5th Grade

The arts provide opportunities for students to explore ideas and express thoughts and emotions. In visual arts, music, and woodshop, fifth graders refine their skills while working both independently and collaboratively. These experiences foster creativity, craftsmanship, and a strong sense of artistic identity and community.

In fifth grade, literacy becomes a tool for connection, reflection, and advocacy. Students read and write with purpose, engaging with complex texts and meaningful projects that connect to real-world issues. Instruction emphasizes voice, perspective, and the ability to communicate ideas with clarity and impact.

Students engage with increasingly complex concepts, including fractions, decimals, volume, and algebraic thinking. They develop flexible problem-solving strategies and deepen their understanding through discussion, reflection, and real-world application. A strong math community supports collaboration and multiple approaches to problem-solving.

Skills

• Volume and unit cubes
• Fractions with unlike denominators
• Multiplying and dividing fractions
• Decimal place value patterns and operations
• Measurement conversions and powers of 10
• Multiplying and dividing multi-digit numbers
• Coordinate plane and graphing

Students continue their study of either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish, strengthening skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instruction emphasizes immersion and meaningful communication through conversation and creative expression. Cultural understanding remains central to the program.

Students engage in inquiry-based science, asking questions and investigating concepts through observation, experimentation, and analysis. Using NGSS practices, they explore physical, life, and earth sciences, as well as engineering and technology. Topics such as ecosystems, matter, space, and human impact help students connect scientific ideas to real-world challenges.

With a focus on educating for democracy, students deepen their understanding of identity, history, and civic responsibility. They study the formation of the United States, including the diverse experiences and contributions of people from many backgrounds. Through inquiry and discussion, students examine complex issues and develop a more nuanced understanding of society.

A holistic approach to wellness supports students’ physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. Through movement, games, and reflection, students build resilience, cooperation, and self-awareness. These experiences help establish lifelong habits for health and well-being.