Welcome to your final year at Balfour Elementary!
We look forward to helping students prepare for middle school
while getting to know each of them and their families as we embark on
the journey of education together! We believe learning is an ongoing,
never-ending life skill and we cannot wait to further instill the
passion and love of seeking new knowledge while always asking questions
and engaging in meaningful conversations and learning with our
students!
Curriculum - This year, we will be implementing the Common Core Standards in Literacy and Mathematics.
Literacy: Each
nine weeks will have a focused theme that integrates Social Studies
into our reading and writing block. We expose students to various types
of genres from novel studies, to poetry, biographies, current event
articles and more. We will be taking part in guided reading groups,
seminars, as well as a variety of other reading and writing
activities.
Social Studies: Our
focus is on United States history, government, culture, and
economics. We also focus on rights, responsibilities, and diversity of
citizens in the United States and how that has influenced settlement and
migration into the U.S.
Science: This year in
Science, we will be studying the following topics - Weather, Matter and
Energy, Force and Motion, Genetics, Human Body and Environments.
Students will learn these concepts through experiments, real life
application and various strategies to teach science vocabulary terms.
Math: In math, we will
be focusing heavily on number concepts and operations. This includes
fractions, decimals, base ten, multiplication, division, addition and
subtraction. We also spend a great deal of time using the 8 Math
Practices for solving problems. We will be studying Algebra, Geometry
and Measurement along with our Number Unit.
Testing
Fifth Graders are involved in several areas of testing throughout the
year:
- End of Grade Tests
- Reading, Math, and Science Benchmarks
Activities
We have a lot of fun things planned for fifth grade. Some things are:
- D.A.R.E.
- Safety Patrol
- NC Big Clean Sweep
- Battle of the Books
- Spelling Bee
- Field Trips
- End of Year Ceremony
- Student-Led Conferences
- Various Club Opportunities such as Soccer Club, Mustache Fraternity, Cooking Club, The Esteemed Club and more!