This course covers the beginning of Sefer Shmot (the Book of Exodus) from chapter one until the crossing of the Red Sea. Students work on text skills, such as looking for the root word and identifying suffixes and prefixes and grammatical tense, in order to work towards independent translation skills. Teachers reinforce students' skills in reading Rashi commentary in its specialized font.

Great care is given to ensuring that the text takes on meaning to our students. This is done in a variety of ways, from class discussions, student presentations, illustrative stories, and moral lessons.

In the fifth grade Chumash takes place in the Judaics Block Class. Navi (Prophets), Parsha (the weekly Torah portion)), and Chagim (Jewish holiday laws, customs, and liturgy) are also taught in this class.

The students use an Artscroll Chumash with menukad Rashi text. Students work independently on the translation of the pesukim, accompanied by learning tools provided by the teacher.

Grade 5 has Creative Arts instruction two (2) periods each week. Our goal is to give students an overview of the arts, providing classes that build basic skills and pique interest in the topic. Students may choose either a rotation of Visual Art, Creative Movement, Theatre, and Chorus, or they can choose a full year course of Grade 5 Band.

The 5th grade humanities course consists of the core curricula of English and United States history. Students read, write, use proper grammar and mature word choices, and develop skills to comprehend and express both oral and written language. Moreover, students study the elements of a novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme. They also use close text analysis to build comprehension skills and support their written ideas. The students examine the development of our nation with the use of textbooks and historical fiction in order to gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities which resulted in the formation of the United States. Organizational skills will be taught through the use of materials and technology in order to successfully manage new personal responsibility in the middle school.

Texts used may include:

• Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Educators Publishing Service
• Reading: Expeditions, Houghton Mifflin
• English, Houghton Mifflin
• English Workbook Plus, Houghton Mifflin

• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
• Additional stories as appropriate

Students will continue to refine basic computational skills, including number facts and algorithms. They will also develop new problem-solving strategies to handle important mathematical situations in daily life and prepare for successive mathematics courses. The fifth grade topics include: building problem‑solving skills and strategies; multiplying and dividing with 2‑digit numbers, fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals; solving equations and evaluating inequalities; finding area of a triangle and surface area and volume of three‑ dimensional shapes; using ratios and percent, and finding the probability of an event.

The 5th Grade Hebrew classes use Yeladim Lomdim Ivrit by Irit Talmud, Volume 1 or 2. At the beginning of the year the students are assessed to insure correct placement into precise fluency levels. This aids us in helping each student make appropriate strides for his or her abilities. By engaging the students in topics that are relevant to their lives, the teachers extract lessons on the four components of language - understanding through listening and reading, and communicating through writing and speaking.

 

This course also exposes students to the culture and people of the modern State of Israel. Through mastery of the language, activities, movies and music the children learn to appreciate the specialness of the Jewish homeland.

Students in our Academic Support Program attend Learning Lab four periods per week. During this time, a Resource Teacher provides critical learning strategies in small groups while reinforcing science, social studies, and English content material. Because reading, writing, study, organizational, and time management skills are crucial for academic success in Middle School and beyond, the Academic Support Program provides extra assistance for students who require help developing these skills.

The Grade 5 science curriculum is designed to provide the foundation for Middle School Science. The common theme, “Wonders of Water” encompasses lab skills, properties of water, oceanography, botany and consumer chemistry. Emphasis is on developing an understanding of the importance of water in our everyday lives, for drinking, in our oceans, in the atmosphere, in the water cycle, in plants and in maintaining the ecology of the earth. Students use the inquiry method and utilize interactive lab activities, together with technology integration, to develop critical and analytical thinking skills that will be utilized throughout their secondary school education.

The 5th grade humanities course consists of the core curricula of English and United States history. Students read, write, use proper grammar and mature word choices, and develop skills to comprehend and express both oral and written language. Moreover, students study the elements of a novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme. They also use close text analysis to build comprehension skills and support their written ideas. The students examine the development of our nation with the use of textbooks and historical fiction in order to gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities which resulted in the formation of the United States. Organizational skills will be taught through the use of materials and technology in order to successfully manage new personal responsibility in the middle school.

Texts used may include:

• Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Educators Publishing Service
• Reading: Expeditions, Houghton Mifflin
• English, Houghton Mifflin
• English Workbook Plus, Houghton Mifflin

• Pedro’s Journal by Pam Conrad
• A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
• Additional stories as appropriate

Writing Lab is an opportunity for students to express themselves creatively in a safe environment. Since students will be encouraged to take risks to improve their written expression, assignments are not graded. Students will practice each step of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. In addition, coursework will reflect the traits of effective writing:

• Ideas and Content
• Voice
• Organization
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Conventions
• Presentation