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The central theme and Social Studies focus for fifth grade is The Making of a Modern Nation. This theme will chronologically bring together the facts and ideas already learned in the previous grades.Social Studies and Language Arts are used together for teaching. Students use historical fiction trade books to teach the social studies/history part of the theme. Grammar instruction focuses on the identification of parts of a sentence including indirect and direct objects, predicate nouns, and adjectives, and prepositional phrases as adjectives and pronouns with antecedents. Students present research projects, make outlines from notes create bibliographies, and orally give comparison talks and debates. Students learn to recognize propaganda and to compare and contrast an author's writings. They write personal narratives and persuasive and business letters.

Reading Renaissance (also referred to as Accelerated Reader) is a reading incentive program in place at The Cathedral School in 2nd-5th grades. The program is based on the fundamental principal that practice improves reading. It combines computer technology, teaching strategies and reading practice. At our school, Reading Renaissance is used as a supplemental reading program that simply manages student reading practice and measures reading growth over the school year. Each classroom has scheduled into their day a minimum of 30 minutes of reading practice. Three times during the school year, students take an individualized reading assessment in the computer lab, called STAR Reading. Then, each teacher schedules a conference with each student to show them their results and plan their reading program for each nine weeks. If you don't know where you started, how will you know if you have made progress? For this reason, students learn their reading level, are helped by the classroom teacher to find a book that is on their level, and are then given time to read. The teacher monitors their reading, taking the opportunity to teach in "mini-lessons" as needed. After finishing the book, students take a quiz on the material to check for comprehension. If they pass, they move on. If they don't, the teacher guides them to continue to practice their reading skills on another book of the same level. The beauty of this program is each teacher knows exactly where every student in her class is in their reading development and each student can progress at his or her own pace. Students can see their growth and it only inspires them to keep going.

Science is integrated with social studies within the theme. Landforms, biomes and geography are used with map skills. Variables, simple machines and energy are included in a study of the Industrial Revolution. Inventions and exploration are include in the study of the 20th century.

Math curriculum begins with place value through the billions. Decimals, fractions, percentages, and geometry are the year-long focus. Students add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators, and multiply and divide fractions and mixed numbers. Students convert decimals, fractions and percents, and determine ratio and proportion. Data analysis is an important component in problem solving and communication and students make and use charts, tables and graphs. They use exponents and variables in establishing formulas and patterns. Foundations for geometry and algebraic thinking are formed.

Accelerated Math is a computer based supplemental math program used at The Cathedral School for 3rd-5th grades. It monitors and manages student learning. Accelerated Math helps the teacher customize practice assignments for each student. Through diagnostic results, it tells the teacher exactly which math skills have been mastered and which skills need more practice. The reports help the teacher to give each student the instruction and math practice they need, and motivate them to take responsibility for their own learning.

Students practice using line to create three dimensions and add greater detail. They observe more complex shapes in nature and in man-made environments. They practice soft and sharp shadows to show form and three dimensions, size, scale, placement, overlapping to create depth illusions, and expand color knowledge and analyze how and colors affect moods, atmosphere and feelings. They develop patterns using rhythm, movement and spacing and study how pattern is used by other cultures. They continue to experience visual as well as tactile textures in two and three-dimensional applications. Awareness of balance and how to create balance and dominance in artwork is examined. Art history and appreciation is a focus as students work through projects studying a variety of art movements.

All students at The Cathedral School are given the opportunity to define, practice, and apply creativity during enrichment. The classes focus on the development and evaluation of ideas. Fifth graders have a year long study of the brain and mind called, "The Brain Owner's Manual Maintenance Course." The children learn about the physical brain, its parts, and their functions. They are introduced to tests to determine their personality types, thinking and learning styles. They determine their preferences and learn to use individual strengths. Each child practices the creative process during their lessons. They learn to make judgments, evaluate using thier own criteria and reflect upon decisions.

The Spanish program is designed to: instill an interest in the study of a foreign language, foster an awareness of cultural and linguistic differences among peoples, create a sense of tolerance, understanding and appreciation of these differences, and to offer students opporutnities and experiences which allow them tocommunicate in a range of content areas both in the target language and in the target culture.

Instruction in the fifth grade is guided by core classroom topics and a language text base. Students are guided to explore language by learning to recognize and comprehend the spoken word, then progress to simple phrases, sentences, and fuctional expressions. Reading and writing activities are introduced after visual and oral presentations are made.

Students learn to articulate and comprehend:

	Greetings, farewell, days of the week, months of the year
	Polite terms of expression
	Pets
	Introductions and statements of age
	Colors, numbers, simple geometric shapes
	Body parts
	Classroom vocabulary
	Family members
	Food items
	Holiday vocabulary and customs related to various holidays
	Telling time
	Adjectives, verbs
	Expression of feelings
	Appropriate questions to obtain needed information
	Math operations: additions, subtraction, multiplication division

Students will become familiar with various Spanish speaking parts of the world, general geographic locations, customs and limited traditions.

Students use Thesaurus, World Almanac, Guiness Book of World Records, Atlas and Encyclopedias with hands-on assignments. Research is done for reports in the library with the writing portion done in their classrooms. Students are taught how to do a variety of bibliographic citations in order to prepare a bibliography of resources for their research reports. Emphasis is placed on learning effective use of library resources. Students will use the on-line library catalog and learn Boolean searching.

Music is an integral part of the curriculum at The Cathedral School. Music studies are promoted and encouraged through participation, performance, listening and worship. Students are exposed to music in all areas of the campus daily life. Performances and student participation are encouraged with presentations of The Cathedral School Christmas Pageant, Grand Friends' Day musical reviews, and special choirs. Students sing in chapel and take their music to outreach opportunities in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

	Melody: Students understand basic scales and how notes move on the staff to notate music, solfege or number skills, sight singing, key signatures and accidentals are introduced.
	Rhythm: Students count and sing in basic time signatures using quarter, eighth, half, whole and sixteenth notes, as well as dotted notes, ties and slurs.
	Harmony: Descants, major and minor chords with instruments are studied and practiced.
	Form and Style: Students recognize the national heritage of songs and basic song form as well as the form designs in compositions.
	Expressive Qualities: Students recognize different instruments, blends of instruments, tempo and dynamics.

The students in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade participate in physical education activities and skill acquisition as an intentional component for educating mind, body and spirit. Students learn and demonstrate the following during physical education class at the appropriate level:

	Health related fitness
	Personal and social behavior
	Movement /motor skill
	Active lifestyle
	Academic integration
	Safety

The purpose of the religion curriculum at The Cathedral School is to nurture the spiritual growth of the child by providing:

	Time in the daily schedule for praying together as a class community
	Space in the physical building where materials are kept and classes taught
	Teachings from a trained and experienced Catechist of the Good Shepherd Christian Formation
	A Chaplain to teach and lead the liturgies of the gathered community and to respond to the students and families in need of special nurturing at times of illness, death, tragedy, divorce, etc.

Students are offered an experiential method of encountering God; a community experience in worshipping, studying and supporting one another; and the opportunity to participate in a liturgy which can express the living, spiritual "breathing" of children aged 5 to 12, and the adults who love and support them.

Fifth Grade students plan, design and produce the school's closed circuit "Good Morning Cathedral School" television program. Students are given the opportunity to develop further skills in multimedia and video production, and in electronic presentations. Fifth graders continue using desktop publishing and learning about databases and spreadsheets. Students work with networked servers and shared information, and use search engines and web browsers. Fifith graders continue to learn about internet safety. Keyboarding practices are extended with the knowledge that full hand span has not been achieved by fifth graders.