Grade Five Program
Reading: Intellectual Independence and the Joy of Reading
The Reading Workshop in Grade Five focuses on guiding the students toward intellectual independence. Students practice close reading, noting how authors develop themes in fictional works. They work with higher-level nonfiction and emphasize strong foundation skills such as fluency and word solving, and reading complex nonfiction under the umbrella of argument and advocacy. Finally, students work on formulating questions from what they have read and practice looking for evidence to answer their questions by effectively using online resources.
Over the year, Grade Five students will acquire content knowledge and will begin to answer the following questions:
Writing: Conducting Research and Framing Narratives
Writing to communicate ideas and knowledge is integrated through all subjects in Grade Five. Students are consolidating skills learned in previous years through Writing Workshop and are being introduced to skills they will need to succeed in middle school. Students write purposefully, paying attention to the audience and the importance of organization and mechanics. In addition, students increasingly learn to use technology tools effectively to enhance their writing.
Essays, research reports, literature blogs, scripts, narrative stories, emails for information, and poems are some writing tasks that help Grade 5 students address the following essential questions:
Mathematics: Differentiation for Challenge and Growth
Math is highly differentiated for Grade Five students. We ensure that each student is being challenged and stretched to ensure growth. We use a wide range of resources to build on their foundational skills and ensure that they have an in-depth understanding of concepts and solid computational skills. Applied math is integral to our program; students explore concepts more profoundly and see how math is relevant in their everyday lives.
Through the study of many math units, students will acquire content knowledge and begin to answer the following essential questions:
Social Studies: U.S. History from Native American Lands to Present
Social Studies is focused on U.S. History and integrated with reading and writing, using online resources in exciting ways along with debates and role-playing. Grade five students study units such as Native American cultures, European exploration, settlement, and interactions, the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, the formation of the government, civil rights and social justice issues, and our legal system.
Through these units, students will acquire content knowledge and begin to answer the following essential questions:
Social Emotional Learning: Peacemaking and Organizing as Part of Learning
Social Emotional Learning permeates every aspect of Grade Five life at Trinity. Students start the year by creating community agreements for respectful behavior. They identify what it takes to demonstrate active respect for other students in the community, the school grounds, and themselves. Finally, they work to determine the difference between peacemaking and building peace from personal, social, and organizational viewpoints, individually and globally.
In Grade Five, we encourage students to:
Back
The Reading Workshop in Grade Five focuses on guiding the students toward intellectual independence. Students practice close reading, noting how authors develop themes in fictional works. They work with higher-level nonfiction and emphasize strong foundation skills such as fluency and word solving, and reading complex nonfiction under the umbrella of argument and advocacy. Finally, students work on formulating questions from what they have read and practice looking for evidence to answer their questions by effectively using online resources.
Over the year, Grade Five students will acquire content knowledge and will begin to answer the following questions:
- What connections can I make between what I read and my life?
- How can I effectively share my favorite books with others?
- What are strategies for learning and understanding new vocabulary?
- What makes reading enjoyable? How do I choose books for my enjoyment?
- What are the essential components of a story? Why are stories important?
Writing: Conducting Research and Framing Narratives
Writing to communicate ideas and knowledge is integrated through all subjects in Grade Five. Students are consolidating skills learned in previous years through Writing Workshop and are being introduced to skills they will need to succeed in middle school. Students write purposefully, paying attention to the audience and the importance of organization and mechanics. In addition, students increasingly learn to use technology tools effectively to enhance their writing.
Essays, research reports, literature blogs, scripts, narrative stories, emails for information, and poems are some writing tasks that help Grade 5 students address the following essential questions:
- Why is clear writing important for mechanics, grammar, and sentence structure rules?
- What are the essential elements of a "good" story or essay?
- How can I effectively take and organize notes while reading or doing research? What information is essential and relevant?
- How can I effectively express personal ideas, feelings, or opinions in writing?
Mathematics: Differentiation for Challenge and Growth
Math is highly differentiated for Grade Five students. We ensure that each student is being challenged and stretched to ensure growth. We use a wide range of resources to build on their foundational skills and ensure that they have an in-depth understanding of concepts and solid computational skills. Applied math is integral to our program; students explore concepts more profoundly and see how math is relevant in their everyday lives.
Through the study of many math units, students will acquire content knowledge and begin to answer the following essential questions:
- Why is math important? Why is accurate measurement crucial?
- How is math used to analyze data, draw conclusions, and solve significant problems?
- What are the strategies for solving math problems in different ways? How can you show all the steps for your thinking?
- Why are mistakes valuable, and how can we learn from them?
Social Studies: U.S. History from Native American Lands to Present
Social Studies is focused on U.S. History and integrated with reading and writing, using online resources in exciting ways along with debates and role-playing. Grade five students study units such as Native American cultures, European exploration, settlement, and interactions, the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, the formation of the government, civil rights and social justice issues, and our legal system.
Through these units, students will acquire content knowledge and begin to answer the following essential questions:
- Why is it important to study history? What does it mean to be an "American"?
- What questions about history do I have? How can we research to understand more? Why can't we know the answers for sure?
- Why is it important to understand other different perspectives?
- Why are rules and laws important and necessary? How does our court system work?
Social Emotional Learning: Peacemaking and Organizing as Part of Learning
Social Emotional Learning permeates every aspect of Grade Five life at Trinity. Students start the year by creating community agreements for respectful behavior. They identify what it takes to demonstrate active respect for other students in the community, the school grounds, and themselves. Finally, they work to determine the difference between peacemaking and building peace from personal, social, and organizational viewpoints, individually and globally.
In Grade Five, we encourage students to:
- Become more aware of personal choices that promote self-confidence and emotional intelligence.
- Develop positive communication and conflict-resolution skills.
- Enhance group trust and increase respect for individual differences.
- Become global citizens who will make a difference in the world.
