The fifth-grade English program continues the foundation formed in Lower School and expands on it. Students will explore various genres, write critically, apply vocabulary to enhance comprehension, and use technology to aid in the learning experience. There is a reinforcement of the basic grammar skills and enlargement to include all parts of speech. Reading instruction includes the strategy of close reading and BHH (book, head, heart). Students choose what literature circle book they will read within a theme that involves applying reading skills and strategies, writing about the reading experience, researching and presenting information about the book, and creating an item based on that reading experience. Writing is an important part of the curriculum, helping the student become effective communicators by learning how to write clearly and concisely. Peer critiquing and group sharing are important parts of the writing process.

In fifth grade, students choose Strings, Band, or Chorus as their major art class and stay in that class for two years.  On alternating days, students rotate by quarter through Visual Art, Theater, General Music (non-performing), and Small Group Lessons in their major art class. During the small group lesson students are allowed to explore more deeply the concepts taught in the Chorus, Band, and Strings classes.  They also are given more autonomy to ask questions, explore individual interests, and build on skills learned in the larger class.

Visit the Arts section of the website for more information.

Fifth-grade social studies is an thematic approach to studying the development of civilizations throughout the ancient and Medieval periods in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Students experience history through engaging hands-on activities which foster students' love of learning. It brings learning alive and makes history meaningful for a fifth-grade student. The themes covered include geography, social structures, and government and political systems.

The fifth-grade math program includes the following units:  Operations with whole numbers & decimals, operations with integers, operations with fractions, Order of Operations, solving equations & inequalities, graphing linear equations, ratios, proportions, percents, perimeter, area & surface area, volume, and statistics.  Abstract thinking and problem-solving are emphasized in every unit of this course. Various manipulatives, interdisciplinary units, multiple technology tools, and mathematics competitions are used for enrichment.

Health Education

In grades five through eight, age-appropriate texts and resources are used to teach mental, physical, and social skills necessary to maintaining one's health. Units taught include human growth and development, evaluating health-related information, products and services, decision-making, family living, nutrition, safety and basic first aid, and environmental health.

Physical Education

The Middle School physical education program stresses physical fitness and a variety of athletic experiences. The program includes training and testing for the Cannon strength and conditioning program.  Also included are units on soccer, flag football, volleyball, tennis, aerobics, cardiovascular fitness and conditioning, basketball, softball, baseball, and lacrosse. Participation is mandatory. However, students develop skills for performance at their individual levels.
 

The middle school science curriculum incorporates the different disciplines of science into each course of study beginning in fifth grade. In the fifth grade course, students explore the disciplines of life and environmental science through an in depth study of ecology. They study the interactions of the living and nonliving factors of their environment, learn about diversity and adaptations, and explore the many cycles of the natural world. Through hands-on activities, teacher demonstrations, and student explorations, fifth graders learn about the effects of human interactions and interferences in the delicate balance of the natural world.

In fifth grade, world language courses are exploratory, and students rotate through all three World Language courses offered at Cannon School (Spanish, French, and Mandarin). At the end of their fifth-grade year, students choose which language they will study for the remainder of their Middle School Career.