The Grade 5 Program is divided into subject areas. Each subject is presented in a series of modules that include daily lessons and activities. A variety of resources relating to subject areas and topics are provided with each module. These include textbooks, online resources, DVD's and CD's.
Desire2Learn (D2L) is our new online communication and course delivery platform. Students will learn to use D2L for emailing, sending in assignments, accessing courses and resources, connecting with fellow classmates and entering virtual classrooms.
English Language Arts
This course consists of three modules, each with 20 lessons. Each lesson has two parts as follows:
Looking into Language
The focus of this part of the lesson which is designed to be completed in about one hour, is on stories, poems, books, plays, and articles. Students gain experience in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing. Looking into Language is a non-consumable print document. Students complete activities and answer questions in their own notebooks or on a computer.
Skill Builders
The focus of this part of the lesson is on writing, punctuation, spelling, and grammar activities. Skill Builders is a consumable print document.
Throughout the modules there are references to Internet sites as options for students who have access to the Internet. There is a separate Home Instructor’s Guide and Assignment Booklet for each module. Detailed information is provided to home instructors on ways they can assist their child’s learning.
In addition to the three core modules, students will complete novel studies in consultation with teachers. There are a variety of print and online choices available.
Overview of English Language Arts Modules
Module One: Poets and Writers
This module begins with a detailed overview of the course. Students are introduced to the main features and are provided with assessment and evaluation information. Activities focus on imagery, forms, and techniques for writing poetry; components of a story; literary genres; and sentence and paragraph construction.
Module Two: Weather
The theme of this module is weather. Students explore a variety of imaginative texts that deal with weather to improve reading comprehension and develop appreciation of a wide variety of writing forms. A main focus is on pre-writing skills involving information gathering, organizing, and planning.
Module Three: Canadian Heritage
In this module students learn about the people, places, and history of Canada through stories, essays, songs, and poetry. Students explore different ways of telling stories, from tall tales to newspaper reports to autobiographies. Research skills are a main focus.
Mathematics 5
A module format, consisting of 30 send-in papers, (no text). Skills include: place value, estimation, problem solving, decimal fractions, measurement, geometry, as well as functional math skills through multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.
Overview of Science Modules
Module 3A: Making Things Move
This module introduces students to forces; direct forces such as pushing or pulling and “invisible” forces such as magnetism and gravity. In the second half of the module students learn how machines help transfer and increase forces to make movement and work possible. Levers, inclined planes, and pulleys are introduced.
Module 3B: Using Machines
In this module students learn the ways in which people use simple machines, beginning with historical uses to how simple machines are used today in space. The focus of the second half of the module is in the construction of a simple machine, following the steps of: design, construction, testing, refining, and re-testing.
Module 4A: The Human Body–All Systems Go!
The focus of this module is on the systems of the human body. In the first section students learn about the systems involved in movement: the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. In the second section the focus is on the systems inside the body: the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and excretory systems.
Overview of Social Studies Modules
In this course students will learn a lot about Canada, this big, beautiful, and fascinating country we call home.
Module 1: Canada and Its People
In this module students will learn about the physical and cultural diversity of Canada. They will explore the physical diversity of Canada by analyzing a relief map of the country
and by reading a young boy’s account of where he lives. Student will also learn how a census can be used to evaluate the cultural diversity of Canada, as well as count the number of people who live in our country. Students will also learn about the physical and cultural diversity of Canada by analyzing the paintings of two famous artists. Finally,
students will be introduced to Canada’s founding peoples— the First Nations and Inuit, the French, and the British. They will learn about the contributions each group made to early Canadian society.
Module 2: Government in Canada
In this module students will learn about the three levels of government and how they are organized. They will also learn some of the ways that citizens can influence the government, and about The Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Students will also learn about the relationship between the Aboriginal peoples in Canada and the government.
Module 3: Canadian Communities
In this module students will learn about some of the unique features of communities across Canada. Students will also investigate the history of your community and present a short report on what you have learned. In addition, students will learn about the many forms of transportation and communication that have been used in Canada. Students will keep a log of all the different forms of transportation and communication they use over a five-day period. They will also create a timeline of different forms of transportation that have been used in Canada.
Module 4: Canada’s Resources
In this module students will learn about Canada’s natural resources and the development of British Columbia. They will study our country’s natural resources and identify which ones are renewable and which are non-renewable. Students will also do an in-depth research project on either the fur trade or the gold rush. Students will also learn about the impact human activities have had on the natural environment.
Art
The basic Grade 5 art concepts include: colour values, texture, pattern, line drawing, cartooning, use of paint, and 3-D art forms.
Second Language
Students study a second language through oral practise on the computer using an online program called Tell Me More. This is a comprehensive foreign language learning method that combines the richness and quality of its contents with the flexibility and interactive features of multimedia.
Through different types of activities, the method aims to develop the essential skills needed to communicate in a second language: reading and listening, semi-guided speaking and writing, vocabulary and grammar. The student is put in an authentic learning context thanks to different dialogues and videos that illustrate scenes from daily life. The method emphasizes quick familiarization with different sounds specific to the language using recordings of different native speakers. Students are encouraged to participate in a virtual class with their French teacher bi-weekly.
Technology 5
For students with computer access a keyboarding program, CDs and online activities are available.
Overview of Health and Career Planning 5
The use of the following two modules and an agenda help students develop into individuals capable of making informed decisions, which will lead to a healthy lifestyle.
Module 4B: Staying Healthy
The focus of this module is on how the body protects itself so that its systems stay healthy and strong. Students learn about the important role of the skin and of the body’s immune system. The second half of the module explores medical technology.
Module 5: Mixtures, Marshes, and Me
Unlike the other modules, this module consists of 15 lessons rather than 10 lessons. The three main topics are chemistry, wetlands, and focus on you (including how you think, organize your time, take care of yourself, and get along with others).
Fine Arts 5
Students who are involved in private or community programs can earn credit towards completion of this course.
P.E. 5
The aim of the Physical Education Program is to enable individuals to develop the knowledge, skill and attitudes necessary to lead an active, healthy lifestyle. A combination of online and paper may be offered. Students who are involved in community programs can earn credit towards completion of this course.
