curriculum and instruction

Curriculum Home

K-12 Curriculum

Grades K-2

Grades 3-5

Middle School

High School

Parent Resources

Staff Resources

Student Resources

Contact Us


Staff Directory

No Child Left Behind

 

Grades 3-5 curriculum


Third Grade
The students will ...

LANGUAGE ARTS

  • Learn to read independently - use before, during, and after reading strategies for word identification and comprehension
  • increase vocabulary
  • summarize and make connections
  • demonstrate fluency and comprehension
  • Read critically in all content areas - understand essential content in all academic areas
  • differentiate fact from opinion, essential from nonessential information
  • make inferences
  • Read, analyzing, and interpret literature - describe characters, setting, and plot
  • identify literary devices in stories, poetry, and drama
  • respond to nonfiction and fiction
  • identify dialogue of characters
  • Writing - write narrative and informational pieces using details and and literary elements
  • write and support an opinion
  • write with focus in organized paragraphs
  • sustain logical order
  • use varying sentence lengths and types
  • revise
  • edit for spelling, capitalization and punctuation
  • use parts of speech appropriately
  • Speaking and listening - listen to others and express themselves orally in group discussions, reports, and interviews
  • Research - locate information from appropriate sources, organize and present a report

 

Back to Top


Fourth Grade
The students will ...

LANGUAGE ARTS

  • Learn to read independently - use before, during, and after reading strategies
  • acquire a reading vocabulary
  • summarize
  • extend ideas found in text
  • demonstrate fluency and comprehension
  • Read critically in all content areas - understand essential content in all academic areas
  • differentiate fact from opinion, essential from nonessential information
  • make inferences
  • Read, analyze, and interpret literature - compare use of literary elements
  • characters, setting, plot, theme, point of view
  • describe literary devices, figurative language
  • respond to poetry, drama
  • identify formal/informal speech
  • Writing - write multi-paragraph narrative pieces using literary devices and elements
  • write multi-paragraph informational pieces using cause/effect, problem/solution, relevant graphics
  • write persuasive pieces stating position and supporting detail
  • write with focus using well-developed organization
  • write with awareness of style
  • revise
  • edit for spelling, capitalization and punctuation
  • use parts of speech appropriately
  • Speaking and listening - ask relevant questions
  • contribute to discussions
  • participate in group presentations
  • Research - locate information using traditional and electronic search tools
  • organize and present research


Fifth Grade

The students will ...

LANGUAGE ARTS

  • Read independently - use before, during, and after reading strategies
  • use vocabulary from various subject areas
  • summarize
  • clarify and extend ideas in text
  • demonstrate fluency and comprehension
  • Read critically in all content areas - read and understand essential content of informational texts, make inferences
  • determine author's purpose
  • evaluate media as information source
  • Read, analyze, and interpret literature - compare literary elements among texts
  • describe use of literary devices to convey meaning
  • read and respond to poetry and drama
  • learn origin of words
  • recognize formal/informal speech
  • Writing - write multi-paragraph, narratives using literary devices and elements; well developed multi-paragraph informational pieces; persuasive pieces clearly stating position with supporting detail
  • use writing process
  • write with distinct focus, logical order with transitions
  • use precise language and varying sentence types
  • maintain a consistent voice
  • edit for conventions of language
  • Speaking and listening - use appropriate speech making skills
  • participate in small and large group presentations and discussions
  • conduct interviews
  • access reliable media for learning
  • Research - locate information using traditional and electronic search tools
  • organize and present research

Third Grade
The students will ...

MATH

  • Use numbers to count, locate, name, measure, and order
  • Identify place values and read numbers to six digits
  • Use place value to compare, order, and round numbers to the nearest ten or hundred
  • Solve word problem using strategies for both understanding and solving
  • Count and calculate with money, make change, and use decimals and dollar signs
  • Understand properties of + and x
  • Use fact families to relate inverse operations
  • Use mental math strategies and estimation to calculate
  • Write to explain and compare
  • Add and subtract 4-digit numbers with trading
  • Tell time to the nearest minute and calculate elapsed time
  • Collect, organize, display, and interpret graphs and tables
  • Learn basic multiplication and division concepts and facts
  • Write mathematical stories
  • Identify solids, shapes, lines, angles, polygons, symmetry, congruent figures, and motion
  • Find perimeter, area, and volume
  • Compare, order, and estimate fractions, decimals, and mixed numbers
  • Find equivalent fractions
  • Measure using customary and metric units for length, weight, temperature and capacity
  • Multiply and divide 2 and 3-digit numbers by a 1-digit number
  • Use probability concepts

Back to Top

Fourth Grade
The students will ...

