Year at a glance
Ten monthly themes, 36 weeks. Tap a month for its goals, or a week for its skills and plans.
September: Welcome / My Country and Maps
September is about getting to know our classroom, our routines and our country. We read long words by their parts, find the big lessons in stories, review place value and multi-digit math, discover that even air is made of matter, and travel the five regions of the United States on the map.
Reading & writing
Build reading and writing routines, find the theme of a story with evidence, read long words by syllables and word parts, and write a personal narrative.
RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RF.5.3a, W.5.3
Math
Understand place value to the millions, use powers of ten, and review multi-digit multiplication and division.
5.NBT.1, 5.NBT.2, 5.NBT.5, 5.NBT.6
Science
Show that all matter, even air, is made of particles too small to see, and identify materials by their properties.
5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-3
Social studies
Read maps with latitude and longitude, and describe the five regions of the United States, their land and their resources.
C3 D2.Geo.1.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.8.3-5
- Week1A Fresh Start and a Big MapSyllable patterns · Place value to the millions · Air is matter · Map tools · 5 day plans
- Week2Regions of the United StatesPrefixes · Powers of ten · Tiny particles · Five U.S. regions · 5 day plans
- Week3Land, Water and ResourcesSuffixes · Multi-digit multiplication · Properties of matter · Landforms and resources · 5 day plans
- Week4Map Makers ReviewVowel teams and r-controlled syllables · Division review · States of matter · States and capitals · 5 day plans
October: Fall / Ecosystems and Energy
October's falling leaves lead us into ecosystems: where a plant gets its food, who eats whom, and what happens to a fallen log. We read informational texts the way scientists and historians do, build multiplication fluency, step into decimals, meet Native nations of North America, and follow the English colonies from Jamestown to the Thirteen Colonies.
Reading & writing
Read informational texts closely: find main ideas, summarize, name text structures such as cause and effect, combine information from two texts, and write an informative piece.
RI.5.2, RI.5.5, RI.5.6, RI.5.9, W.5.2
Math
Build multiplication fluency, then read, write, compare, round, add and subtract decimals.
5.NBT.5, 5.NBT.3a, 5.NBT.3b, 5.NBT.4, 5.NBT.7
Science
Trace energy from the sun through plants and animals, and model how matter moves among producers, consumers and decomposers.
5-PS3-1, 5-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1
Social studies
Learn how Native nations of North America lived with their environments, and follow the founding and growth of the thirteen English colonies.
C3 D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.His.2.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5, D2.Eco.4.3-5
- Week5Energy from the SunGreek roots · Multiplication fluency · Plants and the sun · Native nations · 5 day plans
- Week6Food Chains and Food WebsLatin roots · Decimals to thousandths · Food webs · Jamestown · 5 day plans
- Week7Decomposers and the Forest FloorLatin roots dict, scrib, vis, aud, ject · Compare and round decimals · Decomposers · New England colonies · 5 day plans
- Week8Thirteen Colonies Harvest FairSuffixes -able and -ible · Adding and subtracting decimals · Ecosystem balance · Middle and Southern colonies · 5 day plans
November: Family and Gratitude / Earth's Systems
November is about family, gratitude and the systems that hold our planet together. We study Earth's land, water, air and living things and how they work as one system, practice all four operations with decimals, write persuasive opinion essays, and learn the real history behind the 1621 harvest gathering.
Reading & writing
Summarize informational texts and stories, compare accounts of the same event, and write a well-organized opinion essay with reasons, facts and a conclusion.
RI.5.2, RL.5.2, RI.5.6, W.5.1a, W.5.1b, W.5.1c, W.5.1d
Math
Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals to the hundredths using models, place value and estimation.
5.NBT.7
Science
Describe Earth's four spheres and how they interact, model the water cycle, and graph how much of Earth's water is salt water, fresh water and ice.
5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS2-2
Social studies
Compare colonial family life with life today, explain early colonial self-government, and learn the history of the 1621 harvest from Wampanoag and English points of view.
C3 D2.His.2.3-5, D2.Civ.5.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5, D2.His.10.3-5
- Week9Four Spheres of EarthGreek roots geo, hydro, atmo, therm · Adding and subtracting decimals · Earth's spheres · Colonial family life · 5 day plans
- Week10Where Is Earth's Water?Latin roots aqua, terr, mar, sol, flu · Multiplying decimals · Salt and fresh water · Colonial self-government · 5 day plans
- Week11Gratitude and the Water CycleLatin roots grat and bene · Dividing decimals · The water cycle · The 1621 harvest · 5 day plans
December: Winter Holidays / Chemical Changes
December turns our classroom into a kitchen lab: we mix, melt, fizz and weigh to discover that matter never disappears. We look at stories through different narrators' eyes, add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators, explore winter traditions families brought to America, and follow the colonists' growing argument with Great Britain.
