Standards of Learning “Parent Tips” for Fifth Graders
from the Released Items of 1998 – 2006
-Based Upon A Collection of Frequently Asked QuestionsSeventh Edition of Frequently Asked Questions
By
George K. McCrum
Dear 5th Grade Parents,
Winter 2007
The next few pages are an initiative to assist parents with their understanding of the Standards Of
Learning (SOL) and provide information about how SOLs can be reinforced at home. As we
"Count Down to the Standards of Learning” assessments, you can follow along by asking simple
application questions each night as a fun and motivating way to encourage a united and focused
effort. Practice with the most frequently asked forms of questions and the testing formats, has
proven to be most effective. The SOL examinations will be held May 7th through May 23rd except
for the Writing Assessments scheduled during March 5th through the 7th.
The examples and descriptions of the items in each section are not intended to be a comprehensive
curriculum but have proven to add to the probability of success with the SOL assessments. The
examples are parallel to the assessments but no single example is to be expected on the S.O.L.
examination. We intend to help you understand the format of the examinations, provide hints to key
elements assessed and give you ways to improve your child’s SOL score. The websites of
www.virginiasol.com, www.pen.k12.va.us and www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us also provide sample
examination questions and graphics that have been frequently used.
Standards Of Learning “Parent Tips” from the Released Items of 1998 – 2006
-Based Upon A Collection of Frequently Asked Questions5th Grade Mathematics
The questions on this examination assess the skills and knowledge from the 4th and 5th grade
Standards Of Learning. The questions usually represent “real life” situations and cover the areas
of Computation and Estimation, Number and Number Sense, Measurement and Geometry,
Probability and Statistics as well as Patterns, Functions and Algebra. The examination allows the
use of calculators during one part of this two-part examination. The children record their answers
on a separate answer document from the question booklet so maintaining their place is essential.
The answer choices alternate between either A, B, C, or D for one question that is then followed
by answer choices of F, G, H, or J for the next question. Skipping problems means that precisely
returning to the correct place is important. Specific sections of the examination rely upon the
ability to interpret pictures and graphs, use logical reasoning, solve multiple-step problems by
solving simpler problems and occasional use of a strategy called “working backwards”.
Have your child…
demonstrate knowledge of numerals using <, >, and = through millions…
show you equivalent fractions with denominators of 12 or less…ex: ½ cup and 1/3 cup...
demonstrate knowledge of place value to the ten-thousandths place…ex: 25.01627
tell you the role of the hundredths place in estimating to the nearest tenth…ex: ask your
child to find a decimal number in the newspaper and round it to the nearest tenth
or hundredth place…
apply a metric ruler to a household object then estimate its length in inches or feet…
explain a decimal number they have written out in word form then compare two different
decimal numbers in word form with <, >, or =.
explain why the total place setting at the dinner table that contains a knife, fork and a
spoon at each of four place settings can be represented by the algebraic
expression of 4 X n = ___…
make up their own algebraic expressions…ex: glasses + plates + silverware = ____
make change from a set of three items bought at the store given $ 5.00…
explain the distinction between “how much taller” and the “how tall”…ex: I am 2 times as
tall as you are tall. I am 2 meters tall and you are___ centimeters. I am ____
centimeters tall?…
demonstrate comparisons with decimals such as 0.178 X 0.4 and 0.178 X 4…
continue practice multiplication through the ten-thousandths place…
explain how multiplication works…
explain how multiplication with decimals and division with decimals is different…
explain why a division problem with a remainder is really a mixed number that has a
decimal equivalent…
show you, with dividends expressed as decimal through the ten thousandths place and a
single-digit divisor, that they can find the quotient…
compare values of numerals and decimals using the symbols of <, >, or =…ex: 9 of
the baseball players on the field at one time equals what percentage of all the
baseball players on the fielding in one inning?... [50%] What is the decimal
equivalent of that percentage?…[.5]
using <, >, and = apply the comparison to decimal values through the ten
thousandths place…ex: .0755 is < or > or = to .0755, etc…
estimate length in inches and centimeters…
explain why the number of centimeters is always greater than inches for the measured
length of an object…
explain their understanding of the formula Area = length X width…
explain their understanding of phrases, and the necessary mathematical applications,
that appear in the problem solving section of an examination such as in all, and
how much longer is…
add and subtract mixed numbers and fractions and then choose from a selection of
answers that are stated in simplest form…ex: 2 3/8 + 5 6/8 = __?__ < 8 1/8>
explain why 506 eggs equal ____ dozen…ex: <42 1/6>
show you that they can manipulate information found in tables and graphs with a specific
direction…ex: On a piece of graph paper, show how the number eating dinner at
the same time increased or decreased over time…
measure perimeters for different shapes…ex: polygon, square, triangle and rectangle
