Ware Academy

Fifth GradeSyllabus

Sandy Vanleeuwen

Language Arts

Students will utilize trade books and a wide variety of reading material, including but not limited to novels, poetry, non-fiction, and newspapers. Students will:

Read daily both for pleasure and for specific assignments

Sharpen listening skills by having stories read to them

Identify genre, story elements, and author’s purpose

Increase spoken and written vocabulary

Improve spelling skills, vocabulary, and comprehension

Participate in classroom play productions

Practice creative writing as well as expository writing

Understand and demonstrate the elements of good writing

Writing

Participate in Writer’s Workshop

Participate in peer editing and conferencing

Exemplify: Show-not-tell, elaboration, dialogue, adjectives tricks, vaunting Verbs, use of sentence variety, opening and closings, figurative language, and mechanics of writing

Publish final products

Spelling/Vocabulary

Integrate words and vocabulary from other areas of study, novels, and high-frequency words; base words and roots

Vocabulary Workshop – Level A, Sadlier Oxford

Reading

Identify story elements: Setting, character, plot, problem and solution

Recognize genres: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, novels, mysteries, mythology, folktales etc.

Reading comprehension skills:

  • Possible Novels:Tuck Everlasting, The Liberation of Gabriel King,The Lightning Thief, Extra Credit, Mysteries, Number the Stars, The City of Ember, Greek Myths and possibly
  • Use strategies for different reading purposes: Skimming, scanning, note-taking, graphic organizers
  • Apply directed reading and thinking activities
  • Use reading response journals

Language

World of Language

Apply grammar skills using: Varying sentences, multiple paragraphs, reports; parts of speech

Demonstrate writing skills in: Narrative, expository and persuasive styles, using comparing and contrasting, note-taking, organization, researching as integrated into Science and Social Studies, utilization of various resources

Practice oral language skills: Oral presentations, roles in skits and plays

Math

Mathematics, Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley.Students studying math will use the textbook and appropriate workbooks. Math will also be integrated into other areas of study such as Science, Social Studies, and the school store. Students will:

Know addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts through 12

Practice identifying and using problem solving strategies

Have opportunities to apply hands-on math concept learning with regards to real life applications

Be able to describe math concepts and strategies orally and in writing

Demonstrate understanding of the “Hands-on-Math” program and its application to pre-algebra

Topics

Addition and subtraction strategies – whole numbers and decimals

Number concepts: Place value, patterns, rounding and estimating – whole numbers and decimals

Multiplication and division strategies – multiples of ten, two-digit numbers, mental math, money, and word problems

Time: Elapsed time

Reading and making graphs, coordinate graphing

Interpreting data, probability, ratios and percents

Geometry: Plane and solid figures, lines, angles and circles, polygons, symmetry

Fractions: Comparing and ordering, equivalent, simplest form, mixed numbers and improper fractions; operations

Measurement: Standard and metric, perimeter, area

Algebra – variables, integers

Social Studies

Our World, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, and supplemental materials.In Social Studies, students will use the textbook, trade books, newspaper articles and the internet.

Students will explore early civilizations and their cultures. They will discuss various religions of those areas as well as how civilization was achieved in the various parts of the world. Students will discuss the ebb and flow of these cultures and gain knowledge of how the past has affected the present.

The following categories will be studied within each civilization and chapter: Economics, Citizenship, Culture, Geography, History, Government, Science, Technology, and Social Studies Skills.

Discussion of current events will be encouraged.

Geographical skills – Using different kinds of maps, and also globes, to find out geographical information

First Cultures – Stone Age (Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras)

The Fertile Crescent – The Cities of Sumer, Babylon and Assyria, and the Birth of Judaism

Nile River Valley – The Kingdoms of Egypt, Ancient Egyptian Culture, Nubia and Kush, engineering

Indus River Valley – The Civilization of the Indus Valley, Birth of Hinduism, Birth of Buddhism, Indian Empires, Indian Culture today

Huang He Valley – Land of the Middle Kingdom, Dynasties and timelines, Chinese Culture both past and present

Ancient Greece – The Geography of Greece, The Birth of the Greek Civilization, The Golden Age in Athens, The Legacies of Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great

Ancient Rome – The Geography of Italy, The Roman Republic, The Roman Empire, The Birth of Christianity, Rome and Byzantium

The Ancient Americas – Geography of North America, The Olmec and the Maya

The Arab World – The Land of Arabia, The Birth of Islam, The Arab Empire

Students will:

Make connections between topics of study and their own lives

Understand that the world and its people have changed over time

Understand that people are at once similar and different in different places

Be able to demonstrate good citizenship

Do independent and group research, producing reports and/or projects on topics

Work cooperatively in groups

Have many opportunities to practice oral presentation and public speaking

Science

Scott Foresman Science. The study of science will utilize the textbook, trade books, newspaper articles, and field trips. Students will:

Perform simple experiments, be familiar with the Scientific Method; utilize observations and journal writing

Do independent and group research on specific topics; producing reports, projects, and/or presentations

Understand vocabulary terms linked to each topic

Make connections to real world events, problems, and other areas of curriculum through synthesis and evaluation

Topics

(Order will vary)

Earth Science

Changes to Earth’s Surface: Volcano, earthquakes, mountain building; plate tectonics

Protecting and maintaining natural resources

Exploring the Universe – Sun, Planets, Moon

Movement of the heavenly bodies

The Sun’s effect on Earth

Planets

The Moon’s effect on Earth

Space Exploration

Weather

Technology; tracking systems

Weather patterns

Severe Weather; factors and conditions

Life Science

Living things and their environments: Adaptations, habitats

  • Structure and Function of Cells
  • Ecosystems and Biomes
  • Water Ecosystems - Oceans
  • Adaptation, Stimulus and Response, Behavior
  • Ecology: Pollution, recycling, resources and conservation

Moving Objects

Newton’s Laws of Motion

Action and Reaction

Evaluation

Classroom participation and both individual and group effort are integral parts of students’ evaluation. Verbal and written responses on reviews, journals, worksheets and writing assignments are also observed and graded. More formal assessments will be made through quizzes, tests, rubrics, reports, and projects. Writing samples will be maintained in writing folders and portfolios in the classroom.