Reading & writing
Explain how a narrator's or speaker's point of view shapes a story, compare accounts of the same event, compare two stories with similar themes, and write a polished narrative with dialogue and pacing.
RL.5.6, RI.5.6, RL.5.9, W.5.3
Math
Add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators using equivalent fractions, and solve word problems.
5.NF.1, 5.NF.2
Science
Investigate whether mixing substances makes a new substance, and show that the total weight of matter stays the same in any change.
5-PS1-4, 5-PS1-2
Social studies
Explore winter traditions families brought to the United States, and trace the ideas and events that led the colonies toward revolution.
C3 D2.Geo.7.3-5, D2.His.14.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5
- Week12Mixing and MakingNumber prefixes · Adding fractions with unlike denominators · Physical and chemical changes · Winter traditions · 5 day plans
- Week13Nothing Lost, Nothing GainedLatin roots vert, mit, duc, form, press · Mixed numbers · Conservation of matter · Road to revolution · 5 day plans
- Week14Winter Wrap-UpIdioms and adages · Fraction word problems · Kitchen chemistry fair · Patriots and Loyalists · 5 day plans
January: New Year / Space and Gravity
A new year points our eyes to the sky. We test gravity, track shadows and learn why our sun outshines every other star, while we multiply fractions, compare characters and texts, write informative essays, and follow the American Revolution from Lexington to the Constitution.
Reading & writing
Compare and contrast characters, settings and texts, and write informative essays that group related information with headings, facts and definitions.
RL.5.3, RI.5.3, RI.5.9, W.5.2
Math
Interpret fractions as division and multiply fractions by whole numbers and by fractions, including area and scaling.
5.NF.3, 5.NF.4, 5.NF.5, 5.NF.6
Science
Show that Earth's gravity pulls objects down toward its center, explain why the sun looks brighter than other stars, and graph patterns in shadows, day and night, and seasonal stars.
5-PS2-1, 5-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2
Social studies
Explain the causes, key events and results of the American Revolution and how the new nation set up its first governments.
C3 D2.His.14.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5, D2.Civ.5.3-5
- Week15Gravity Pulls DownGreek roots astro, cosmo, scope, meter · Fractions as division · Gravity · Lexington and Concord · 5 day plans
- Week16Our Star, the SunPrefixes inter-, trans-, sub-, super- · Fractions times whole numbers · The sun and other stars · Declaration of Independence · 5 day plans
- Week17Shadows, Day and NightHomographs and homophones · Fractions times fractions · Shadows and Earth's spin · Winning the Revolution · 5 day plans
- Week18Seasons and Star PatternsRoots review · Fractions as scaling · Seasonal stars · The Constitution is born · 5 day plans
February: Friendship / Human Impact
February is about friendship, teamwork and our shared home. We research how people change Earth and how communities protect it, divide fractions, learn to back every claim with evidence, and meet Americans who worked together to change history.
Reading & writing
Ask research questions, gather evidence from several sources, take notes, explain how authors use reasons and evidence, and write a research report.
RI.5.7, RI.5.8, W.5.7, W.5.8, W.5.9
Math
Divide unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions, and solve real-world fraction problems.
5.NF.7a, 5.NF.7b, 5.NF.7c
Science
Research how people affect Earth's land, water, air and living things and how communities use science to protect them; define and compare design solutions.
5-ESS3-1, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2
Social studies
Learn about Americans who worked together for change, and how partnership and friendship shaped their success.
C3 D2.His.3.3-5, D2.Civ.6.3-5, D2.Civ.14.3-5
- Week19Footprints on EarthSuffixes -ist, -ian, -er, -or · Dividing unit fractions · People change the land · Benjamin Franklin · 5 day plans
- Week20Protecting Water and AirSynonyms and antonyms · Whole numbers divided by unit fractions · Water and air · Frederick Douglass · 5 day plans
- Week21Engineers Solve ProblemsMultiple-meaning words · Fraction division word problems · Defining a design problem · Stanton and Anthony · 5 day plans
- Week22Friends Across HistorySimiles and metaphors · Fraction review · Comparing design solutions · Washington and Lincoln · 5 day plans
March: Spring / Matter Cycles
Spring brings new growth, and we follow the matter that makes it: from air, water and soil into plants, animals and decomposers and back again. We measure volume with cubes and formulas, write richer sentences, and travel west with explorers, settlers and the Native nations whose homelands they crossed.
Reading & writing
Use context and roots to figure out new vocabulary, write complex sentences with conjunctions and correct verb tenses, and explain figurative language.
L.5.1a, L.5.1b, L.5.1d, L.5.1e, L.5.4a, L.5.5a
Math
Find the volume of rectangular prisms by counting cubes and using formulas, convert customary measurements, and make line plots with fractions.
5.MD.1, 5.MD.2, 5.MD.3, 5.MD.4, 5.MD.5
Science
Model how matter cycles among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment, and show that plants build their bodies mostly from air and water.
