Fifth Grade Curriculum

Reading:

• Critical Thinking Level E
• Reading Comprehension Level E
• Critical Thinking: Quips, Quotes, and Queries
• The Sign of the Beaver
• Sing Down the Moon
• Shiloh
• Number the Stars
• The Secret Garden
• Call it Courage
• American Tall Tales

Possible (probable) additional reading, Calvert Discoveries in Reading 5

• The Sad Night
• Pedro's Journal
• Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May
• Benjamin Franklin
• Guns for General Washington
• The Story of Sacajawea
• Guide to Lewis and Clark
• Meet the Wards on the Oregon Trail
• Harriet Tubman: Anti-Slavery Activist
• Song of the Trees
• Charlie Skedaddle
• The Cat who escaped from Steerage
• Dolphin Adventure--A True Story
• The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets
•  Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms

 We will also be doing read-alouds, and she will have her choice of personal reading--likely American Girl Books and things like the Percy Jackson series.

Social Studies:

• Student Atlas
• Build Our Nation

Supplemental Material:

• Chester Comix
• Various programs from Patchwork Designs, Inc
• Current Events
• Complete Book of US History
• Colonial Crafts
• History Pockets: Explorers, Rev War, and possibly Civil War
• Ancestry.com She has ancestors in the US at least as early as 1630. We are going to pull their information into notebooking history.

Math:
Either Calvert 6th Grade or Life of Fred Fractions and LoF Decimals, moving on to LoF Pre-Algebra with Biology if there is time. I am leaning hard towards Life of Fred but need to discuss it with the Calvert Educational Advisor and ATS teacher.

Grammar:

• Calvert 5th Grade Grammar and Usage
• "Quote" book (copywork)

Spelling:

• Scott Foresman 5th Grade Spelling
• Calvert on-line Spelling program

Writing:

• Writing lessons in Calvert Learner's Guide Manuel
• Notebooking History, Reading, and Math
• I am working on finding her a pen pal

Science:

• 5th Grade Science: A Closer Look

(I am currently exploring possible supplemental labs--maybe Magic School Bus)

Computer Science:

• Calvert 5th Grade Computer Skills and Applications

Art and Art History:

• A Child's History of Art: Painting
• Art lessons in Calvert Learning Guide Manuel
• Providing LOTS of craft materials

Latin:

• Latin for Children Level A, along with DVDs, history and activity books, clash cards, and vocabulary poster.

Logic:

• The Art of Argument with additional DVD instruction

(we will see how this one goes, it may get dropped until she is older)

Supplemental Material:

• National Geographic
• National Geographic Kids
• NG Kids Almanac 2013
• Calvert Online sources including Discovery Online and Brainpop
• Downloaded Material as needed from currclick, Teachers Pay Teachers, Teachers Notebook, and other sites
• Girl Scouts
• Dance
• Possibly Fencing Lessons--she wants them, I am a bit leery.
• I am considering adding Calvert Reference Library 4, which contains a Student Dictionary, Student Thesaurus, and a lesson manual to teach use of reference materials.
• And then there is Minecraft--I know it is educational, as I have seen it spur many things and seen an increase in vocabulary, spelling, and research skills, but I don't play so I know I am missing a number of the things that go on at a subliminal level

Teaching Methods include the Calvert Learning Guide Manual directions, Daily 5, CAFE, Notebooking, Lapbooking, Construction of an American History Timeline, field trips to places like Sturbridge, Boston, and the Big E, and various games and kinesthetic activities.

 

 

I think that is it. I know, it looks like a lot, doesn't it? She can handle it. I'm not sure Mom will make it though! Coming up with methods for working with a primarily kinesthetic with an strong sprinkling of visual-spacial learner who just happens to be highly gifted at the same time is exhausting. The only thing I am really not sure about is the logic. It is recommended for 7th grade and above, but she reads and reasons on at least that level. If it catches her attention, we will run with it, if it doesn't, we will put it off until another year.

 

This is going to take a lot more prep work from me than going with strictly the Calvert plan, but I have learned since we started this journey that I have to mix it up with her or she becomes stubborn and it takes hours to do anything! As long as I can make it fun, or make my own excitement contagious, she will be fine and we will have a blast. I am excited about it. I have done more research since I started homeschooling than I have in years. My own brain is getting exercise, and I am learning new and exciting things myself.