Grade Five

Students in grade five read a wide variety of texts and are able to analyze and synthesize the information they read. Students continue to practice the skill of citing evidence in texts to support their claims. They engage in research and write extensively to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and to express their creativity. Grade five is the beginning of a formal and in-depth study of U.S. History, and students begin to understand the components and practices of a democracy. In the science class, grade five students learn that objects and organisms do not exist in isolation, and that animals, plants and their environments are connected to, interact with, and are influenced by each other. A highlight of the grade five year is student participation in a week-long stay in Truro as part of the National Environmental Education Development (N.E.E.D.) Collaborative. In the mathematics classroom, the focus is on fractions in all their forms. Performance Tasks include: iMovie Book Trailer; Pleasant Bay Research Project; Million Dollar Math Project; Grading Impact Response Piece.

English Language Arts
Students in grade 5 read widely and deeply from a range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literature and informational text from diverse cultures and different time periods. Students build their knowledge base about different subjects through identifying and assessing evidence as well as accurately paraphrasing reading materials by citing key details. They can explain how elements of a story or text interact and describe how different points of view influence the description of events. Students contribute accurate and relevant information and comment on the remarks of others and learn to synthesize what they read from multiple sources. Gaining practice at acquiring and employing precise words is a critical element of their development this year. Throughout grade 5, students conduct research and write multi-paragraph stories and essays, working on employing detailed descriptions, providing ample evidence, and grouping related information. Students respond critically to both literary and informational sources over the course of the year, writing both short- and long-form pieces while honing their appreciation for the nuances of grammar, usage, and punctuation. Revision and editing will play a bigger role in their writing as well.

Social Studies
Students study the major pre-Columbian civilizations in the New World; the 15th and 16th century European explorations around the world, in the western hemisphere, and in North America in particular; the earliest settlements in North America; and the political, economic, and social development of the English colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. They also study the early development of democratic institutions and ideas, including the ideas and events that led to the independence of the original thirteen colonies and the formation of a national government under the U.S. Constitution. The purpose of the grade 5 curriculum is to give students their first concentrated study of the formative years of U.S. history.

Mathematics
In grade 5, instruction focuses on three critical areas: (1) developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, and developing understanding of the multiplication of fractions and of division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions); (2) extending division to 2-digit divisors, integrating decimal fractions into the place value system and developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, and developing fluency with whole number and decimal operations; and (3) developing understanding of volume. The major focus in fifth grade is fractions in all their forms.

Science and Technology/Engineering
Connections and Relationships in Systems In grade 5, students model, provide evidence to support arguments, and obtain and display data about relationships and interactions among observable components of different systems. By studying systems grade 5 students learn that objects and organisms do not exist in isolation and that animals, plants and their environments are connected to, interact with, and are influenced by each other. They study the relationships between Earth and other nearby objects in the solar system and the impact of those relationships on patterns of events as seen from Earth. They learn about the relationship among elements of Earth’s systems through the cycling of water and human practices and processes with Earth’s resources. They also learn that matter and energy cycle through plants and animals, and the ecosystems within which they live. An ability to describe, analyze and model observable components of different systems is key to understanding the natural and designed world.

The Unified Arts
One of the primary goals of the unified arts instruction is to develop and expand children's natural abilities of perception, movement, interpretation, and appreciation of the forms, sounds, and language of creativity. The curriculum is designed to encourage a positive attitude and, perhaps, a lifelong interest in all of the unified arts disciplines. By participating in active experiences, working collaboratively with classmates and teachers, and presenting their work to the larger community, our students gain the technical and aesthetic foundation to be culturally literate citizens of the world.

World Language
Students will take Spanish and Latin in each of their three years at Monomoy Middle School. Students will expand on the Spanish language skills acquired at the elementary level. Spanish, as the nation's second language, gives every proficient speaker a valuable skill and a connection to world conversations. A foundational understanding of Latin opens the door to all Romance Languages and strengthens understanding of the roots of language and appropriate usage. Latin will extend skills addressed in the English Language Arts classes.

Visual Arts
Using a variety of ways to explore, learn, and communicate, students develop their capacity for imaginative and reflective thinking. The visual arts includes drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture; the design fields include industrial, ceramic, textile, furniture, and graphic design. Visual arts is a continuously evolving field that also explores technologies such as film, video, and other electronic forms of image-making.

Music
Through music education students become fluent in the language of music as artistic, intellectual, and cultural expression. Performing, creating, and responding to music provide means for development and growth. Fluency in music brings understanding of contemporary and historical cultures, as well as self-knowledge. Music includes forms such as folk, popular, band and orchestral music, gospel music, oratorio, jazz, opera, and musical theatre.

Wellness
Our physical education program is designed to support students’ self-image, build sportsmanship, and provide a basis for a healthy lifelong attitude toward fitness. Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to match the stages of physical, social, and emotional development from year to year. In addition to athletic skills, our program encourages creative expression, builds social concepts such as sportsmanship, cooperation, and fair play, offers opportunities for leadership, encourages children to take risks, and fosters a sense of well-being in a non-competitive setting.

STEM
Students in grades five through seven engage in progressively more sophisticated engineering design challenges from the construction of simple name plates to bridges to air powered cars. Essential questions include: How do material characteristics affect tool choice and use? How do properties and characteristics of materials affect design and production in the building of prototypes? How can ideas be communicated through various media? How can you apply the Universal Systems model to transportation?