using both estimation and the use of rulers in English and Metric units…
identify, describe and determine diameter, radius, chord and circumference of a circle…
tell you of the differences between two dimension and three dimensional objects…
show you that when applying the use of area and perimeter that they can use the concept
appropriately for the application…
explain why, with geometric figures, area is measured in linear units while volume is
measured in cubic units…
find the quotient and remainder with dividends of four or less digits and a divisor
of two or less digits…
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solve problems of inches and parts of an inch, as well as feet, yards, miles, millimeters,
centimeters, meters and kilometers…
solve real-life applications with Fahrenheit and Celsius thermometers in familiar
situations…ex: water boiling and freezing of water and body temperature, etc…
demonstrate the principle of elapsed time within a twenty four-hour period, within an hour
and within a minute…ex: between two time periods how many minutes or
seconds have elapsed…use both digital and conventional (analog) clock faces…
identify and measure angles in a triangle with a protractor…ex: right, obtuse or acute…
show you their skill with coordinates and plotting using graph paper…
identify coordinates on a piece of graph paper…ex: 2,3 and 3,2 and 4,16 and 16,4
describe the difference between mean and mode as concepts of central tendency…
apply the use of data from…bar and line graphs…
identify and extend numerical and geometric patterns and arithmetic sequences…
Standards Of Learning “Parent Tips” from the Released Items of 1998 – 2006
-Based Upon A Collection of Frequently Asked Questions5th Grade Reading
During this examination the children are asked to read passages from reports, fables, folktales,
newspaper articles, fictional accounts of fictional characters, tables, charts, maps and
occasionally fliers that announce upcoming events are used as sample passages. Keys to the
assessment are the realization that different kinds of passages have different requirements and
opinion is distinctly different from factual information. Words that are highlighted or underlined or
italicized are intended to focus the reader on certain parts of the selections to choose “the best
answer”. The use of analogy is limited to only a few questions. In most instances, the examination
must be considered a test of reading comprehension, which is literally “an interpretation or an
application of the skills of the act of reading for meaning”. The same A, B, C, D / F, G, H, J,
format is used and no trick questions have been found over the course of the years.
Have your child…
give you examples of nonfiction materials…ex: biographies and informational
texts…giving descriptions of real people, places and events…
recognize that captions and graphics under pictures often reveal much about a
passage… magazines display this most vividly…
tell you how chapter titles and headings of sections in a text predict and categorize
information…use any chapter book to assist if there is any problem…
make a prediction before reading then find facts that support their prediction as they read…
show you a cause and effect relationship in a passage…
tell you of a piece of the story that does not add suspense to the story…[Frequently SOL
assessments ask…“Which is something that did not happened in the story?]”
tell you what the author hoped to accomplish with a text…ex: make us laugh, inform,
tell a nice story… then find evidence for their thought…
find a section in a passage that represents opinion and then facts that supports their thought…
give you a heading for a paragraph from a newspaper article…
replace words in a piece of text without changing its meaning…
insert words in a piece of text, without taking any out, that would completely change the
meaning…
identify the key sentences that give meaning to the title in a text while referring to
a numbered sentence… “Look at line 23 and tell me…” <the
examination often numbers sections of passages then refers to them in
questions> “For questions 13 through 23 use paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 to…”
number paragraphs and sentences in a newspaper article…
look up something about Fredericksburg then go to a map and show you something
to the East, West, North and South of the city…<Frequently SOL assessment
questions require that a map or chart be interpreted after a passage is read.>…
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Standards of Learning “Parent Tips” from the Released Items of 1998 – 2006
-Based Upon A Collection of Frequently Asked Questions5th Grade English: Reading / Literature and Research
The format generally requires students to read a number of paragraphs then choose from multiplechoice answers to select the best answer possible. The selections are Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry.
The paragraphs are frequently numbered for reference purposes. The answers are lettered so that
answers A, B, C and D correspond to question 1 (odd numbers questions) and answers F, G, H and
J correspond to question 2 (even numbered questions). The areas being assessed are Word Analysis
Strategies, Understanding A Variety of Printed and Resource Materials, and Understanding the
Elements of Literature. The questions often guide students through the use of Underlined words,
words in Italic print, words in CAPITAL LETTERS and the word NOT. These cues have been found
essential in selecting the “best answer” from among several good answers, by directing the reader.
Failure to heed the cues is unwise.