5-LS2-1, 5-LS1-1
Social studies
Follow the United States as it grew west, from the Louisiana Purchase to the transcontinental railroad, and how expansion affected Native nations.
C3 D2.His.1.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5, D2.His.14.3-5, D2.Geo.7.3-5
- Week23Seeds and SoilContext clues · Volume with unit cubes · Decomposers and soil · Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark · 5 day plans
- Week24Plants Make Their Own FoodPerfect verb tenses · Volume formulas · Plants, air and water · The Oregon Trail · 5 day plans
- Week25Cycles of LifeCorrelative conjunctions · Composite volume · The matter cycle · Gold Rush and the railroad · 5 day plans
- Week26Balance in NatureVerb tense shifts · Customary conversions and line plots · Food web changes · Expansion and Native nations · 5 day plans
April: Earth and Environment / Renewable Resources
April celebrates our planet with Earth Day on April 22. We engineer solutions to real environmental problems, plot points on the coordinate plane, take notes like researchers, write convincing opinion essays, and learn how the Constitution and good citizens keep a community working.
Reading & writing
Take organized notes from several sources and write opinion essays with logically ordered reasons supported by facts and details.
W.5.1, W.5.8, RI.5.7, RI.5.8
Math
Graph points on the coordinate plane, analyze numerical patterns, make line plots and classify two-dimensional figures.
5.G.1, 5.G.2, 5.OA.3, 5.MD.2, 5.G.3, 5.G.4
Science
Define a problem about protecting Earth's resources, design and test solutions, and compare renewable and nonrenewable resources.
3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3, 5-ESS3-1
Social studies
Learn the basics of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and how local government solves community problems.
C3 D2.Civ.3.3-5, D2.Civ.5.3-5, D2.Civ.2.3-5, D2.Civ.12.3-5
- Week27Engineers for EarthPrefixes over-, under-, out-, en- · The coordinate plane · Defining a design problem · The Preamble · 5 day plans
- Week28Design, Build, TestRoots eco, logy, chron, phon, cycl · Graphing patterns · Building prototypes · The Bill of Rights · 5 day plans
- Week29Earth Day Every DayCommas · Line plots with fractions · Testing and improving designs · Citizenship · 5 day plans
- Week30Energy for TomorrowPunctuating titles · Classifying 2-D figures · Renewable and nonrenewable energy · Local government · 5 day plans
May: Oceans / Inventors and Technology
May takes us to the ocean and into the inventor's workshop. We explore the world ocean as part of Earth's systems, revisit gravity and space, review the year's math with expressions and puzzles, polish reading fluency, write adventure stories, and see how inventions changed daily life.
Reading & writing
Read grade-level texts aloud with accuracy, expression and good pace, and write narratives with strong dialogue, description and pacing.
RF.5.4a, RF.5.4b, W.5.3
Math
Write and evaluate expressions with parentheses and brackets, and review whole number, decimal, fraction, volume and coordinate plane skills.
5.OA.1, 5.OA.2, 5.NBT.7, 5.NF.1, 5.MD.5, 5.G.2
Science
Describe the ocean as part of Earth's systems, explain how gravity pulls objects toward Earth's center, and compare the sun with other stars.
5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS2-2, 5-PS2-1, 5-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2
Social studies
Compare life then and now through American inventors and the technology they created, from the light bulb to the internet.
C3 D2.His.2.3-5, D2.His.3.3-5, D2.His.14.3-5
- Week31Into the OceanSuffixes -ous, -ive, -al · Order of operations · The ocean system · Thomas Edison · 5 day plans
- Week32Gravity at WorkTechnology word parts · Whole number and decimal review · Gravity in action · The Wright brothers · 5 day plans
- Week33Our Place in SpaceCommonly confused words · Fraction review · Earth in the solar system · Communication then and now · 5 day plans
- Week34Inventors' FairWord parts review · Volume, measurement and graphing review · Shadows and stars review · Invent it yourself · 5 day plans
June: Review and Celebration
June is for looking back and celebrating. We revisit favorite books, math, experiments and history, play review games, read for pleasure, and put together a year-in-review portfolio that shows how much we have grown as fifth graders.
Reading & writing
Read independently with stamina, review theme, point of view and text structure, and reflect on growth as a writer.
RL.5.2, RL.5.6, RI.5.5, RL.5.10, W.5.10
Math
Review and celebrate the year's math with games: place value, operations, fractions, decimals, volume and the coordinate plane.
5.NBT.5, 5.NBT.7, 5.NF.1, 5.NF.4, 5.MD.5, 5.G.2
Science
Revisit the year's investigations on matter, ecosystems, Earth's systems and space, and present a favorite one.
5-PS1-2, 5-LS2-1, 5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS1-2
Social studies
Look back on the year's journey through U.S. geography and history and build a year-in-review timeline.
C3 D2.His.1.3-5, D2.Geo.1.3-5