Fifth and Sixth Grade Curriculum

As students enter the 5^th and 6^th grade class at Richmond Friends School they continue to learn through individual exploration, small group interactions, and entire class activities. It is important for each of these forums to be utilized since each contributes something different to the full development of the child. Individual study allows a student to specialize the educational process to themselves, helps create personal excitement for learning, and allows for individual expression. Small group study allows students to work together towards a collective goal, provides an opportunity to strengthen social skills, and provides for students to help each other. Entire class activities allow for the inclusion of many different points of view or personal knowledge, provides a place for each child to be heard by everyone else, and allows for the building of a stronger classroom community.

The primary means for students to follow individual study is through personal projects. Students begin to learn about areas of personal interest for extended periods of time to create projects that help to educate the entire class. Students are encouraged and guided to apply what they learn to create learning aids, called products, for the rest of the class, which is usually introduced to the entire class during a formal presentation. Occasionally the entire class will study a single topic with each student specializing in one aspect of that topic. At other times, individual students, with teacher guidance, will focus on learning about topics that are completely of their own interest.

Small groups are used in several ways in the 5^th to 6^th grade classroom. They are the primary means for math instruction and are also sometimes used in science experiments and writing activities. In math and science experiments, it is often beneficial for students to help each other in going through the process to arrive at a conclusion or answer.  The sharing of different points of view is what makes small groups so valuable to the writing process.  Students can use each other to check their writing drafts for interesting and detailed content as well as grammatical proficiency and correct spelling.

There are many learning activities that the entire class embarks upon together. Physical Education is decided upon by all the students together through consensus, which requires that everyone agree on what the class will do for the week. Field trips are often taken by the entire class to ensure that everyone in the class can share some meaningful experience and to help build a bond between the students. Often brainstorming is done by the entire class so that many different voices, opinions, and thoughts can be brought to bear on a particular subject.

Language Arts:

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are the foundation of the language arts curriculum in the 5^th and 6^th grade classroom. Nearly all classwork encompasses all four of these parts of language arts, whether that work be whole-class or small-group instruction, cooperative learning exercises, or individual work.

*Reading:

decoding words

fluency

vocabulary building

comprehension

personal enjoyment

researching

*Writing:

understanding and utilizing the writing process

writing conventions, like punctuation and capitalization

spelling

organization into paragraphs and sentences

creating and exploring different genres

handwriting: both printing and cursive

*Oral communication:

comprehensibility

expression

self-confidence

Math: Like so many other areas of learning, people often learn math best in different ways or at different ages. With that limitation, the 5^th to 6^th grade class utilizes age and grade independent math groups. These groups are malleable to allow for, depending on the math topic under consideration and the guidance of the teacher, a student to go from one group to another. Whole class math activities, like a baseball card activity in the spring and weekly statistics, also provide opportunities to establish basic math skills for all the students. While the same standards of minimum expectations apply to all students, math in the 5^th and 6^th grade classroom is individuated in ways that best reach each student’s learning needs.

*Geometry:

shapes

calculating area and volume

*Measurement (metric and English):

length

mass

volume

time

*Computations:

multiplication and division

subtraction and addition

*Number Sense:

fractions

decimal numbers

percentages

rounding

*Problem Solving:

understanding a written problem

choosing the correct method to solve a problem

algebra

graphing

Science: Science is not just the study of scientific information but also a process for answering questions. It is important to understand that process and use it to answer one’s own questions with a probable answer. Learning the scientific process, using it through experimentation, and gaining knowledge on scientific subjects are all important aspects of a sound science curriculum.  Whole class or group lessons delve into scientific topics like the water cycle or rock cycle, and may also provide background scientific knowledge.  In addition, much of the learning concerning many scientific areas of study are guided through individual projects.

*Scientific Processes:

comprehension of scientific method

experiments

personal use for answering questions

classification

*Scientific Areas of Interest:

recycling

water cycle

environment and human impact

animals

plants

minerals

energy

motion

human body and nutrition

Social Studies: Social studies concerns learning about our community, our society and others in the world, and what has already happened in those societies. Much like science, social studies utilize some small group and all class activities. Some examples include the teacher reading a book to the class concerning the underground railroad, or small groups making a map to illustrate where the main branches of the underground railroad were. Also, much of the study of history and the world is provided through individual projects. With a strong focus on research, the social studies curriculum includes focus on both library book research and the use of technology to find source documents.

*History:

United States government

European colonialization

ancient civilizations

Native Americans

United States history

*Geography:

location of states and countries

map familiarity and ability to use

*Cultures:

world religions

similarities and differences between people

desire to strive for peace

*Technology:

research skills

computer use, including programs and applications

safe and appropriate internet usage

digital communication

Art: Art education in the 5^th to 6^th grade class includes art appreciation, attempting to gain an insight into different forms of art, as well as participation in different types of art and personal exploration into art. Creating art is a personal expression, and therefore every artistic endeavor is greeted with honest encouragement. Do-exactly-what-I-do type of art activities are not encouraged.  We explore activities that allow for everyone to express themselves differently.

*Music:

participatory singing and simple instrument playing

enjoyment

*Performance:

Plays and videos

skits and puppet shows

*Fine Arts:

painting

drawing

sculpture and models

elements of art

Spanish: The study of Spanish is important to the 5^th to 6^th grade class because it allows us to get deeply involved with a different culture and language. Our Spanish instructor works with the class twice a week for thirty minutes. Children are exposed to:

Greetings

Stories

Food

Culture

Songs

Conversations

Body parts

Family

Writing

Spanish alphabet

Pronunciation

Social & Emotional Growth: Students are encouraged to solve their problems by discussing their points of view with each other to come to a better understanding of the situation. Students are encouraged to express themselves, but, at the same time, to consider how they affect the people around them. The classroom fosters an environment so that students become an active member of their local and world communities and to try and improve both.

*Social:

consensus building

non-violent conflict resolution

participate in making the world and local communities better places through activities like:

Sharing art activities with residents of a local retirement home

Cleaning the classroom, school, or nearby areas of the community

Assisting younger members of the school community

*Emotional:

personal autonomy

develop responsibility for self and own learning

self-respect

enjoyment of learning

Physical Growth: Since children physically mature at different rates, it is important to incorporate learning activities into the curriculum which allow them to be physically active and increase their ability to control muscle movements in a safe environment. The 5^th to 6^th grade class devotes half an hour every morning to concerted physical game playing outside and a free play time after lunch for up to 30 minutes each day.

physical games including:

Various permutations of tag

Team sports like baseball, kickball, and volleyball

Frisbee golf

Student created games

muscle control practice activity

freedom to explore with body during free play

encouragement of others

sportsmanship

Assessment: To adequately encompass all the skills and abilities that children bring to the classroom it is imperative that a wide variety of student assessments be done and that they draw from several viewpoints. It is also necessary to have authentic assessments that display actual student abilities, rather than a test maker’s skill or any abilities that the student has not yet developed. Therefore, standardized tests are not depended upon as a tool for assessment.  Four times a year formal assessments are done. Twice a year, once in mid autumn and once at the beginning of spring, the teacher will meet with student and parents to collectively review progress and set goals. Twice a year, in mid winter and at the end of the school year, the teacher writes an evaluation of each student’s performance which may include:

tests given to check for specific subject mastery

anecdotal records of student behavior

teacher records of homework completion

teacher, peer, or self assessments of student presentations

video and/or audio recordings of student’s work

teacher assessments of individual assignments, including corrections and suggestions