Have your child…
show you examples of homonyms <words pronounced the same but spelled
differently>, synonyms <like meanings>, antonyms <opposite meanings>, and
how context cues in a selection help to identify words with multiple meaning…ex:
hear/here, no/know and read/red…
demonstrate use of an atlas, encyclopedia, glossary, dictionary and thesaurus…<it is
important that the use of the resources be understood>… the combination of two
or more of these resources have been found consistently in the examinations…
tell you examples of “fantasy” as an explanation of imaginary characters and events…ex:
Babe The Blue Ox, Cinderella, Comic Book Characters like Spiderman…
explain how they can find facts in historical fiction…ex: any book on Abraham Lincoln has
plenty of fact and fiction…[the key is to understand the basis of a fact]…
give you an inference from a selection from one of their favorite books that was not clear
to them before the book was read…
tell you a “sensory word” from a selection…[sight, sound, smell, taste]
show you prefixes, suffixes and root words…ex: <In the word improper, the “im” refers to
what?>… <In the story you just read, one of the characters was older than all the
rest, what is the suffix for older than all the rest?>…<What is the root word of oldest?>
5th Grade English:Writing
This examination will be administered during March 5th through 7th of 2007. The
examination assesses the skills and knowledge from the 4th and 5th grade Standards Of Learning
and has two components:
1. A Direct Writing component uses a “writing prompt” to assess the children’s skills and the
processes used in writing and
2. A Multiple Choice component using a series of drafts from fictional writers asking that the
children respond to multiple choice questions regarding the drafts.
Standards of Learning “Parent Tips” from the Released Items of 1998 – 2006
-Based Upon A Collection of Frequently Asked Questions5th Grade Science
The questions on this examination are assessments of the skills and knowledge from the 4th and
5th grade Standards Of Learning. The assessment addresses Force, Motion and Energy, Life
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Processes, Living Systems, Interrelationships in Earth/Space Systems, Earth Patterns/Cycles
and Changes, Resources, and Scientific Investigations. The important aspect of this examination
is its reliance upon logic to conclude the correct answer as it applied to pictures of situations and
examples, graphs of data and understanding the scientific process.
Have your child…
demonstrate their skill with measuring devices…ex: thermometers, measuring cups and
rulers of different types…
tell you an appropriate measuring device for objects around the house…ex: a chair, a
handful of flowers, a vase full of water, their sister, a length of rope, the
temperature…
estimate volume and mass then determine the actual mass or volume of an object…
explain how sound travels in different mediums…ex: in water, in a solid, through the
air…the point is the relationships of sound waves to frequency and
vibrations…try relating the circular waves found in a glass of water, created by
striking it with a spoon, to how sound travels from a radio or TV across a room…
explain why sound travels more quickly through solids than other mediums…<compacted
molecules>
tell you how different instruments make sounds…ex: piano verses a trumpet…
explain how a prism and a microscope work…<reflection verses refraction is only one
difference>…
tell you what happens when light bounces off <mirror>, is bent by <prism> or passes
through an object <window>…ask When light is absorbed does it cause a
change in temperature?…ex: Use the mirror of your car or an object in the
kitchen window for an obvious demonstration…
describe the three forms of matter… <solid, liquid, and gas>
define matter, molecules, elements, and how compounds are different…
explain how heat changes some matter quickly and only extreme heat affects other forms
of matter…ex: a wax candle, some water and a piece of rock…
give you the names of the five kingdoms of living things…ex: <monerans, protists, fungi,
plants and animals> …then focus on plants and animals <plants are either
vascular or nonvascular> and <animals are either vertebrates or invertebrates>
give you two common examples of plants and animals…
explain “ecosystem”, the effects of pollution and its prevention from “run-off” and the
actions of man on these …
describe a marine “food web”…
describe how the preservation of marine resources effects the entire environment…
while focusing on the water cycle, describe changes caused by the actions of wind,
water, freezing and thawing, seasons and the actions of the Earth-moon-sun system…
discuss the “rock cycle” as part of the geologic formation of the earth…<focus on
evidence that fossils provide as proof that changes have occurred>…
explain tectonic plate movement as a force of energy from within the earth…
name and define the 3 types of rock…<sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic>
relate the movement of the “plates” as a primary cause of changes…ex: <volcanic,
weathering and erosion>…
tell you of the structure of the Earth…<crust, mantle, inner and outer core>… by focusing
on the changes each causes the other and the effects on land and the ocean
floor…
differentiate between weathering and erosion…
show you examples of erosion at home…
tell you of how erosion can be halted…
explain how sediment is really weathered material that has been chemically or physically
altered…
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Standards Of Learning “Parent Tips” from the Released Items of 1998 – 2006
-Based Upon A Collection of Frequently Asked Questions5th Grade History and Social Science
This is the fourth year that the 5th graders have been assessed in the area of Social Studies. The
SOLs assess the children’s ability with interpreting maps, water forms, climatic features and
historical events from pre-Columbia time to 1877. Additionally, the children’s skills with
interpreting ideas and events from a historical perspective has been enhanced through their
understanding of primary and secondary source documents that impacted America through 1877.