MATH

  • Read, write, round, and compare whole numbers to millions
  • Read and write numbers in expanded and standard form
  • Add and subtract four-digit numbers including money and decimals
  • Estimate sums, differences, products, and quotients
  • Multiple three-digit by two-digit numbers
  • Read, interpret, and create graphs and tables
  • Determine mean, median, mode, and range
  • Calculate elapsed time
  • Use commutive and associative properties to multiply three factors
  • Calculate quotients with and without remainders
  • Divide with one or two-digit divisors
  • Identify characteristics of plane and solid figures
  • Determine perimeter, area, and volume of geometric shapes
  • Identify fractional parts of a whole
  • Compare, add, and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators
  • Convert fractions into mixed numbers and decimals
  • Estimate and measure length, capacity, weight, and temperature using customary and metric units
  • Convert customary and metric units
  • Evaluate algebraic equations
  • Identify the correct problem-solving strategy to solve word problems

Fifth Grade
The students will ...

MATH

  • Read, write, compare, and order numbers to billions
  • Read, write, and order decimals through thousandths
  • Compute sums / differences of whole numbers greater than 10,000
  • Add / subtract decimals involving tenths, hundredths, thousandths
  • Multiply / divide whole numbers with products / quotients greater than 10,000
  • Multiply / divide decimals up to thousandths
  • Construct and interpret graphs and tables
  • Find the mean, median, mode, and range of a given set of data
  • Apply probability skills
  • Analyze the geometric concepts of angles, polygons, lines, and circles
  • Understand the concepts of congruence, similarity, and symmetry
  • Add, subtract, multiply fractions and mixed numbers
  • Understand the customary and metric systems of measurement including time and temperature
  • Compute perimeter and area of polygons and circumference of circles
  • Determine volume, surface area, weight, and capacity of solid figures
  • Compute and analyze ratios, proportions, and percents
  • Use variables and integers to write algebraic equations
  • Determine and use appropriate estimating and problem solving strategies

Third Grade
The students will ...

SOCIAL STUDIES

  • Understand why communities started in certain locations
  • Recognize that communities are comprised of people from many cultures
  • Learn how people depend on each other for goods and services
  • Learn how the government works to solve local and regional problems
  • Understand the geography, the cultures, and the history of the Lehigh Valley
  • Identify features and locations on globes
  • Interpret data from charts and graphs

Back to Top

Fourth Grade
The students will ...

SOCIAL STUDIES

  • Compare and contrast the major land forms, bodies of water, climate, natural resources and products of this country's five regions
  • Learn how historical events have affected life in the United States today
  • Appreciate the commonalties and diversities of racial and cultural groups in America
  • Learn about Pennsylvania's history, culture, geography, and government
  • Understand the importance of being a responsible citizen
  • Develop map and globe skills

Fifth Grade
The students will ...

SOCIAL STUDIES

  • Develop an understanding of our heritage through the chronological study of our history
  • Develop an understanding of the rights and responsibilities we have as Americans
  • Analyze the causes and effects of historical events
  • Appreciate the commonalties and differences of people
  • Develop an understanding of government and its branches
  • Use research skills to participate in an independent history segment
  • Interpret illustrations, timelines, historical maps, and graphs

Third Grade
The students will ...

SCIENCE

  • Identify the life cycles of plants and animals
  • Analyze changes in plants and animals and ways they survive
  • Evaluate how forms of energy effect matter
  • Synthesize how heat energy moves, changes matter, and is measured
  • Differentiate between advantages and disadvantages of various energy sources
  • Create a model of the water cycle
  • Identify effects of pollution and methods of conservation

 

 

Back to Top

Fourth Grade
The students will ...

SCIENCE

  • Identify basin needs of animals and their adaptations
  • Classify living things
  • Identify characteristics of different animal groups
  • Describe properties of magnets and forms of electrical energy
  • Construct electrical circuits
  • Explain sources of electrical current
  • Identify properties and uses of minerals and rocks
  • Analyze elements and forces of the Earth's structure

Fifth Grade
The students will ...

SCIENCE

  • Identify the parts of flowering plants and explain various plant processes
  • Compare and classify plants according to specialized cells and structures
  • Describe specific structural adaptations of plants
  • Explain and describe properties of light and sound
  • Describe the function of lenses and their uses
  • Analyze the effect of light on color
  • Explain the hearing process
  • Identify methods of controlling, recording, identifying, and transmitting sound
  • Describe various tools used by astronomers
  • Illustrate the structure of the solar system and identify the properties of stars and galaxies

Third Grade
The students will ...

HEALTH

  • Learn the basic systems of the human body
  • Recognize the importance of exercise, rest, and proper nutrition for a healthy body
  • Learn techniques to handle food and medicines safely
  • Develop an awareness of consumer health issues
  • Learn about how diseases are transmitted and how to control the spread of diseases

 

Back to Top

Fourth Grade
The students will ...

