Meet our Fifth Grade Teacher Mrs. Howen!
Curriculum
RELIGION
In fifth grade religion class, we pray daily with and for each other. We also extend our prayer petitions to include our school, the greater Crystal Lake community, and the world. Our curriculum focuses on worshipping as Catholic Christians, the Sacraments, Christian Living, and the Church’s seasons and Holy Days. We live out our Catholic faith by mentoring our Kindergarten prayer partners, as well as participating in our school’s service projects, such as Hope for Haitians.
READING/LANGUAGE ARTS
Students continue their journey as critical readers, writers, and listeners in our fifth grade ELA curriculum. Reading skills, such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, and analyzing character traits and figurative language are emphasized. Students are also encouraged to seek out and analyze Catholic worldviews in the literature that we read, which includes a traditional basal reader and three novel studies. Students improve their writing skills through creative writing assignments, formal grammar lessons, and several types of essay writing (descriptive, expository, narrative, and persuasive.)
MATH
The fifth-grade math curriculum focuses on two- and three-digit multiplication, long division with one- and two-digit divisors, and fraction work. This includes adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions with like and unlike denominators, as well as converting fractions to decimals. Various problem-solving strategies are introduced and reinforced throughout the year.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The fifth-grade year begins with a review of map reading skills and continues with a focus on history. This year our fifth graders will study the Age of Exploration, the North American Colonies, and the Revolutionary War. Historical events are viewed through the lens of our Catholic faith.
SCIENCE
Students continue to focus on the scientific method through the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. Cell biology, chemistry, and environmental science are explored through hands on labs, lectures, and scientific reading through a variety of resources. Students are taught to respect the wonder of God’s creation through our study of the scientific world.