5th Grade

CURRICULUM

The Corte Madera 5th grade curriculum is developed based on California State Standards, in alignment with PVSD's goals and priorities. All of our students are provided a high-quality program that motivates, engages, and challenges them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.

5th Grade SAVVAS MyView

In SAVVAS MyView, fifth grade students draw on a repertoire of ways for reading closely, noticing how story elements interact, understanding how different authors develop the same theme, and comparing and contrasting texts that develop a similar theme. Students investigate ways nonfiction texts are becoming more complex, and they learn strategies to tackle these new challenges. Strong foundational skills, such as fluency, orienting to texts, and word solving, that are required to read complex nonfiction are addressed. Students read complex nonfiction texts to conduct research on a debatable topic, consider perspective and craft, evaluate arguments, and formulate their own evidence-based, ethical positions on issues. Students also work in book clubs to become deeply immersed in stories and further develop higher-level thinking skills to study how authors develop characters and themes over time. They think metaphorically as well as analytically, explore the quests and themes within and across their novels, and consider the implications of conflicts, themes, and lessons learned

In the writing portion of SAVVAS MyView, Students develop their writing skills to compose narrative, response to literature, informational, and argumentative pieces. Students spend time brainstorming, organizing ideas, writing rough drafts, revising/editing, conferencing, writing a final draft, and publishing. During lessons, teachers emphasize how to effectively write in the narrative, informative, and persuasive modes.  

Textbook used:  SAVVAS MyView

5th Grade Math

The big ideas in grade 5 include: developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, developing understanding of multiplication and division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions), extending division to two-digit divisors, developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, developing fluency with whole number and decimal operations, and developing understanding of volume.

Textbook used:  Math Expressions

5th Grade Science

A major theme in 5th grade is the study of matter.  Students will learn that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.  They will explore the properties of matter, conservation of matter and what happens when you mix different substances.  Next, they will look at the movement of matter and energy through plants and ecosystems, and learn about the source of energy for our planet - the sun.  We'll begin the spring by looking at gravity and the movement of planets around the sun.  Next, we'll study the major systems of the Earth: the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere and how they interact.  We'll spend time looking at the amount of water contained on the Earth, and calculate the amount of fresh water contained in reservoirs.  Last, we'll study global warming and explore how to preserve the endangered species of our planet.

Textbook used:  Twig

5th Grade Social Studies

Students study the history of the United States.  They learn about the development of the nation up to 1850, with an emphasis on the people who were already here, when and from where others arrived, and why they came. Students also learn about the colonial government.  They recognize that ours is a nation that has a constitution that derives its power from the people, that has gone through a revolution, that once sanctioned slavery, that experienced conflict over land with the original inhabitants, and that experienced a westward movement that took its people across the continent. Studying the cause, course, and consequences of the early explorations through the War for Independence and western expansion is central to students’ understanding of the development of our nation.

Textbook used:  TCI

Useful Links

The full content standards can be found at the following websites:  California History/Social Science Content Standards: https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf 

Common Core State Standards for Math: https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/Ss/documents/ccssmathstandardaug2013.pdf

Next Gen Science Standards:  https://www.nextgenscience.org/