Welcome to Fifth Grade!
TONIGHT’S TOPICS
• Social growth and development in fifth
grade
• Shifts in academic expectations for fifth
grade students
• Homework Expectations
Topics for Future Conversations in the Fall
• Curriculum outlines
• Individual teacher routines for the
classroom
• Standardized testing
• Looking at grade level work
• Middle School Application Process
Our Theme: Independence!
Now that I’m in fifth grade, I’m preparing for Middle
School!
Fifth graders want to be INDEPENDENT! This year we will spend time
talking about what independence really means and what it looks like. As
students prepare for middle school, we will work toward replacing elementary
school routines and building strong middle school habits.
Independence in...
•Relationships
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Speaking and listening to others in our class, school, and greater community with patience and
respect
Taking responsibility for one’s actions as a way to earn trust and gain independence
•Organization
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Completing work on time
Coming to lessons prepared
Keeping notebooks and folders neat and organized
Prioritizing our schoolwork responsibilities alongside our extra-curricular commitments (time
management)
•Academics (taking responsibility for your own learning)
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Actively participating in lessons
Thinking about what was taught and applying that to the task with available support tools, before
asking for help
Starting work quickly and remaining on task
Rising Expectations in Fifth Grade!
• Students will be held accountable for their learning
from the previous grades beginning right in
September!
• Fifth graders bring many years of experience with them on the first day.
We know incoming fifth graders will need reminders about routines for
school, classroom and workshop expectations, but we also know they will
bring everything they already know about being a strong student and will
be ready to begin instruction right away.
• Increased Expectations for Stamina!
• Students will be expected to be able to read 40-50 pages and write about their
reading during the school day and at home to maintain their reading skills
• Students should be able to write organized entries that span over a page within a
sitting across various genres
• Students should be able to demonstrate their mathematical thinking in a variety of
ways, and make multiple attempts to solve word problems
Rising Expectations in Fifth Grade!
• Students will learn time management skills and will
be responsible for more independent planning.
• Students will practice strategies to transition quickly and independently between
subjects
• Students will take responsibility for being prepared for each subject as well as
completing independent or group projects within a specific time frame
• Students will be deepening their understanding of
previous year’s work and be able to apply these
concepts to the 5th grade curriculum.
Homework
In fifth grade, homework has several purposes.
•Practicing a skill or strategy learned at school
–
Math assignments, independent reading, reading response and writing work are examples of this type of
assignment
•Previewing or preparing information and assignments for instruction the next day
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Reading informational articles and stories, note taking, and homework from the writing workshop are of
examples of this type of assignment
•Communicating with parents about what work is being done at school, and how your
child understands this work
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Looking at your child’s assignments, and noticing how prepared he or she is to complete assignments, is a
great way to informally assess how well your child is doing in school.
•Developing strong work and organization habits
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This is especially relevant in fifth grade as students prepare for an increased workload in middle school
and learn to balance assignments, projects, and afterschool activities. In fifth grade, we will learn to plan
and complete project work in social studies.