What’s the deal with 5th grade?
By Whitney Shaw
As the 5th grade teacher at CSLA and a mom of a current CSLA 5th grader, I can safely say, 5th grade is a big year!
I truly view 5th grade as the bridge between elementary and middle school. We focus on many skills that go beyond academics and are needed to effectively navigate middle school. The goal from day one is to help guide students to independence; independence in the way they learn and take care of their school work.
Organization
From day one, we get organized. That means our binders are organized by subject and our desks stay organized. It is impossible to manage assignments and expectations if we are cramming papers into our desks and backpacks with no way to keep things straight.
Responsibility
From day one, we talk about self-responsibility. We are responsible for putting our name on our papers, turning things in on time, studying for tests, not losing papers, etc… From day one, we talk about having a “growth mindset” and working through hard things. From day one, we talk about “productive struggle” and how so much learning takes place in the middle of hard assignments. From day one, we challenge ourselves to think deeper, work harder, and make ourselves better.
Progress over Perfection
Perfection is not expected, but continued progress is the goal. Each quarter, expectations get tougher and 5th graders are expected to take care of more and more on their own. I will guide them all year long as they build the skills they need to help them succeed further on in their academic career. We will spend a tremendous amount of time mastering our multiplication and division facts. We will write and write and write some more. We will work on becoming clear, detailed, and excellent communicators. We will read out loud a lot, practicing our fluency, voice, and inflection. We will work hard to become better spellers and effective grammar users. We will work with partners and in small groups to build collaboration and communication skills. We will be completely ready for 6th grade.
Homework
In the springtime, I will implement homework. This is so students get used to having daily homework- something that will be a given when starting middle school. Students will also be asked to use a daily planner in middle school, and we will begin to use the same planner in the spring so that when September rolls around, the transition to middle school isn’t so scary.
Ready for 6th Grade
Here’s what I know: middle school is hard. Expectations are high - academically, personally, and spiritually. Students are expected to manage their assignments and themselves independently. We hold a high standard for our students, and in 5th grade we are going to prepare them to take on the task of middle school with confidence, ease, and success. I can confidently say that students leaving 5th grade will transition to 6th grade with everything they need to be successful. They will have the friendships to lean on when things get hard, they will have the academic background and analytical skills to work through rigorous school expectations, and they will have the Biblical knowledge to know who they are in Christ and where their identity lies. I pray my students feel as confident in themselves as I feel in them, because they have worked so hard and grown so much, and I know they will soar in 6th grade!