Fifth

Fifth Graders at Ascension Episcopal School have the opportunity to develop their leadership qualities and to strengthen their ability to be independent thinkers. An attitude about school and life in general is often formulated at this stage of development. With leadership roles in Chapel, Student Council and daily student life and the training at Mo Ranch Leadership Camp, our students are able to develop and polish these qualities.

Language arts includes literature and the writing process. Through the use of essays, journals, research papers and creative compositions, the writing process, including brain storming, drafting, revisions, proof reading and publishing, is studied. Critical thinking skills such as extrapolating the main idea from defined data, identifying bias and propaganda, inferring meaning and interpreting are combined across the curriculum in Fifth Grade. Research using the library and the Internet is also part of the language arts curriculum. Grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary development continue to be reviewed. Trade books and literature are the main source of reading. Students are expected to read independently six additional books of their choice each grading period. A summer reading list is assigned between Fourth and Fifth Grade.

Computations in higher math are expected in Fifth Grade Pre-algebra. Calculator skills, geometry, graphs, mental math, statistics and probability are introduced. Mathematics is implemented across the curriculum in real life situations using consumer math, data collection and analysis, estimation, time and money problems. Using situations that involve ratio, proportion and percentage computations, math becomes one of the components to the solution of real life problems.

Science, using the Scott Foresman text, Discover the Wonder, teaches the concepts of matter construction, energy both physical and solar, electricity and plant growth. With the use of the Outdoor Learning Center and the science lab, our students are able to use hands-on experiments to discover the how and why of life around them. Garden projects are often taken from the initial planting through to a usable product. In all projects the scientific methods are used to help students organize their data. The students prepare a Science Fair project in the spring.

The study of America is the main topic for Fifth Graders in social studies. Through the use of stories, Harcourt Brace's America's Story, dramas, presentations and field trips, the students follow the history of America from the ancient Americans to Americans today. Geography skills, comprehension, chart and graphing skills and cause and effect are studied at each historical point in the time line presented. Tolerance for those different from us and an appreciation of the contributions to America from the builders of our country are important concepts our Fifth Graders learn. Learning how to apply Christian virtues to everyday life is the goal for the lessons in character education. Striving to make the virtues taught a part of everyday life, we stress the importance of our Fifth Graders modeling good character. The Fifth Grade curriculum is further enriched with music (both theory and performance), Spanish, physical education, integrated computer projects and art theory.