HEALTH

  • Develop positive attitudes about self and others
  • Learn pedestrian, bicycle, bus, and fire safety rules
  • Learn the delivery systems of the human body
  • Learn how to make responsible decisions
  • Identify sources of stress and learn basic coping skills
  • Explore the effects of alcohol and drugs on the body and the family unit

Fifth Grade
The students will ...

HEALTH

  • Learn the movement and control systems of the human body
  • Learn about basic human growth and development
  • Learn about the physical and psychological changes of puberty
  • Identify the effects of mind altering drugs
  • Recognize and resist peer pressure to abuse alcohol and drugs
  • Analyze and resist media pressure to abuse alcohol and drugs
  • Identify effective strategies for dealing with conflict and anger
  • Apply the decision making process for personal safety
 

Third Grade
The students will ...

VISUAL ARTS

 
  • Increase proficiency in use of art tools
  • Use the elements principles of art and design to describe and create art
  • Know that shapes take up space and accurate shapes create realistic representations
  • Categorize colors into groups
  • Understand the function of art through examination of historical and cultural contexts
  • Use symmetrical and radial balance
  • Create unity through repetition, line, color, and shape
  • Recognize the relationship between texture and pattern
  • Compare and contrast historical and cultural contexts in art

Back to Top

 

Fourth Grade
The students will ...

VISUAL ARTS

 
  • Gain further proficiency in creating well crafted art forms
  • Critique artwork using correct vocabulary
  • Know that shapes can represent real things
  • Identify color schemes
  • Recognize value and graduation of color
  • Understand that art communicates history and culture
  • Recognize proportional relationships
  • Learn how to order space according to foreground, middle ground, and background
  • Recognize and use a focal point; define degrees of objects using texture
  • Examine nature for examples of axial, radial, and spiral symmetry
  • Build upon exposure to various historical and cultural movements in art
 

Fifth Grade
The students will ...

VISUAL ARTS

 
  • Further skills in use of art materials and techniques
  • Know that art makes personal statements and can influence opinions
  • Understand why artists use specific elements in their art
  • Realize that form has mass and volume
  • Recognize that colors are infinite
  • Use color to control emphasis and composition
  • Use emphasis through the establishment of a focal point
  • Use texture to add interest in a work of art
  • Identify and use positive and negative space
  • Explore different materials and techniques to create free standing form
  • Study in depth historical and cultural movements in art

Third Grade
The students will ...

MUSIC

 
  • Develop singing voice with repertory songs and play simple melodies and accompaniments on classroom instruments
  • Identify lines and spaces of the treble staff by letter name
  • Expand musical score reading by defining time signatures, first and second endings, codas, and dynamic levels
  • Introduce half and whole rests and dotted half notes
  • Study instrument families with differentiation between brass and woodwinds
  • Sing PA Dutch folk songs
  • Follow conductor instructions and cues while performing

 

Back to Top

 

Fourth Grade
The students will ...

MUSIC

 
  • Develop singing voice and proper intonation through rounds, partner, and repertory songs
  • Introduce two-part score reading and singing
  • Expand musical score reading by defining more specific dynamic levels and tempo markings
  • Optimal participation in small group instrumental instruction
  • Introduce grandstaff and other clefs
  • Identify instrumental families visually and aurally
  • Sing regional songs to support fourth grade United States curriculum in Social Studies
  • Sing with choreographical movement and perform folk dances
  • Recognize musical concepts from various musical styles and historical time periods

Fifth Grade
The students will ...

MUSIC

 
  • Develop singing voice emphasizing breath control and posture through multi-part score reading and singing
  • Optional participation in school-based choral program
  • Optional participation in small group instrumental instruction and district-wide performances (Band and Orchestra)
  • Identify major / minor tonalities
  • Study songs and music to support fifth grade Social Studies in Colonial America and early United States history
  • Perform various dance styles and choreographical movement
  • Apply all musical vocabulary (including rhythmic notation, expression, dynamics, tempo, and form) while singing and playing appropriate grade-level music

Third Grade
The students will ...

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

  • Combine skills and concepts for purpose of rhythmic communication and expression
  • Apply simple offensive and defensive game strategies
  • Engage in movement skill sand fitness activities
  • Understand how exercise affects heart rate
  • Exhibit good health, safety, and conflict resolution practices during sports and game

Back to Top

Fourth Grade
The students will ...

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

  • Analyze and evaluate movement sequences and combinations
  • Exhibit offensive and defensive strategies in a game situation
  • Introduce fitness level measurements
  • Apply appropriate conflict resolution skills
  • Perform a dance sequence

Fifth Grade
The students will ...

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

  • Understand personal fitness concepts
  • Participate in fitness testing
  • Adapt movement skills to the dynamic, changing environment of a game
  • Work in a cooperative group to attain a positive goal
  • Create a dance sequence

Third Grade
The students will ...

LIBRARY