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Curriculum
The program in fifth grade seeks to challenge students in all areas, striving to meet the spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual, and physical needs of each child. We are aware that each child is unique and is a special creation of God. We will do all that is possible for each child to work to his/her potential. Our curriculum is aligned with the Wisconsin State Standards and we view God as the center of what we teach.
Religion
At Trinity Academy, we incorporate the Christian life-style into all areas of the curriculum. To help students further their understanding about our Father as well as how we should live our lives, students participate in a Religious curriculum developed by Concordia Publishing House (CHP.) Fifth grade studies center around God’s Word in the Bible, the life of Martin Luther, the Old Testament leaders, and Israel’s Kings. Students focus on God’s word telling about His prophecies and their fulfillment. The children worship God with daily song and prayer, as well as a weekly all-school chapel service. Fifth grade are responsible for leading one Chapel service during the school year. Through a planned memory program, the students learn selected Scripture verses.
Language Arts
Reading
The fifth grade reading curriculum includes a variety of reading materials from many genres to expose students to the different forms of literature. A reading textbook, McGraw-Hill, is included in the program as well as several novels that are read over the course of the year. These novels are read as a whole group as well as with literature circles, which challenge students to make choices about the literature they read. Additionally, it improves reading skills such as decoding and the use of context clues to comprehend text. Literature circles allow the students to put the skills they have learned into practice. Teaching reading strategies and skills including making predictions, compare and contrast, drawing conclusions, recognizing main idea and supporting details are the foundations of the reading program.
Language
The fifth grade program works to make connections between and across subject areas. Integrating Language Arts into other subjects allows students to understand the need for proper writing, grammar, and spelling. Students will complete an expository piece of writing, a short persuasive piece, a descriptive paragraph, write a complete response to essay questions, and complete a research paper. The six traits of writing is the basis for our program. Ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions become an integral part of the writing process. Throughout the year, students learn to write in a variety of styles and genres.
The students will practice giving oral presentations. They will learn to present effectively, using appropriate eye contact, projection, tone, volume, rate, and articulation.
Spelling
The spelling curriculum is based on sound patterns in words. The spelling lists correspond to the spelling strategies. Each week students are engaged in activities that allow the students to learn about prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, etc. The students are expected to transfer this knowledge and apply correct spelling in their daily written work.
Science
The science curriculum provides a balance of hands-on learning opportunities and learning information from an expository text. Chapters are grouped together, creating units on specific topics. The fifth grade curriculum focuses on the solar system, mixtures and solutions, landforms, matter and energy, and electricity and magnets. Every three years a Science Fair is held at our school where third, fourth, and fifth graders showcase a science project using the Scientific Method. The fifth grade students also spend a three- day emersion experience studying environmental science at Camp St. Croix .
Math
Students’ mathematical skills are learned and refined through the MacMillan/McGraw-Hill series. We begin the year working on place value skills with whole numbers and decimals. We practice multiplying whole numbers and decimals, dividing whole numbers and decimals, and learning different graphs and interpreting data. Additionally, we add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions. We work on measurement, geometry, perimeter and area, surface area, volume, and symmetry. Pre-algebra concepts are introduced. The fifth grade curriculum focuses on decimals and fractions as well as geometry, probability, and graphing. The students demonstrate their skills and knowledge in daily assignments, tests, and unit projects.
Social Studies
The fifth grade curriculum begins with the Native Americans in the 1600’sand moves through the Explorers of the New World, the colonists, the Revolutionary War, the new government, the pioneers, the Industrial Revolution, and up through the Civil War. The students are involved in some simulation games where they are able to make connections to history in an interactive way. Students will work independently and in cooperative groupings. Through a variety of activities, worksheets, and projects, skills are developed in interpreting and using maps, understanding and creating charts and graphs, and explaining and constructing timelines.
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