Fifth Grade

Paula Singer

Samantha Garfinkle

As the oldest students at BYDS, Fifth grade is encouraged to take a leadership role and work closely with their First Grade buddies.

They use the “upper class” hallway and have a locker room complete with lockers and an area for special projects and small group work. 4th and 5th teachers instruct in their areas of specialty and students enjoy moving from room to room as they switch classes. Fifth Grade gets the privilege of an overnight field trip at Camp Champions and a Leadership Retreat in the fall, a trip to a real-life castle when learning about Medieval times and the Spanish Inquisition, and Art Lessons at the Glassell School of Art. Students take more responsibility for their own education, learning study skills such as note taking, organizational skills, time management, and research and writing skills.

Singapore Math

Continuing with the Singapore curriculum and Common Core State Standards, we also start to bridge the Singapore methods with those used in middle schools.

Problem Solving

The Singapore approach is one of problem solving and visualization, and the strategies that are learned here at BYDS will prove to be a foundation for higher level math regardless of future schools.

Building a Strong Aptitude

Our curriculum focuses on mathematical thinking with immediate application of new skills to problem solving. It encourages students to solve problems in various ways. This program stretches the mind and promotes an understanding of the way mathematical processes work.

Core Curriculum

Fifth grade concepts include place value, the four operations with positive and negative integers, decimal numbers, and fractions, percent, ratio, rate and proportion, geometry (2D and 3D figures), data analysis, and pre-algebra. The program uses a concrete-to pictorial-to abstract approach which enables students to understand the concepts before learning the “rules”.

Literature

5th graders are required to read 210 minutes a week. Students read literature and informational text, such as novels, magazines, and the web. Students actively respond to their reading through writing.

Reading Skills

Students will use reading strategies effectively, solidify decoding skills, and increase their developing vocabulary. 4th grade students participate in book clubs and small group instruction. The students are required to read 10 Bluebonnet books by January.

The Six Plus Traits of Writing

These include ideas, sentence fluency, organization, word choice, conventions and voice. Students will focus on narratives, informational and opinion pieces.

Spelling and Grammar

Both will be incorporated into every reading and writing lesson. In addition, students will use their imagination and experience creative writing through poetry and short stories.

American History

Students will learn about American History from Columbus’ discovery through the US in the 20th century. Beginning with Columbus and the Spanish Inquisition: Was Columbus Jewish? Was his trip carefully calculated to help Jews avoid persecution? We learn about how Jewish history is tied into our own history as Americans.

Through a Jewish Lens

We study European settlements and the 13 colonies, The French and Indian War, and the American Revolution including Francis Salvador (the first Jew killed in the war for independence), Haym Solomon (twice arrested by the British and twice escaped execution), and Abigail Minis (who provided sorely needed goods for the Continental Army).

Political Studies

We explore The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, The Bill of Rights, and the Constitution in great depth looking at specific vocabulary and terms used and tying our current judicial system to specific biblical rules and regulations and exploring just why our country is said to be based on “Judeo-Christian” values.

Government

Time permitting, we study the United States in the 20th century, civics, and government.

Mastering Hebrew

Hebrew study culminates in the fifth grade, from which students have a strong basis for continuing study in middle school and beyond. By 5th grade, students have participated in and been exposed to a strong spiral curriculum based on the 5 Cs of the World-Readiness for learning languages: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

Joint Hebrew/Spanish Project

Twice a year our 4th and 5th grade Hebrew and Spanish classes study an identical set of vocabulary, write a story together, and present them to their peers and teachers.

Judaic Experiences

Fifth graders participate in the weekly Kabbalat Shabbat program and present Diveri Torah each week to the school congregation. Studying the weekly Parasha in depth, writing their Divrei Torah and presenting them to the school allows students to experience and prepare for writing their D’var Torah for their B’nei Mitzvah.

Leading Shabbat

The fifth graders lead a Shabbat service at Congregation Beth Yeshurun, where they receive a final book to add to their Jewish library.

Hands-on Investigation

Students spend 2 hours/week in the Science Lab. Over half of that time is spent in hands-on investigation with the remaining time spent reading, watching videos, learning vocabulary, or playing games that reinforce the concepts learned in the investigations.

Physical Science

The Physical Science investigations relate to energy and continue until approximately the end of the first Trimester.

Life Science

Our 4th Graders cover a unit on Life Science which compares the systems in plants, animals, and humans.

Earth Science

We will introduce Geology during our Earth Science unit.

ART: Applying Proper Proportions

Applying space and value to add dimension to their art, students will learn proportion skills such as drawing a face or building, the art of tessellations, and creating an Andy Warhol pop art.

MUSIC: Introduction to Guitar

Students begin to learn about music research and reports and dive further into the music industry and business. Students sing in a group and in every school performances, plus they act as assistants to our Thanksgiving Program, star in the Talent Show, and perform at their Graduation.

HEBREW: Culmination of Hebrew Study

Students now have a strong basis for continuing study in middle school and beyond. They have participated in and been exposed to a strong spiral curriculum based on the 5 Cs of the World-Readiness for learning languages: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

SPANISH: Holding Spanish Conversations

In the 5th grade we expand the vocabulary to include occupations, places in our neighborhood, telling time, sports, transportation, and restaurant and market items. In grammar, we cover possessive adjectives and prepositions, present tense, and regular and irregular verbs.

PE: Physical Education

Through monthly thematic units from basketball to Jump Rope for Heart, we focus on age and skill-appropriate lessons four days a week for 30 minutes a day with a health class once a week.