F I F T H G R A D EM O V E S TO T H E M I D D L E S C H O O L

In the fall of 2016, fifth grade at Greens Farms Academy will move from the Lower School to the Middle School division.

As one fifth grade teacher describes her students:

GREENS FARMS ACADEMY, 35 BEACHSIDE AVENUE, GREENS FARMS, CT 06838

It’s a pivotal year during which they have one foot in Lower School and one in Middle School. They still need the social and emotional nurturing in the beginning of the year, but grow in confidence and independence by the end. Academically it is similar. They begin needing support in terms of organization and study skills, but finish as more independent learners.

M O V I N G U P

“Fifth grade is a time of burgeoning independence. We help by giving opportunities plus support.”

Drew Meyer is in his twenty-third year at Greens Farms Academy, and his ninth as Head of the Middle School. He graduated from Connecticut College with a BA in Government and later received an MA from Teachers College at Columbia University. During his career at GFA he has taught middle school history, with a primary focus on eighth

grade government while also teaching upper school students in AP Government classes. Prior to arriving at Greens Farms, Drew taught at the Buckley School in New York City as well as at the Close Up Foundation in Washington, DC. Drew is looking forward to the new dynamic that the fifth grade will bring to the Middle School.

- Drew Meyer, Head of Middle School

Learning to collaborate becomes more important in extracurricular activities and 5th/6th athletic teams as well as in the classroom.

The fifth grade experience will be a hybrid of the Lower and Middle Schools. Fifth graders will still have homeroom as a base to start their day, as well as for study halls, but they will also experience department-specific academic classes.

As they grow in independence, fifth graders have more choice in how they approach their studies and how they manage their time.

Fifth graders at GFA will occupy classrooms in their own part of the Middle School and will collaborate mostly with the sixth graders, as the seventh and eighth graders comprise their own grouping.

Units include: water, renewable energy (hydroelectric, solar, wind, aerodynamics, and energy flow), chemistry, the Metric System, “Seed to Table” (food systems, including production, transportation, processing, packaging, ecosystem relationships, and climate change), and “fetal pig dissection and mummification.” Students are also introduced to writing lab reports and to aspects of the Scientific Method.

Texts include fiction and nonfiction, with an emphasis on literary devices, theme, and author’s purpose. Writing focuses on the structure of multi-paragraph compositions using supporting detail and examples. Grammar usage and vocabulary development are also integral elements of the curriculum.

This course examines the creation of art to communicate ideas and express feelings; proportion; perspectives; color interactions and other design concepts; sustained attention to artwork; respect and appreciation for different styles and cultures; representational, abstract, expressive, functional, and establishing criteria for judging art; effect of light on perception of color, form, and texture; Leonardo da Vinci; Egyptian masks.

Units include: using the computer as a tool; keyboarding with fluency; creation of multi-page documents using spell-check and editing; importing graphics and spreadsheets into text documents; use of digital video and cameras; creation of original artwork using graphic tools; collection and entry of data; appropriate use of internet for research; email; introduction to programming; creation of web pages.

Topics covered include computation in all four operations; decimals; fractions and mixed numbers; measurement (metric and customary units, perimeter, area and volume); geometry (emphasis on plane; introduction to solid); ratio; proportion; percent; graphing and integers; probability; use of logic in problem-solving; properties of prime, composite, and square numbers; exponents; algebra; area of triangle; ratio; percentage; properties of 4-sided figures; 3D shapes; volume of cube and rectangular prism.

The music program allows the students to be part of band, chorus, and/or orchestra. Students meet in ensembles with the sixth grade and in smaller groups to work on specific skills in a one-on-one basis. Students perform at both winter and end-of-the-year concerts.

WORLD LANGUAGE

ENGLISH

SOCIAL STUDIESSCIENCE

SEMINAR

STUDIO ART

MUSIC

MATHEMATICS

TECHNOLOGY

This seminar rotates through Reading/Library, Health, and Life Skills. In Library, students are introduced to the basic elements of research skills and can continue to develop their passion for reading. In Health, students discuss human growth and development, nutrition and body changes, and the negative impact of drugs. In Life Skills, students are shown ways to successfully navigate the many challenges of adolescence.

Students have an opportunity to be exposed to French, Mandarin, and Spanish through a program that prepares them to choose their specific language of study in sixth grade. Students are introduced to the basics of all three languages and develop a facility with cultures from each. Interactive tasks are integrated through the use of technology.

Students learn about Early Man and the development of first civilizations, as well as the culture and history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Republic. Students develop greater comfort with research and study skills through projects, papers, and interactive simulations. Map skills and the impact of geography on the development of society are also covered.