These spotlights are not meant to be an all-inclusive detail of the year's curriculum. Rather they are meant to highlight many of the engaging projects and new work and learning that happen at each grade - the things that both make kids look forward to that grade and that students will remember when they think back.

As with the rest of the school, 5th grade students use thinking maps to help visually represent the critical thinking embedded in the grade-level standards. Thinking maps span across all subject areas. Students are also taught how to close read: how to identify the main points of a text; how to find evidence to support an opinion or fact; and, how to get clarity on unknown words in a text.

Reciprocal teaching is also embedded throughout the curriculum. Reciprocal Teaching is a strategy that asks students and teachers to share the role of teacher by allowing both to lead the discussion about a given reading. Reciprocal Teaching involves four strategies that guide the discussion: predicting, question generating, summarizing, and clarifying.

Also in Science, the 5th graders go on an excursion on the research vessel the R/V Robert G. Brownlee. It cruises out of the Antioch Harbor and into the Delta where the students study water conservation, ichthyology, plankton, and mud, while learning about boat safety, terminology, and teamwork.

The 5th grade also puts on a Science Festival for the school. Over the course of six weeks, groups of students, supported by parent volunteers, work together with the scientific method to put together a project, complete with a presentation. Hypotheses are answered and teamwork strengthened as students gain an excellent grasp of what it means to be a scientist.  

Social Studies for 5th grade presents the story of the development of the United States, emphasizing the period up to 1850. This includes many exciting projects including the Court House field trip that is part of their unit on the judicial system. Students are given a tour of the courthouse in Martinez, participate in a mock trial, and observe an actual trial in process.

Each student is assigned a state for in-depth research. Students use an online tool called Prezi to create a presentation of their research. The Prezi State Report project concludes with a persuasive essay titled "Come to [name of their state]."

Students also use their creative juices to put together a tribute to their state "on wheels" in Bancroft's traditional State Float Parade. Bikes, scooters, skateboards and feet are adorned with décor showing off their state as they parade around the blacktop while the rest of the school looks on.

5th grade culminates their study of US geography by making salt dough maps of the United States regions including major rivers, landforms, mountain ranges, and location of the states.

In PE, one of the activities is a colonial crusade where they "jog through the colonies," logging how far they have traveled as they move from one colony to another.  

George Washington Dayis another great US History event for 5th grade. Students are put into stations and live a day in the life of our leader and General, George Washington. They eat hoecakes, create silhouettes, play marbles, write secret messages, and study vocabulary on his life through Bingo. This is another opportunity to enhance their understanding of life in the 1700's. This day is the culmination of many weeks of studying the events that lead up to the American Revolution. 

A fabulous at-school field trip is the Walk Through the American Revolution. Students step back in time to 1763 when the British were defeating the French in the American Colonies. Students are then transported through the events before, during, and post war. They dress in costume, memorize lines, and carry props. Battle scenes are acted out and students end the day with a deeper understanding of how we became the USA!

In Math students are focused on the Engaged NY common core curriculum. In addition to focusing on the standard areas of study, they work on explaining their thinking. Teachers are not interested in the answer as much as they are interested in the thinking that the student used to get their answer.  

In language arts, the students read In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Bridge to Terabithia, and Whipping Boy. While reading these books they use the reciprocal reading strategies, focus on comprehension, making inferences, and using evidence to support. They increase vocabulary and general English convention skills as well.

Another project in language arts is the 5th grade magazine. Students choose a theme they want to carry through the project and then work to complete five major articles under that theme: persuasive, expository, how to, narrative, and autobiography. Students also include letters to the editor, advertisements, and other fun games or activities. The complete project is bound together with a laminated cover and put on display at open house.

Instrumental Music is back for 5th graders this year. This is an elective, and this year more than half the 5th grade has chosen to play an instrument. There will be three performances - one in December, one in the spring, and one area-wide music festival usually held at one of the high schools. 4th and 5th graders also can elect to participate in the spring musical.   

To help the transition to 6th grade, where they will have a different teacher for every subject, students switch between one teacher for math and science and another for social studies and language arts.

5th graders have homework on Mondays, Tuesday, and Thursdays, typically about an hour each night. They also do monthly book reports and a public speaking assignment every other week.