Fifth Grade Curriculum Thoughts

These are my thoughts on the Curriculum we used during 2016/2017 school year for Fifth Grade.

Most of the curriculum for 5th Grade worked well for my son but we did change a few things as I felt he needed more or that he just wasn't getting some of it. 

Math- Saxon Math 6/5

This math program was really good for him and really helped him build his confidence in math this year. He didn't really like all of the reading that came with it but we made our way through it and he really succeeded. The plan for this next year is to try something with less reading and more computer oriented. 

Language Arts- First Language Lesson, Level 4

We used Level 4 for 5th grade as he didn't really have much background in Language Arts coming from the public school. It just wasn't taught like it should have been. So we used this program this year although I will say it didn't end up being exactly what I wanted for him. We made our way through it and we will be working even harder in another Curriculum next year. 

History- America From the Beginning 

This was one of the books we stopped pretty early on. It was too much reading and just didn't catch my kids attention very well. They were very bored with it and I felt there had to be another option that worked for them better. We ended up using Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool for the remainder of the year and it was a much better fit!

Science- God's Design For Life, Plants, Animals, and Human Body 

I liked this Science curriculum. It was very easy to plan with and to teach. We did not get to the Human Body though as my kids started to show signs of interest in Space so I decided to take that interest and find online resources we could use instead. We did do plants and animals and really enjoyed it!

Literature- Classic Literature, Volume 1 

My son really enjoyed the Literature. He enjoyed reading through books he didn't know he would like and really digging down deep into learning more about them. We did do quite a bit of read aloud books with this program as well. 

Geography- Road Trip USA 

We didn't get through this curriculum fully but I did like it a lot. We will be continuing with learning our States this year as well as other Geography type items. 

Handwriting- Handwriting Without Tears, Cursive Success

I mainly used this for my son to see where he was at with writing in cursive. It is not taught in our public school here so seeing him pick it up as easily as he did was really nice. Definitely recommend this curriculum. 

Writing- Spectrum Grade 5 and Reading- Spectrum Grade 5

I grouped these together because I absolutely hated them as a curriculum for my son. I just did not like them at all. We tried to use them and ended up just focusing on individual things instead.

Spelling- Grade 5 List

This was a nice starting out point for us but I do think Id rather have an actual curriculum with a little more structure for the next year. 

Art- World's Greatest Artist, Volume 1 

I loved this curriculum. However, my boys just didn't find it interesting. We ended up just doing fun crafts from pinterest most of the year. He really enjoyed that and it worked! We may try to introduce it more in the future. 

Most of the curriculum I had picked for 5th Grade was a great fit for my oldest. There are definitely areas that I worked harder on finding curriculum that matched what my boys need for the next school year. 

These opinions are my own and not everyone may agree with them. This is just to share what we ended up using for the school year and what didn't work for my child.

You will notice some links have been removed due to not promoting a curriculum I was not happy with! 

To see the curriculum we had planned on using and explanations from the beginning of the school year check out our Fifth Grade Curriculum post. 

Fifth Grade Curriculum

My oldest son is 10 and entering Fifth Grade. He is very excited to be homeschooled this year! Here are the curriculum choice I chose for 2016-2017.

Math- Saxon Math 6/5

Math is a subject he struggles with here and there. I chose this program as I felt it would give him a review of what he knows plus slowly introduces new learning items.  

Language Arts- First Language Lesson, Level 4

I decided to go with Level 4 for him as it states it can be used for Fifth Grade. He struggled with Language Arts in Fourth Grade so I feel it is best to really review items with him to be sure he understands before moving on. 

History- America From the Beginning ( Shared Curriculum)

This is an area that my kids have not receive much information on. Our public school didn't seem to teach much History so I wanted to find a program that would start from the beginning and really show them our History.

Science- God's Design For Life, Plants, Animals, and Human Body (Shared Curriculum)

This was a fun area to search through as I knew I wanted to teach my boys about creation and I wanted a Science program that didn't teach about evolution as it is not something we believe in. I wanted them to learn about Science from a Godly point of view and I felt this program was the right one for us. We will be learning about plants, animals, and the human body this year. 

Literature- Classic Literature, Volume 1 (Shared Curriculum)

I knew I wanted to do read-a-loud type curriculum with my boys this year as it would give us a fun sit down time to really go through classic books. I found Confessions of a Homeschooler's Literature Units to be perfect for what I was wanting to achieve. It gives them a Lapbook to work on and activities to go along with the book as we read. 

Geography- Road Trip USA (Shared Curriculum)

In fourth grade at the public school he went to they introduce States and Capitals but that is about as far as it went. I am excited to share with him where the states are and information about each state. 

Handwriting- Handwriting Without Tears, Cursive Success

This is a subject that is no longer taught at public school in our State. So I am excited about teaching it because I feel it is still needed even with how technological our society is, kids need to learn how to sign their name and write in cursive. 

Writing- Spectrum Grade 5

This was an area I questioned on if I really needed. So I looked through some of my sons past papers from the year before at public school. I read through them to realize that he had not been taught how to write proper sentences or even how to be creative in his writing. So I researched through several curriculum and found this one to be the one I liked the best. 

Reading- Spectrum Grade 5

I chose this because it is mainly reading comprehension. This is an area that both of my boys struggle with. So I chose it to work with them and to reinforce how to comprehend what they have read. 

Spelling- Grade 5 List

I knew this was an area that my son is really good at so I didn't want to get to difficult with how he has already been learning spelling from past years. So I chose the basic Fifth Grade Spelling list that was free and that is what we are using this year. 

Art- World's Greatest Artist, Volume 1 (Shared Curriculum)

He loves Art so much and I am looking forward in giving him techniques and new things to try this year. This curriculum will offer a background in Art History and he will get to explore art culture. 

Music

This is something he is not very interested in. So, I am still trying to decide if I will push him to do a Music Program this year. I am a firm believer in letting them choose this type of stuff. 

You will notice some of the choices say Shared Curriculum. These are subjects that we will work together on as they work well for grades 3 to 5.  I felt it was important to include times to work together as I am hoping to help my children bond, as well as learn. 

These are our Fifth Grade Curriculum choices. I will do a post at the end of the school year to share what I think of my choices.