Fifth Grade

Students in 5th grade are a great deal of fun to be around as they begin to test their senses of humor on others.  5th graders enjoy light hearted pranks and jokes that are more complex and make them think, such as riddles.  At around age 10, having a trusted adult other than a parent is important for them to get perspective on their thoughts, ideas, and struggles.  5th graders have an awareness of their strengths and weaknesses.  They require special motivation and confidence building in areas where they perceive they have deficits.

Social and emotional strategies/skills include:

  • Emotion management and de-escalation of frustration
  • Understanding choices in problem solving and choosing wisely to prevent regret
  • Managing revengeful feelings by seeking alternatives
  • Calming down and thinking clearly before handling put-downs
  • Expressing empathy and assisting others when they are struggling

Foundational English Language Acquisition(ELA) Skills include:

  • Quote accurately from the text when summarizing and drawing inferences
  • Read and comprehend informational texts including history, social science, science and technical texts
  • Compare and contrast structure (chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution)
  • Produce clear and coherent writing with organization and development that are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience
  • Write a research paper with information from multiple sources, cited sources, and a narrowed topic 
  • Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text, including figurative language (e.g. idioms, metaphors, and similes)

 

Foundational Math Skills include:

  • Identify. read, write, and compare decimals and fractions through the thousandths
  • Add , subtract, multiply, and divide decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators
  • Find area with squared units and volume of rectangular prisms and use cubic units 
  • Identify points on the coordinate plane for real world problem solving
  • Write and interpret numerical expressions in base ten with decimals, fractions, powers

Tips for Parents of 5th Grade Students:

  • Be patient with your child as his/her body is experiencing growth spurts that have physical and emotional effects
  • Provide opportunities for your child to spend time with other trusted adults to build healthy relationships
  • Talk through your feelings of frustration and how you manage negative emotions
  • Be a role model of healthy friendships
  • Look for signs of anxiety and assist in relieving your child of stress through exercise, outdoor play, and rest