Welcome to Fifth Grade
The 5th Grade is an exciting year for our students as it is the final year before they enter the middle school program. Students are encouraged to be more independent and accountable for their decisions both at school and at home. Friendship and respect for one another is strengthened through their studies and their relationship with God.
Fifth Grade Curriculum
English Language Arts (ELA)
The fifth grade ELA curriculum integrates grade appropriate reading, writing, speaking, listening and the continued study of vocabulary and grammar. The students have opportunities to read and discuss a variety of book genres, employ reading comprehension strategies and increase their reading fluency. Students work on understanding figurative language and compose in their own words descriptive, narrative, informative and opinion pieces.
Math
Fifth grade math focuses on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Students will become fluent with problem solving with these types of numbers and understanding the relationship between them. An emphasis is on math facts fluency, problem solving, and understanding place value, including decimals to the thousandths.
Social Studies
Fifth graders use their understanding of social studies concepts and cause-and-effect relationships to study the development of the United States. Their focuses include early explorers, colonization, the American Revolution, the states and their capitals, and the American government.
Science
The K-6 science curriculum at Saint Isabella School is designed to promote an understanding of nature and an appreciation of its methods and mysteries. The program prepares each student for the future by providing opportunities to investigate, explore and evaluate the world we live in. Kindergarten through grade six study Earth Science, Physical Science and Life Science. These 3 subjects include the study of native California plants, the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly, and experiments with magnets and forces.
Religion
Fifth grade religion studies are built on a spiral curriculum that integrates the central doctrinal themes of Catholic teaching. These include “We Believe” (Creed), “We Worship” (Liturgy and Sacraments), “We Live” (Christian Morality), and “We Pray” (Prayers).
Mrs. Sandra Herrera
Fifth Grade Teacher
Mrs. Herrera has been teaching at Saint Isabella School since 2018 and loves working here. Mrs. Herrera truly appreciates the community of teachers and staff, students and families who get to grow together in the Catholic faith. Catholic education has been a part of her entire life from kindergarten to her postgraduate education. Mrs. Herrera has over twenty-five years of experience with the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She wants her students to understand that learning is a lifelong process and encourages their sense of responsibility and independence. When Mrs. Herrera isn’t spending time with her family and friends, she loves to get lost in a good book (preferably on the beach) or trying a new recipe in the kitchen, Italian of course!