Everything that a child encounters in his/her school day from the minute the student enters the school building until he/she leaves to go home is considered the curriculum. This includes classroom experiences, lunchroom, gym, recess, prayer, as well as any other activity that occurs during the school day.
The fifth grade, which is part of the Junior High at Sacred Heart School is centered on preparing each student for the high school experience. In the Junior High the students switch classes for 45 minute periods. The students continue to build on the skills they have acquired in the primary grades. They are taught to be organized and prepared for each class. Students are responsible for bringing all the materials they will need for each class, just like in high school. They are also exposed to having different teachers for each class, and thus must adapt to different teacher personalities and teaching styles.
The fifth grade students also participate in the 10 week D.A.R.E. program presented by the Lyndhurst Police Department.
The curriculum consists of:
- Religion: Thestudents study the Creed, the Sacraments, the Liturgical Year, the Marks of the Church and the New Testament. The Seven Sacraments are studied in detail. The students celebrate the Sacrament of Penance at least twice during the school year. The students also attend the school Liturgy once a month.
- Reading/Language Arts: The Reading/Language Arts Curriculum includes both an on-level and accelerated program. This program allows the teacher to focus on each child’s individual learning style and ability. Students will be working alongside their peers who demonstrate similar instructional needs. This will provide them with the opportunity to flourish and build their skills.
By fifth grade, the students should be proficient readers. The Reading Street program exposes the students to a variety of literary genres and reading skills including comparing and contrasting, generalization, plot and theme, summarization and main ideas. Trade books are also used so that our students are introduced to classic authors and current writers in the field. These books help to foster the exploration and discussion of topics relevant to students today.
In Language Arts, students are immersed in the parts of speech and their use in the English language. Students hone their writing skills through different exercises including writing a personal narrative, business letters, how-to articles, and research papers. Proofreading and editing are utilized in the writing process. Students also write in a personal journal each day. “Voyages in English” is the hardcover text used in class along with a practice workbook for homework. Students are also introduced to a number of websites via the computer lab and apps on the tablets to practice their skills.
- Math: The Math curriculum includes both an on-level and accelerated program. This program allows the teacher to focus on each child’s individual learning style and ability. Students will be working alongside their peers who demonstrate similar instructional needs. This will provide them with the opportunity to flourish and build their computation and problem solving skills.
The curriculum is based on The Archdiocese of Newark’s Mathematics Curriculum Map which identifies the content to be taught and student skills to be mastered at each grade level. The 5th grade map includes:
- Place Value: Billions to Thousandths
- Addition and Subtraction of Whole Numbers and Decimals
- Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals
- Properties of Operations
- Exponents
- Order of Operations
- Divisibility
- Fractions
- Problem Solving
- Factors and Multiples
- Equivalent Fractions
- Relationships among Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Addition and Subtraction of Fractions
- Understanding and Finding Volume
- Multiplication and Division of Fractions
- Ratio and Proportions
- Data, Tables and Graphs
- Measurement: Customary and Metric Systems
- Geometry: Polygons, Angles and Circles
- Coordinate Plane
- Expressions and Equations
- Probability
- Science: The Science curriculumincludes Earth, Physical and Life Science. The curriculum incorporates S.T.E.M – an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. STEM Education attempts to transform the typical teacher-centered classroom by encouraging a curriculum that is driven by problem-solving, discovery, and exploratory learning. It requires students to actively engage in the situation in order to find its solution.
- Social StudiesThe Social Studies curriculum focuses on the study of the Americas. There is a heavy concentration on American History in the first two trimesters. During the third trimester, the students explore Mexico, Canada, Central America and South America.
- Music
- Computers
- Physical Education
- Art
- Library
- Health
- World Language (Spanish)
