Maasai Village

PEMPAMSIE
Strength through
Unity

2015-2016

Fifth Grade Course Outline

This year (201-2016) Timbuktu will continue using the Common Core State Standards; these standards define a
staircase to college and career readiness, building on the best of previous state standards/Michigan Grade Level
Content Expectations (GLCEs) and evidence from research best practices. Below is an overview of some of the key
things your child will learn in Fifth grade English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.

English Language Arts & Literacy

Your child will read several stories and chapter books to cover the required genres of fantasy, historical fiction,
mystery, and science fiction. We will also be reading several tall tales from various cultures. Building knowledge
about subjects through research projects and responding analytically to literary and informational sources. Your child
will write stories or essays that are several paragraphs long using 6 + 1 Writing Traits model coupled with Step Up to
Writing; devoting significant time and effort to producing numerous written pieces over short and extended timeframes
throughout the year, he or she also will gain control over many conventions of grammar, usage, and punctuation as well
as learn ways to make himself or herself understood.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS STUDENT WILL EMPLOY

Summarize the key details of stories, dramas, poems, and nonfiction materials, including the themes or main
ideas
Identify and judge evidence that supports particular ideas in an authors argument to change a readers point of
view
Integrate information from several print and digital sources to answer questions and solve problems
Write opinions that offer reasoned arguments and provide facts and examples that are logically grouped to
support the writers point of view
Write stories, real or imaginary, that unfold naturally and developing the plot with dialogue, description, and
effective pacing of the action
Participate in classroom discussions engaging fully and thoughtfully with others (e.g., contributing accurate,
relevant information; elaborating on the remarks of others; synthesizing ideas)
Report on a topic or presenting an opinion with his or her own words, a logical sequence of ideas, sufficient
facts and details, and formal English when appropriate
Expand, combine, and reduce sentences to improve meaning, interest, and style of writing

Build knowledge of grade level words with an emphasis on those that signal a contrast in ideas or logical
relationships, such as on the other hand, similarly, and therefore
Use technology to produce various genres of writing

Mathematics
Your child will focus on concepts and skills that will develop into a more formal study of algebra for middle school. To
be ready for algebra, students must have an understanding of fractional arithmetic; thus math during this year will
consist of developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, 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), extending division to 2-digit divisors, integrating decimal fractions into the place value
system and developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, developing fluency with whole
number and decimal operations; and developing skills and understanding of Operations and Algebraic Thinking,
Measurement and Data, and Geometry concepts. In addition, students will utilize and have access to Think Through
Math (TTM); a web-based math program accessible from anywhere with an Internet or Wi-Fi connection.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS STUDENT WILL EMPLOY

Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (e.g., 214 113), and solving word problems of this kind
Multiply fractions; divide fractions in simple cases; and solve related word problems (e.g., finding the area of a
rectangle with fractional side lengths; determining how many 13-cup servings are in 2 cups of raisins;
determining the size of a share if 9 people share a 50-pound sack of rice equally or if 3 people share 12 pound
of chocolate equally)
Generalize the place-value system to include decimals, and calculating with decimals to the hundredths place
(two places after the decimal)
Multiply whole numbers quickly and accurately, for example 1,638 753, and divide whole numbers in simple
cases, such as dividing 6,971 by 63
Understand the concept of volume, and solving word problems that involve volume
Graph points in the coordinate plane (two dimensions) to solve problems
Analyze mathematical patterns and relationships

Social Studies
Your child will engage in a chronological study of early American history through the adoption of the United States
Bill of Rights. The fifth grade Social Studies content is the departure point from the social studies approach taken in
previous grades. Building upon the geography, civics and government, and economics concepts of the United States
mastered in fourth grade and historical inquiry from earlier grades, the fifth grade Social Studies curriculum begin a
more discipline-centered approach concentrating on the early history of the United States. Students will begin their
study of American history with an introduction to the United States Constitution and move on to study the meeting of
Three Worlds; where they will learn about the interactions among American Indians, Africans, and Europeans in

