Is Your Child Meeting 5th Grade English Language Arts Standards?

Fifth grade is the last big step before students move on to middle school, and the curriculum is designed to prepare them to think more deeply and independently. When your child finishes 5th grade, it’s normal to wonder whether they have actually learned everything they were supposed to learn. Continue reading to learn more about the skills your child should have by the end of 5th grade, and how you can help them further develop these skills.

5th Grade English Language Arts Standards

5th graders learn and practice a wide variety of skills; following are some of the highlights:

• Form opinions about a text, support opinions with evidence

  • For example, a student might decide that they think a character in a story is greedy, and they will be able to support that opinion with a quote from the story that shows the character being greedy.

• Use and cite multiple sources when writing research papers

  • For example, a student will be able to write a lengthy paper about a president, and will find and use an encyclopedia, a book, and a website as sources to gather information.

• Include multimedia components in presentations

  • For example, a student might present their research project to the class and include a PowerPoint presentation to support their speech and display their findings.

What Happens When Your Child Gets to 6th Grade?

When your child enters middle school, they’re entering a whole new playing field. It can be hard for kids to transition from elementary school to middle school, especially if they struggle with their classes. Even if they have never struggled in school before, it is possible for them to start to struggle when their courses become more rigorous and teachers expect more of them in 6th grade.

Entering middle school can also be a challenge because 6th grade teachers may not have very much information on what students have learned or where they struggled in the past. In elementary school, it was easy for your child’s teachers to communicate with each other if a child seemed to be struggling. Because middle school is often a completely different school, your child’s 6th grade teachers might never even talk to your child’s 5th grade teacher.

What Can You Do to Help?

The best thing you can do is work with your child to help them develop confidence in themselves and their academic abilities before they enter middle school. If you think your child is struggling, don’t wait to talk to their teacher and seek help. If your child hasn’t struggled but you just want to make sure the transition to middle school is as smooth as possible, consider some enrichment over the summer. Whether your child is behind, right on track, or ahead, Reading Genie can help give your child the confidence and skills they need to succeed at the next level. The summer programs will enrich students in skills they already know, and will fill in the gaps where they’re missing knowledge.