Fifth Grade

In Fifth Grade, our core subjects are Math, Language Arts, Reading, Spelling, Religion, Science and Social Studies. Our students also have weekly classes in Art, Computer, Library, Music, PE and Spanish.

Students are graded using the following scale:

A = 93-100
B = 85-92
C = 77-84
D = 70-76
F = 69 or below

Math

Students in First Grade through Fifth Grade learn math using the Savvas enVisions Mathematics. Fifth Grade skills include:

Numbers and operations in base ten
Operations and algebraic thinking
Fractions
Measurement and data
Geometry

Our faculty researched multiple math programs and selected Savvas enVisions Mathematics for the program's ability to deepen understanding of math concepts, develop real world applications and connections, and develop math vocabulary. The faculty was particularly impressed with how the program spiraled through each grade level and prepared them for advanced Mathematics in middle school and beyond.

Read more about Savvas enVision Mathematics here.

Our Fifth Grade teachers are Ms. Brittany Wilson and Mrs. Bonnie De Vasconcelos. They are assisted by Mrs. Erin Greenleaf.

English

Fifth graders continue to build upon grammar foundation. Writing is emphasized each week, including journals, essays, and integration of other subject matter. Students can expect classwork and homework to be occasionally taken as a daily grade. There are also chapter tests and quizzes.

Reading

Fifth grade students read Scholastic News, a short non-fiction magazine that has current cross-curricular news articles. Additionally, student will read novels as a class and focus on specific skills the author uses in their writing.

Students will be given Star Reading computer-adaptive reading tests. The tests identify where a student’s reading skills are compared with other students in their grade nationwide, along with what grade level the student is reading on. It also identifies a student’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which is the span of reading levels that are appropriately challenging for reading practice. Based upon this information and an expectation that each child will read during the designated class time for silent reading and at home each night, the program has formulated an amount of Accelerated Reader points that each child should be able to achieve within each marking period. Students are welcome to check out books from our school library, which is home to 14,000 titles. Our librarians love helping students find books interesting to them!

Religion

Celebrating our faith is integrated into everything we do at Saint Peter Catholic School. We attend Mass weekly on Wednesdays. Religion is taught by Mrs. Harris for 30 minutes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. However, all of our teachers keep Jesus at the center of their classroom.
In Religion Class, Fifth Grade students will:

Grow in faith
Learn stories from the Bible, understand God's laws, serve Jesus and others, learn about the saints, pray the Rosary, and participate in Mass.
Have 3rd grade prayer partners and attend weekly Mass with them

Fifth Grade collaborates with Third Grade in bringing canned goods to make soup for the JOY Soup Kitchen in Greenville each Thursday, a tradition going back 25 years.

Social Studies

We use the Studies Weekly series. This series covers the early explorers of America through the Civil War.
The focus in Fifth Grade is on North America and parts of Central America. Students will learn about the physical environments and the people of these nations with reference to current events and trends, recognizing the influence of key events, key individuals, religions, beliefs and values on life. The students will learn how the market economy impacts life along with the development, structure and function of the United States government.

Science

We use the Scott Foresman Science text book.

Unit A: Life Science
Unit B: Physical Science
Unit C: Earth Science
Unit D: Human Body

Beyond the Classroom

Students in Fifth Grade have outdoor recess each afternoon. We also supplement learning through special projects and field trips. Fifth graders visit Bentonville Battlefield, a Civil War battlefield in Bentonville, NC. This supplements our study of the Civil War.

Celebrations through the year include a Christmas Party and an End of the Year Party. We do not have a Halloween Party because of our school's massive and fabulous Halloween Carnival.

Fifth Grade students get to participate in what we call NUT Days (No Uniform Today) each month during the year. Students also get to have an extra NUT Day during their birthday month.

Other activities the students get to enjoy include service projects, the Scholastic Book Fair, Grandparents and Special Friends Day, Catholic Schools Week, Spirit Week in February and Field Day in May.

By the end of Fifth Grade, our students are ready for the academic challenge of Middle School.