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Curriculum Overview - Fifth Grade

 

Religion

At the 5th grade level at St. Joseph Catholic Parish School, the religion faculty endeavors to impress on students the importance of faith and service in a challenging learning environment that is based on Catholic values and traditions. Our 5th graders learn to appreciate God’s love by learning about Catholic prayers, ritual, and tradition. Students enjoy learning Biblical stories, examining vocations, studying the Rosary, and exploring in depth, the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Fifth graders participate in weekly Masses, not just as observers, but as planners and readers. They have the opportunity to lead monthly Rosaries. They participate in fundraisers for the disadvantaged, and they delve into the rich teachings and traditions of the Holy Catholic Church, all with the hope of creating a deep and profound relationship with Jesus Christ.

Language Arts

The 5th grade SJS Language Arts curriculum is organized around the strands of Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Study Skills, and is designed to engage students with quality literature, empowering them to creatively express themselves through written and spoken word.  Emphasis is placed on foundational grammar, mechanics, and usage as well as developmentally appropriate vocabulary, comprehension, and research skills.

Central to our Language Arts program is the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys Reading and Language Arts curriculum which combines the most current and innovative teaching approaches based on research, documented classroom success, and teacher input. The curriculum contains instruction in phonemic awareness, explicit phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and incorporates technology throughout.

The objectives set forth in the Language Arts curriculum are not all intended to be assessed by tests or quizzes. Students are also assessed through class work, homework, technology, presentations, and individual and group projects.

Math

Students in 5th grade math build on elementary skills and concepts learned. Along with problem solving, emphasis is placed on number sense, mastery of the four operations with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals, measurement, basic algebra, and classifying and measuring geometric figures.

Science

The SJS 5th grade Science curriculum  is based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It is organized around Scientific Inquiry Skills as well as the following specific sciences: Life, Earth, Environmental, and Physical. Objectives were designed to provide students with the necessary scientific knowledge to comprehend the basics of Science theory and fact and to apply that knowledge using the Scientific Method through Scientific Inquiry. Also incorporated throughout the curriculum is an understanding and appreciation of life as a creation of God along with an understanding of how all can be better stewards of the world in which we live.

Since the 5th grade curriculum focuses on hands-on experiences in order for students to acquire scientific knowledge, much emphasis is placed on inquiry-based, investigative lab experimentation and discovery. The objectives set forth in the Science curriculum are not all intended to be assessed by tests or quizzes. Students are also assessed through class work, homework, technology, presentations, and individual and group projects.

Social Studies

The Social Studies curriculum in 5th grade is organized around the themes of History, Geography, Citizenship, and Economics. The history of Catholicism, the United States, and the world are studied throughout these themes and provide learners with the framework for the development of historical and geographical skills. Emphasis is also placed on students gaining understanding of local, state, and national government.  

The objectives set forth in the Social Studies curriculum are not all intended to be assessed by tests or quizzes. Students are also assessed through class work, homework, technology, presentations, and individual and group projects.

St. Joe's Jog