Fifth Grade Curriculum
English Language Arts
Students will . . . .
-know and apply grade level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words
-read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to
support comprehension
-quote accurately from a text to support
inferences
- summarize a story; determine the theme of a
story, drama or poem including how characters
respond to challenges
-compare and contrast two or more characters,
settings, or events in literature
-locate and analyze similes and metaphors in
stories, poems, folktales and texts
-locate and analyze examples of foreshadowing
in stories, poems, folktales, and plays
-analyze how visual and multimedia elements
contribute to meaning, tone, and beauty of
literature
-compare and contrast the overall structure of
events, ideas, and concepts in two or more texts
-integrate information from several texts on the
same topic
-write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences using effective techniques,
elaborative detail and clear event sequences
(use dialogue, rich word choice, word referents,
and transitional phrases to manage the
sequence of events)
- write stories, poems, and scripts that draw on
characteristics of tall tales, myths and modern
genres, e.g. mysteries, fantasies, historical
fiction
-write opinion pieces on topics or texts,
supporting a point of view with reasons and
information
-write informative/explanatory texts to examine
a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly
-develop and strengthen writing through
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach
-use technology to produce and publish writing
-conduct short research projects that build
knowledge through investigation of different
aspects of a topic
- engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions with diverse partners on grade five
topics and texts
- summarize the points a speaker makes and
explain how each claim is supported by
evidence
-report on a topic or text or present an opinion
sequencing ideas logically and supporting
themes with relevant details
-demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when
speaking and writing
-explain the function of conjunctions,
prepositions, and interjections
-form and use the perfect verb tenses
-demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling when writing
-clarify the meaning of unknown or multiple
meaning words based on grade 5 reading and
content
Mathematics
Students will . . . .
-write equations for numerical calculations that
involve parentheses
-generate two numerical patterns using two
rules
- understand the base ten number system
including decimal numbers
- read, write, round, and compare decimals to
the thousandths
-fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers
using the standard algorithm
-divide whole numbers by two digit divisors
illustrate using equations, rectangular arrays,
and area models
-add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to
hundredths
-add and subtract fractions with unlike
denominators
-solve word problems involving adding and
subtracting of fractions
- solve real-world problems involving
multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers
-divide unit fractions, e.g. 1/3 by whole
numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions
-solve real world problems involving division
by unit fractions
- use positive and negative integers to describe
quantities
-convert standard measurement units- 5
cm=.05m
- make a line plot with a data set of
measurements in fractions of a unit
-understand concepts of volume and relate
volume to multiplication and addition
-graph points on a coordinate plane to solve
real-world problems
-classify two dimensional figures into
categories based on their properties
Science and Technology/Engineering
Students will answer the questions . . .
-What structures in plants are responsible for
food production, support, water transport,
reproduction, growth, and protection?
- What are the stages in the plant life cycle?
-How do inherited characteristics differ from
characteristics that are affected by climate or
environment?
-What plant behaviors are impacted by the
environment and gravity?
- What is the process of photosynthesis, and
how is it used in the food chain?
- How do different soil types affect the growth
of plants?
-How is the solar system arranged with the sun,
planets, and moons?
-How does the earth rotate and affect time?
-How does earth revolve and affect the
calendar?
-How does the sun appear to move in the
course of a day?
-What is a lunar eclipse?
-What is a solar eclipse?
-What are the phases of the moon, and why do
we see the moon this way?
- How can energy be transferred from one form
to another?
- What are the components of an electrical
circuit?
- What is the difference between an insulator
and a conductor?
- How is an electromagnet made? How is it
useful?
- How does light travel and what happens when
it strikes an object?
-Why do reflection, retraction, and absorption
happen?
-Why are certain materials appropriate for
specific tasks?
-What tools could be used to construct a given
prototype?
-How does a simple machine differ from a
complex machine?
Walpole Public Schools
135 School Street
Walpole, MA 02081
Homework
45 minutes- 4 times a week
Read and practice math concepts and skills
each night
Report Cards
Issued Dec., March, and June
Parent Teacher Conferences
October and March
MCAS
English Language Arts-March
Mathematics- May
Science Technology and Engineering- May
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/
MA Current Frameworks
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.h
tml
History and Social Studies
Students will . . . .
-investigate the pre-Columbian civilizations in
the New World
-trace the voyages of the 15th and 16th century
European explorers
-explain why the Aztec and Inca civilizations
declined in the 16th century
-describe the goals and extent of the Dutch
settlement in New York, French settlements in
Canada, and Spanish settlements in Florida,
Southwest, and California
-explain the relationship between the English
settlers and the Native Americans
-identify the major leaders and groups
responsible for the founding of the original
colonies
-explain the reasons that the language and
political principles of what became the US
were shaped by English colonists
-explain the causes of the establishment of
slavery
-identify the founders and reasons for the
establishment of our educational institutions
-explain the development of the colonial
governments and how these contributed to the
Revolutionary War
-describe the major battles of the Revolution
-describe the achievements of the important
leaders in the early years of the US
-identify and describe the events leading to the
Constitutional Convention,
-describe the basic political principles of
American democracy
-identify the rights in the Bill of Rights
- describe and explain the growth of the United
States to 1820