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5th Grade
General Studies
Language Arts
The fifth grade English Language Arts program is centered around the 6+1 Writing Traits. Students will be required to complete weekly writing prompts where they will be able to work on fine tuning their writing, paragraphing and editing skills. Some of the main writing pieces students will do this year are a children’s story, poetry portfolio, and a biography on an African American from the Harlem Renaissance. Students will complete monthly book reports and projects. Some of the genres they are required to read are Newbery authors, science fiction, biography, fantasy and nonfiction. The fifth grade spelling program helps to emphasize different spelling patterns, commonly misspelled words, and vocabulary.
Math
The fifth grade math program mirrors the New York State requirements and curriculum. Additionally, a variety of enrichment activities are offered. This curriculum emphasizes conceptual understanding while building a mastery of basic math skills. The program affords students the opportunities to explore math concepts through a variety of hands-on activities. There are math games and activities, and calculator computations, as well as basic paper and pencil computation skills. The students begin the year by reviewing and strengthening their multiplication and division facts. Throughout the year, they build on prior knowledge and add to this in a spiral fashion, exploring more in-depth math concepts which include place value, probability and chance, measurement, geometry, algebra, fractions, decimals and percents, collecting, organizing and graphing data, geometry, area, and volume.
Social Studies
The social studies program covers the history of the United States with a short unit on Canada and Latin America. Map skills, utilizing a variety of maps, primary v. secondary sources, and timelines are some of the skills that will be covered in fifth grade. Students will participate in large and small group discussions as well as cooperative learning groups.
Science
Earth science is the topic of the fifth grade science program. Students are involved in a variety of hands-on activities that teach them about geology, meteorology, astronomy, and oceanography. Labs will be completed each week.
Judaic Studies
Hebrew – עברית
Using the textbooks by Tal-Am, students will enrich their Hebrew vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing skils. Special emphasis is given to oral expression by composing stories, talking to a friend, making presentations, and conducting discussions in Hebrew. The text books used to achieve these goals are from the “”אלף בית, ילדים לומדים עברית” (Alef-Bet, Children Learn Hebrew) series. Stories, poems, and other literature are used to enrich the Hebrew curriculum as Jewish holidays and celebrations approach.
Holidays – חגים
The study of the holidays, based on the textbooks, Nilmad Dinim, is designed to enrich the student’s knowledge of the holidays, the laws, and customs. The students develop a deeper connection to the holidays through class discussions, chevruta study, and arts and crafts projects.
Chumash (Bible) – חומש
The book of Shemot (Exodus) is the focus in Kitah Hey. The Tal-Am curriculum is used for study. Much of the study of chumash is conducted in Hebrew, enriching the understanding of the Bible and the knowledge of the Hebrew language at the same time.
Prayer – תפילה
The focus of the prayer curriculum is to strengthen prayer skills, as well as understanding of the t’filot. Twice a week, fifth graders pray in the Bet-Midrash with third and fourth grade, giving the children an opportunity to read Torah.
Israel – ישראל
The Friday schedule includes a short מולדת (moledet – homeland) lesson. The students concentrate on people who have contributed to the State of Israel in various areas. This allows the students to “visit” different areas of life in Israel, such as medicine, industry, and absorption into society.
Mishna – משנה
Jewish identity and practice are rooted primarily in Torah Sheb’al Peh, which is itself presented and detailed in the Mishnah, related Tannaitic texts, and Amoraic and Talmudic texts. Kitah Hey takes the first step of a fully integrated curriculum for the study of Torah Sheb’al Peh using the V’Shinantam curriculum.
Additional Curricular Experiences
Library Information Center
Grade five students learn to become more independent and capable library users. Subject areas that are reinforced are call numbers and the Dewey Decimal System, use of the library computer catalog, our “Adopt-A-Shelf” program, copyright and plagiarism issues, selecting appropriate research sources, and the Newbery Award and Coretta Scott King Award.
In computer class, the fifth grade learns to navigate from search engines to sites using addresses and key words, to create and present Power Point projects, and utilize computer sites that are integrated with Judaic and general studies classroom curricula from both online interactive sites and research sites, while using safe computer and Internet practices.
Physical Education
Bet Shraga is fortunate to have a large, well equipped gymnasium, as well as an extensive outdoor play yard which includes three separate playing fields. During their two weekly classes of PE, fifth grade children have opportunities to engage in developmentally appropriate exercises, team sports, gymnastics, and physically challenging games that develop a sense of teamwork.
Art
Much of fifth grade art lessons are devoted to color theory and painting. Students learn about mixing colors to create a twelve-color color wheel. Lessons on color progress from using tints and shades to creating monochromatic paintings. We experiment with primary colors in the style of Piet Mondrian, or use complimentary colors like Sonia Delaunay. Students learn about mixing browns when we study George Rouault. We experiment with techniques reflective of Pointillist Georges Seurat, Fauvist Franz Marc, Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky, and Surrealist Salvador Dali.
Music
In fifth grade music class, students continue their study of the recorder, learning about the instrument by writing their own songs and playing them. They complete the full do re mi scale, including high C and D and F sharp, extend their rhythmic repertoire to include such patterns as repeated eighth notes and dotted quarter and eighth notes, and work on ear training. Singing Hebrew and Israeli songs is central to the fifth grade musical experience. Students expand their repertoire of Hebrew songs and have the opportunity to audition for solos in the Israeli Song and Dance festival.
A highlight of music class for fifth grade students is learning about the design and structure within the jazz idiom. Students are able to identify a vamp, a melody, a solo section, a tag and many of the solo instruments in jazz music. Listening material includes famous works by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly, Paul Desmond, Jon Coltrane and Charlie Parker.
