What to Expect in 5th
“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52
Classroom
Bible (Veritas): Students study the life of Jesus Christ by studying the Gospels, reading the “good news” found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Students commit passages from the Gospels and the New Testament to memory.
History (Veritas): The students' study of God’s story revealed through history continues with the discovery of the New World up through the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
Reading: Students read books that enrich their historical understanding, such as Johnny Tremain, Amos Fortune: Free Man, The Sign of the Beaver, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond, in addition to books that develop their literary understanding, such as The Phantom Tollbooth.
Language (Shurley Grammar, 6+1 Traits of Writing): In the Logic Stage, students sharpen their thinking and communication skills by practicing and utilizing the writing process. Students compose formal and informal writings, expository essays, a research paper, journal entries, and poetry.
Science (Science Explorer): Students learn the scientific process through hands-on labs in order to prepare them for competing in the Austin Science Fair. In class, students specifically study the nature of science and technology and the human biological systems.
Math (Saxon): Students practice all the skills found in Saxon Math 7/6 with a special emphasis on mastering fractions, decimals and percentages.
Enrichment
Technology: Students third through sixth grade travel to the Mac lab for 40 minutes of instruction once a week and will integrate with their subject areas. All students receive developmentally appropriate keyboarding and basic computer skills as well as instruction in Internet safety, identifying trusted and reliable sites, and research skills.
Music: Students sing in two parts, advance their skills in playing the recorder, and continue to learn to sight read music using Solfege. Songs sung in music and for performance integrate with grade level historical and Biblical studies. Students learn about Mozart and Beethoven and listen to their music.
Latin (Latin for Children Primer A): Students are introduced to Latin with a focus on derivatives, vocabulary definitions, and grammatical structures of verbs and nouns. Students will also learn John 1:1 in Latin.
Art: Students study the work of Mary Cassatt. They also study crafts, tracking the trades of early colonial History. Students hone their artistic abilities through still life and figure drawing.
Physical Education: Students have P.E. every day.
Library: Students visit the library weekly.
Special Events, etc.
Field study units and special events may include Exploration Day, where students relive exploration and colonial experiences, such as navigating with a compass and building structures0. The students participate in the Austin Regional Science Fair in February and an ESL Service project.
The fifth grade service project revolves around Christmas traditions. Students spend the morning with ESL adult students and share American Christmas traditions. They then play Christmas games and make gingerbread houses together. This gives the ESL students an opportunity to practice their English and our students the opportunity to learn about and appreciate cultural difference.
