Fifth and Sixth Grade Literature and English Curriculum
In 5th and 6th Grade Literature our reading is designed to help students become skillful, confident, lifelong readers. 5th and 6th Grades literature students continue to expand their reading strategies and skills. They are expected to read increasingly complex literature and to demonstrate comprehension orally and in writing utilizing increasing levels of complexity and sophistication. Great attention is given to further developing the students’ reading fluency, applying appropriate word recognition strategies and increasing student vocabulary. Students are encouraged to continue learning and using key comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading. Using the electronic whiteboard (“Smart Board”), student laptops and software, as well as assigned texts, teacher enhance the learning environment.
Quality literature is a central component of the 5th/6th reading program. Students read a wide variety of literary selections of various genres, as well as several core texts in each grade, which are chosen to give all student common experiences with contemporary and classic literature. Students are challenged to learn to express initial understandings and complex interpretations; to identify and infer relationships between characters, settings, and events; and to make personal and critical connections between texts and personal experiences. These strategies encourage the students to go beyond the written word and to build literal, textural and interpretive reading skills. At both the 5th and 6th grade levels, students also practice the skills of summarization of stories and of condensing selections in written, oral and other creative ways. Students experience literature individually, in small groups and as whole classes.
Instruction in study skills is an integral part of the learning process and as such study skills are taught across the curriculum. A formal Study Skills Curriculum is taught in the fifth grade and ongoing practice is provided in 6th Grade. The program encompasses teaching organizational techniques, proper study behavior and environment, effective strategies for test taking, note taking, skimming/scanning written material for content and other learning skills. A formal spelling curriculum is also taught at the fifth grade level.
