New Number Challenges
In this final year of elementary school, your child will be expected to solve more sophisticated math problems.
For many students, 5th grade is the last year of elementary school before entering junior high or middle school. Accordingly, the intensity of math instruction moves up a notch as 10 year olds delve into increasingly high-level math concepts.
Goals for 5th graders include:
- Multiplication and division of fractions and decimals
- Computing with powers
- Interpreting percents
- Computing the volume and area of simple objects
- Making metric conversions
Increasingly complex computations can make 5th grade a challenging year, even for kids who like math. Fluency in computation remains vital; grouping kids based on ability becomes the norm. Those who need more time to do calculations may be placed in a group that gets extra help and moves more slowly, while advanced kids get more challenging work and may even move on to the 6th grade curriculum. Some schools are even beginning to hire specialized math teachers, a positive trend. “A teacher who is an expert in math can bring kids the rich, conceptual depth they need to understand and excel,” says Susan Sclafani, Ph.D., an Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education and a leader of its math and science initiative.
As in 4th grade, there is a continued emphasis on solving real-world problems. “It’s important to apply math to life so kids know why they’re learning a topic. It motivates them,” says Jeffrey Monacelli, a 5th grade teacher at H.B. Whitehorne Middle School in Verona, New Jersey. For example, he begins his unit on measurement by having his students figure out the best way to hang three pictures so that there is even spacing between them. In addition to finding a mathematical solution by measuring the entire area and then dividing, they discuss the best unit of measurement to use and why (1/16th or ½? Centimeters or inches?). Solving everyday problems not only hones math reasoning, it teaches basic life skills. Kids learn to think mathematically in and out of school.
High-Tech Helpers
Tools such as calculators and computers may also begin to play a role in your child’s math class. Although calculators shouldn’t be used to make basic calculations — 5th graders still need practice with that — they can be useful for learning about numbers and operations and seeing how patterns develop. Calculators can also be instructive when tackling especially difficult problems; students can talk about the issues they would need to consider even if the numbers get very large. “Teachers need to be selective about when and how calculators are used,” says Seeley. “But using a calculator well can demand very good math skills.”
Some 5th grade teachers even begin to integrate math and computer skills. Every year, Monacelli has each of his students survey a group of 15 people about their favorite sports team, dessert, or other choice. Then, using the computer lab, they create their own bar graphs with pictures using the data. “They learn how to collect and organize data, input it, and make a table,” he says. “Knowing how to graph on the computer is a great skill to know for college and beyond.”
Homework and Testing
With the increased workload, in math as well as other 5th grade subjects, students may need to refine their study habits. Nightly math homework reinforces the lessons of the day. “Kids may think they don’t need to review because they understand it,” says Monacelli. “But doing homework problems reinforces that understanding, and shows where you might have gone wrong.” Similarly, kids may feel they don’t need to study for math tests. “Studying for math is going back and practicing problems, especially those which you’ve gotten wrong,” he says. “Math is learning from your mistakes.”
Most 5th graders also take standardized math exams in the spring. The federal No Child Left Behind legislation signed into law in 2002 mandates that all states administer math exams in 5th grade by the year 2007; most states already have these exams in place. These tests generally include multiple-choice as well as open-ended problems. The purpose of the exam is to make sure students meet the state’s criteria for proficiency in their knowledge of the state’s math curriculum. The push for testing comes out of a growing belief among educators that math prowess is vital not only for our individual children’s success in life, but for our country’s future. “We need to challenge all children in all schools,” says Dr. Sclafani. “While parents might have done quite well in their careers not knowing math and science, that is no longer possible. With proficiency in math and science, students will be prepared for any number of exciting careers in the 21st century.”
Julia Martin Langan, a freelance writer and the mother of three school-age children, lives in Verona, New Jersey.
