Fifth Grade
- Mrs. Linda Eady, Teacher
When students enter St. George’s Fifth Grade classroom, they know it is a positive learning environment that welcomes the expression of ideas and opinions. There is no “fear factor.” Students know they can openly discuss topics, make judgments, and justify positions without fear of ridicule. Everyone’s ideas are valued. The atmosphere in our room generates students who love to read, write, and learn.
Curriculum
Language Arts
Our language arts curriculum encompasses all the fundamental grammar rules and applications appropriate for the students’ ages and learning levels. We delight in discovering English’s idiosyncrasies and learn to love these peculiarities that bring variance to our wonderful language. As the students learn new vocabulary, they use the words in real situations and are adept at finding the words in texts or library books they read.
Students explore written language through journals, narratives, memoirs, fictional stories and poetry. Writing informally in journals and using structured writing workshop approaches exposes 5th graders to different genres and writing styles. During the final quarter, a research topic is completed using MLA format with an MLA style bibliography. Aside from this recreational reading, literature comes alive in the classroom with novel studies. The novels we read are:
- My Side of the Mountain
- The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
- The Sign of the Beaver
- The Secret Garden
- A View From Saturday
- Tuck Everlasting
Math
Students are taught to tackle math with an offensive approach and without intimidation. By the end of the year, the fifth graders are able to solve basic computation problems, unravel word problems, find ratios, and answer exponential problems. Students can work problems with mixed numbers and fractions, understand probability, and use U.S. and metric measuring systems. Geometry and balancing equations are also part of our math curriculum.
Science
At Saint George’s, plant and animal cells are discovered through the lenses of microscopes. The properties of matter are explored. Light, sound, electricity and magnetism concepts are learned through hands-on activities. Students also work with force and motion and study weather. As fifth-graders learn about the rudiment beginnings and current developments in space and astronomy studies, they research associated topics. The culminating activity includes a three (3) day, two (2) night class trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Social Studies
The curriculum covers the time period from Early Americans to Reconstruction. As novice historians, fifth-graders learn that historical events occur through cause and effect relationships. Reasons for survival and non-survival, exploration, colonization, rise and fall of governments. and ultimate conflicts are discussed, inferred, and judged. Students do not just read about the history of our Nation, they participate in it.
Service Activities
At St. George’s, fifth-graders are responsible for raising and lowering the flag each day. They also help first graders during Monday morning chapel services. On Mondays and Tuesdays, they read books with the Kindergartners. As other service activities and projects come along, the class is never short of volunteers.
