understand how they can improve. Students have the opportunity to design their own track activities and participate in a modified event, independently collecting and recording data.
In the fifth grade, design classes build on the skills from the previous four years of Elementary School. Fifth grade students continue in our 1:1 program, but with laptops. With increasing independence, students work on projects while still acquiring skills to become more sophisticated technology users and design thinkers. Students work together to build a strong digital citizenship community and practice responsible use of their online platforms. Fifth graders are motivated to explore the basics of computer programming, which helps nurture creativity and problem-solving skills.
