Fifth grade builds on knowledge and skills gained in fourth grade while exposing children to increasingly more complex topics. Here’s a simple guide for what to cover and develop in fifth grade:
What to Teach When Homeschooling Fifth Grade
Fifth Grade Language Arts
F By the end of fifth grade, your child should be able to determine the meaning of words and phrases using context clues, word structure, and dictionary and reference tools. During this year, your child should demonstrate the ability to read and spell at grade level, recognize figurative language, and use antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms.
Fifth Grade Writing
Fifth grade writing typically focuses on the improvement of writing skills by producing narrations, opinion passages, and explanatory works. Fifth graders are typically able to identify main topics, support ideas, support facts, show purpose, place events in order, and provide a strong conclusion at grade-level writing.
Fifth Grade Math
By the end of fifth grade, your child should be able to apply grade-level appropriate problem-solving skills to solving word problems, use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve math problems, including those with multiple digits. In this year, your child should also work on rounding numbers with up to eight digits, adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers using regrouping, and understanding place value and how it applies to decimals and fractions.
Fifth Grade History
Among the topics your child should study in the fifth grade are early groups, settlements, people and cultures of the Western Hemisphere, and famous explorers. Your fifth grader should also study the early Native Americans and their interactions with Europeans, learn about the African slave trade, and explore colonization in North America.
Fifth Grade Science
Among the topics your child should study in the fifth grade are stars, constellations, the solar system, and physical features and characteristics of the earth. Your child should also study matter and energy and continue the exploration of life cycles, food chains, and food webs.
Fifth Grade Health
Among the topics your child should study in the fifth grade are harmful viruses and their prevention and positive ways of dealing with drugs, bullies, and stress. Your child should also learn how the local water and sewage systems work and explore the circulatory and excretory systems.
Fifth Grade Art
Fifth graders continue creating and exploring art using different mediums and tools. They may also view art, learn about famous artists, and observe art in its various forms.
For more details on what to teach when you homeschool fifth grade and the other 13 grades, check out our Year-by-Year Teaching Guide for Homeschoolers:
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Also published on Medium.