Graphics, maps, historical sequences, geographic features and understanding of essential
vocabulary associated with American history are central to success with these SOLs.
Have your child –
demonstrate their knowledge of major U.S. river basins, lakes, mountain ranges & oceans…
tell you about the major Indian tribes by region…[ Kwakiutl, Inuit, Sioux, Pueblo & Iroquois ]
describe the motivating forces, obstacles and accomplishments of exploration…
name the famous explorers matched to their European Countries and exploration…
explain the difficulties and advantages that exploration caused…[language, land,
competition, disease]
distinguish between parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude…[repeated map
references are to be expected that include cardinal and intermediate directions]
name the colonies (states) by their founders…(ex: Pennsylvania by the Quakers for
religious freedom) and then locate them on a map…
distinguish between the colonies of the New England region, Mid-Atlantic and Southern
region by climatic features and land forms that impacted the settlers…
describe the effects on the colonization in terms the differences by the regions, noted
above, through the eyes of farmers, women, indentured servants and slaves…
describe the economic, political and social relationship between England and the
colonies that lead to the Declaration of Independence…
explain how the writing of John Locke and his notion of “certain unalienable rights”
effected the actions of colonials…
list the important individuals that contributed to the American Revolution…[Washington,
Franklin, Jefferson, Payne and Henry are but a few]
explain the roles of France and Spain during the American Revolution…
list the order in which the Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights and the Constitution
were written and identify the first five presidents of the United States….
identify the following terms Separation of Powers, Bill of Rights, Checks and Balances…
locate the territories of Louisiana, Texas, Oregon, Florida and California and describe
how the territories affected the political map of the United States…
discuss the effects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on the Louisiana Purchase
and the importance of West African counties like Ghana, Mali and Songhai…
describe how the major inventions of the era… [steam engine, cotton gin, steam
locomotive]… effected America’s social and economic development…
state the effects of Suffrage and Abolition by leaders like Truth, Anthony and Stanton…
define the country, prior to the civil war in-terms of differences between the North and the
South on issues such as Slavery, State’s Rights, population density and jobs
especially with respect to manufacturing and agriculture…
identify the states in both the North and the South AND Border States…
identify the compromises offered to avoid the civil war… [Missouri, 1850, KansasNebraska]…
identify the Presidents and Generals of the Army’s of both the North and the South
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by naming their most famous acts and speeches…
locate and identify the major events/battles of the civil war by associating them with
locations and dates…
locate Gettysburg PA, Richmond VA, Washington DC, Vicksburg MS, Savannah GA,
Charleston SC, Atlanta GA and Manassas VA…
The use of the “History Spiral Notebooks” that have been made though Mrs.
Coleman’s and Mr. Clayton’s classes will be valued assets.
Additional SOL Practice Websites and Resources
You can also access a very special set of Social Studies and Science SOL Review Questions on
the Quia Web and http://www.quia.com/pages/fifthgradechres.html
http://www.socialstudies.cayennepaper.com/6thgrade.htm
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/online/2003/grade4/writing.htm - Writing SOL
http://www.iq.poquoson.org/ - interactive quizzes based on released test items
http://education.jlab.org/solquiz/index.html - Jefferson lab SOL practice for Math and Science
http://www.solpass.org/ - the password is spot for Science and Social Studies exercises
http://virginiasol.com/index.htm
http://www.salem.k12.va.us/south/gradelevels/third/solLinks.htm
http://www.sps.k12.va.us/schools/btwes/quizzes.htm
http://www.dailypress.com/extras/solutions/archive.htm - Cartoon SOL site
http://www.pwcs.edu/mullen/sol/SOLpage.htm - SOL Practice grades 3, 4, and 5
http://web.dps.k12.va.us/ParkAve/soltest.htm - SOL practice all subjects
http://marg.mhost.com/mugifs/FunQuizes.html - SOL Practice (all grades)
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/HutchisonES/solquiz/solquiz.html - Virginia History
http://www.wendyseger.com/sol_games.htm - 4th and 5th grade practice - a collection of
learning tools
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/sol.html#mathematics
http://www.schoolnotes.com/22553/mcoleman.html -- This is Mrs. Coleman's school webpage. It
offers important dates, information and extra practice sites for science and social studies at the
bottom of the page.
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