5th Grade Curriculum Information:RELIGION
The “Learn by Heart” curriculum, by Rev. Peter C. Bender, is used at St. Paul’s. This program runs in a three-year cycle. The exact scope of lessons for a particular year will depend on whether we are in year A, B, or C. The curriculum is worship-based and follows Biblical history closely. Throughout the three-year cycle, the lessons are usually taught in historical sequence. There are exceptions during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, when we depart form the historical sequence in order to follow the life of Christ during those times of the congregation’s observance of the church year.
Chapel is held briefly each morning. The children are taught how to worship with use of liturgical elements that they will also encounter when they attend the main services of the congregation on the weekends. Memory Work is coordinated with all of the grades exposed to the same Scripture verses, hymns versed, and Catechism portions. The amount of recitation required varies from grade to grade by what is age- appropriate. After each brief Chapel service, the 5th grade discusses the Biblical account used that day. At this time, questions are asked and answered, and discussion is held that is pertinent to that lesson. Memory Work is practiced again, as it is during the closing devotion at the end of the school day.
ART
Students experiment and explore their creativity through a variety of media and technique. The fifth grade projects are organized around the concepts of line, design, color and shape.
We also have an Art Appreciation program, which features an artist-of-the-month and one well-known copy of work by that artist. A brief lesson focuses on the artist’s history and the technique used in the painting, and concludes with an activity which relates to some aspect of that piece of art. The art curriculum often lends itself to a Christian emphasis related to the theme of the artist’s work or life.
BAND
Beginning Band students are taught the fundamental skills necessary to perform on a wind, brass, or percussion instrument. Students may take lessons here in our building with the Martin Luther High School band instructor, regardless of where they may eventually attend high school. Students also have the option of instruction by the public school district, but they are required to leave our school several times each week to receive their lessons.
CHOIR
Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth grade students are all members of the Jublilate Choir. The children are taught basic vocal technique and sing in unison and two-part harmony. Participation in worship services provides opportunity for students to serve God through the gift of music. The music is purposely selected to reinforce the religious principles we believe. The music is purposely selected to reinforce the religious principles we believe.
COMPUTER
Fifth grade students review keyboarding skills that they learned in fourth grade. They also continue their use of these skills in Fifth Grade through the Accelerated Reader testing program. In addition, students who demonstrate weakness in math and reading have the opportunity to strengthen those skills by daily use of programs designed to address their individual needs. In addition, laptop computers are used in conjunction with other areas of the curriculum.
MATH
The fifth grade uses the school-wide Saxon Math curriculum. It includes problem solving, reasoning, estimation, number sense, measurement, and computation. Fractions, rations, decimals and percents are introduced and practiced. There is also practice with probability and geometric concepts.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Large motor skills are still developing in growing fifth grade students. The class provides opportunity for students to refine these skills and adapt them to specific games and sports. In the fall and spring, students are evaluated with the National Youth Physical Fitness Program of the Marine Corps League, a physical fitness program designed for ages 5 through high school and college.
SCIENCE
The fifth grade science curriculum provides opportunities for students to investigate, observe, and draw conclusions about the world around them. We use the Concordia Edition of Discovery Works, published by Silver Burdett Ginn, Inc. Topics available for study include plants, the solar system, energy, work and machines, populations and ecosystems, the solid Earth, light and sound. The Concordia edition explains scientific principles from a Christian perspective. The Healthy and Wise curriculum is used for health. It is a comprehensive health and wellness program that is Internet based- allowing for yearly updating of the content.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The fifth grade social studies centers around a review of United States history, from colonization through World War II. As time permits, later 20th century history is also taught. The curriculum teaches citizenship, geographic literacy and history. The history of earlier civilizations of the western hemisphere, Native Americans of North America, and European and Asian history are also introduced as contributing factors as American history. The text, Adventures in Time and Place, is published by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, and is endorsed by the National Geographic Society. Social Studies is an area where Christian and Biblical teaching is often correlated with the history of our nation. The students enjoy using their laptop computers for a review of facts relating to each of the 50 states. Students will be using the Mapping the US by Heart curriculum to gain knowledge of teh geographical location of states, capitals, and other major features of the United States.
LANGUAGE ARTS
English
Fifth graders benefit from the very thorough Shurley English curriculum. By the end of the first six weeks, students are well acquainted with all eight parts of speech in the English language. They learn to classify each word in five different sentence patterns throughout the school year. (This is similar to the diagramming of sentences that was once a significant part of English instruction in the United States.) All of this knowledge is then applied to various forms of writing: the expository paragraph, the expository essay, persuasive essays, descriptive paragraphs, and various forms of written communication as time allows, including friendly letters and thank-you notes. Opportunities for creative writing are also available. The writing experiences are another outlet for students to freely express their Christian beliefs, and they frequently do so.
Penmanship
Cursive style writing is emphasized throughout the fifth grade and is required for many assignments. Attention is given to legibility; practice of troublesome letters is done as necessary.
Reading
In the fifth grade Open Court reading program, students are exposed to various genre: realism, fiction, poetry, biography, folktales, and more. Selections are grouped thematically and are organized to improve the students’ vocabulary, comprehension, study skills and application of literature. Skills such as recalling, analyzing, inferring, synthesizing and evaluating are taught and practiced. To enhance the curriculum, the Accelerated Reading program is used. Thirty minutes of silent reading is required each day in books that the children may choose for themselves, according to their individual reading ability and interests. Computerized comprehension tests are taken on each book completed, points are earned and progress is tracked. Effort is made to help the students improve their reading skills while developing a lifelong love of reading.
Spelling
The spelling curriculum uses word lists based on sound patterns. The lists include words which are educationally appropriate and commonly used. Activities built around these lists help the students use prefixes, roots, and word relationships to spell new words. Cumulative systematic review and assessment help the students to retain their instruction.
SPANISH
The fifth grade curriculum, Elementary Spanish by Northern Arizona University, is designed to develop a functional use of Spanish for communicative purposes and to increase student knowledge of Hispanic cultures.