North America. Students also examine how these interactions influenced colonization and settlement. They will explore
how geography of North America influenced daily life and economic activities as the three distinct English colonial
regions developed. Students will also learn how ideas about government, colonial experiences with self-government,
and interactions with Great Britain influenced the decision to declare independence. Within the historical study
emphasis is placed on ideas about government as reflected in the Declaration of Independence, Articles of
Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Although the content expectations are organized by
historical era, they build upon students understandings of the other social studies disciplines from earlier grades and
require students to apply these concepts within the context of American history.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS STUDENT WILL EMPLOY

Describe the life of people living in North America before European exploration
Identify the causes and consequences of European exploration and colonization
Describe the environmental, political, and cultural consequences of the interactions among Europeans, Africans,
and American Indians in the late 15th through the 17th century
Compare the regional settlement patterns and describe significant developments in Southern, New England, and
the mid-Atlantic colonies
Analyze the development of the slave system in the Americas and its impact upon the life of Africans
Identify the major political, economic, and ideological reasons for the American Revolution
Explain the multi-faceted nature of the American Revolution and its consequences
Explain some of the challenges faced by the new nation under the Articles of Confederation, and analyze the
development of the Constitution as a new plan for governing
Clearly state a problem as public policy issue, analyze various perspectives, and generate and evaluate possible
alternative resolutions
Compose a short essay expressing a position on a contemporary public policy issue related to the Constitution
and justify the position with a reasoned argument
Act constructively to further the public good by developing and implementing an action plan and know how,
when, and where to address or inform others about a public issue and/or participate in projects to help or inform
others

Science
Using an inquiry-based learning method your child will engage, explore, explain, extend (or elaborate), and evaluate
four disciplines in science: Science Processes, Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth Science. They will design
and conduct their own scientific investigations, with consideration of fair tests, variables, and multiple trials and sets of
data; generate questions and develop solutions to problems through reasoning and observation.
In Life Science, students explore the variation of ecosystems as they gain an in-depth knowledge of the biotic and
abiotic factors influencing the balance of an ecosystem. Whereas, in Physical Science they will deepen their
understanding of energy through investigations demonstrating the transformation of kinetic energy and energy transfer

by radiation, conduction, or convection. Finally, in Earth Science students extend their knowledge of earth processes
such as plate tectonics, how rocks are formed, and how surface features of the earth and the origin, composition, and
importance of soil. Fossils are used to explore the geologic history of the earth. Students will use their knowledge in
new situations, to solve problems by generating new ideas, and to make connections between what they learn in
class to the world around them.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS STUDENT WILL EMPLOY

Generate questions, conduct investigations, and develop solutions to problems through reasoning and observation
Analyze evidence that guides decision-making and the application of science throughout history and within society
Distinguish between contact forces and non-contact forces; and demonstrate contact and non-contact forces to
change the motion of an object
Explain the motion of an object relative to its point of reference; describe the motion of an object in terms of
distance, time and direction, as the object moves, and in relationship to other objects; and illustrate how motion can
be measured and represented on a graph
Identify the general purpose of selected animal systems (digestive, circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular,
nervous, excretory, and reproductive); and explain how animal systems (digestive, circulatory, respiratory, skeletal,
muscular, nervous, excretory, and reproductive) work together to perform selected activities
Explain that the traits of an individual are influenced by both the environment and the genetics of the individual;
and distinguish between inherited and acquired traits
Explain how behavioral characteristics (adaptation, instinct, learning, habit) of animals help them to survive in their
environment, describe the physical characteristics (traits) of organisms that help them survive in their environment,
describe how fossils provide evidence about how living things and environmental conditions have changed, and
analyze the relationship of environmental change and catastrophic events (for example: volcanic eruption, floods,
asteroid impacts, tsunami) to species extinction
Demonstrate and explain seasons using a model and explain how the revolution of the Earth around the sun defines a
year
Design a model of the solar system that shows the relative order and scale of the planets, dwarf planets, comets, and
asteroids to the sun
Describe the motion of planets and moons in terms of rotation on axis and orbits due to gravity, explain the phases
of the moon, explain the apparent motion of the stars (constellations) and the sun across the sky, explain lunar and
solar eclipses, and explain the tides of the oceans as they relate to the gravitational pull and orbit of the moon