Grade 5

Summary of Course Content and Activities:

Language Arts 5 includes thematic units with spelling, vocabulary, creative writing, and grammar activities throughout.  Our main themes are:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Short Stories
• Non-fiction
• Ecology
• Poetry 

Philosophy statement for this course

It is important for students to learn about and develop an appreciation for the communication ability that God has given us. This encourages students to become effective communicators and discerning readers. To accommodate a variety of learning styles, a variety of activities are provided.

Prerequisites

Language Arts 4 or equivalent

Materials and Resources provided by NSA

Open Court Reading, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ACSI Spelling Plus workbook, Language Power workbook

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson:

Students should spend a minimum of 5 hours per week on lessons and activities.

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests.

Students are required to submit a variety of assignments for marking. These include research projects, comprehension questions, writing assignments, vocabulary activities, spelling exercises, crossword puzzles, etc.

Assignments will be assessed as:

Excellent (in-depth, insightful, or exemplary skill)
Proficient (having met the outcomes of the assignment and demonstrating a strong understanding of the concepts and skills)
Satisfactory (demonstrating basic knowledge or having shown some effort to meet the outcomes of the assignment)
Beginning (incomplete understanding of the concepts and skills required for this outcome)

Summary of Course Content and Activities

Math 5 is designed as a 4-day/week course that takes into account the Alberta Program of Studies learning outcomes (prior to the new curriculum rollout in 2022—a new course will be up and running in the fall of 2024).  At the beginning of each week, students can practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills by working through “Mad Math Minute” quizzes.  Then, students work through the daily lessons, reading through the lesson material while also watching teacher-created Loom videos to help the students understand the day’s mathematical concepts.  Students are provided with in-lesson formative assignments, group discussion questions where students show other students what they learned in the lessons, as well as assignments that need to be handed in for grading.  A newer and exciting type of assessment is to have students create Math Stories, where they have the opportunity to explain what they know.  Review assignments are provided occasionally.  Each unit has an exam and there is a final exam that are all done in Moodle.

Philosophy statement

Math 5 includes the study of the principles of mathematics.  Through the study of math, learners are given an opportunity to explore and understand the orderly and systematic world that God created.  They will become aware of the profound influence of math in their lives.  Relating the study of math to what the learners already know will help them see the practical side of mathematics and its relevance in daily situations.  Students learn math in relevant contexts and engage in meaningful activities.  They are encouraged to appreciate mathematics as an endeavour that leads to practical impact on their own lives and on society as a whole.

Prerequisites

Math 4

Materials and Resources

• PC computer (not an Apple, Chromebook, or iPad), printer, scanner, internet access.
• Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint).
• Google Docs.
• Geometry Set.
• Scientific Calculator.

Forecasted amount of time

4-6 hours per week.

Evaluation

Assignments – 30%

Math Stories – 10%

Review Assignments – 20%

Unit Reviews – 30%

Final Review – 20%

Summary of Course Content and Activities

Science 5 includes seven Organizing Ideas from the Alberta Program of Study to explore and build our understanding of the world.

1. Matter
2. Energy
3. Earth Systems
4. Living Systems
5. Space
6. Computer Science
7. Scientific Methods

Philosophy statement for teaching this course

It is important for students to learn about and develop an appreciation for the world that God has created. This encourages students to become good stewards of natural resources and provides them with an understanding of God's awesome design in the world. To accommodate a variety of learning styles, a variety of activities are provided, including opportunities for students to do hands-on activities and experiments.

Prerequisites

Science 4

Materials and Resources

Provided By NorthStar Academy

None; all Learners will require a computer with internet access to various websites and variety of household items for activities.

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson

Students should spend a minimum of 3 hrs per week on Science lessons and activities.

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests.

Students are required to submit a variety of assignments for marking. These include research projects, experiment write-ups, crossword puzzles, unit tests, etc.

Summary of Course Content and Activities

Canada: The Land, Histories, and Stories

•     Physical Geography of Canada
•     Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada
•     Canada: Shaping an Identity

In this course, we will examine the foundations of Canada through its physical geography and the ways of life and heritage of its diverse peoples. Events and issues will be presented that have impacted citizenship and identity in the Canadian context over time.

Philosophy statement for teaching this course

Grade 5 students will be provided with opportunities to explore how the diversity of stories and experiences, and the vastness of Canada, affect citizenship and identity in the Canadian context.

Prerequisites

Students taking Social Studies 5 are presumed to have reached the acceptable standard or better in Social Studies 4.

Materials and Resources

Provided by NSA

• Textbook: Our Land and People

Purchased by Students

• Atlas (recommended but not required)

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson

The Social Studies 5 program will require approximately 45 minutes of work each day, which includes reading and assignment work. The weeks are divided into 4 days of work.

Description of student evaluations, quizzes and tests.

Course evaluation will be 70% daily assignments, and 30% tests and quizzes. Daily assignments will include comprehension questions, critical thinking questions, mapping, projects, research, group discussions, charting/graphing, and more. Periodic tests and quizzes will be completed using the on-line ExamView test format.

Summary of course content and activities:

Bible study is serious fun and students will use new techniques and learn basic skills in studying the Bible themselves.

Who should be taking this course? For whom is this course designed and intended?

The on-line course was designed specifically with grade six in mind, however, it can be used in a grade 5/6 split class or individual classes for grades 5 or 6.

Pre-requisite(s):

There is no pre-requisite for this course.

Materials and resources provided by NSA, purchased by student, and/or recommended:

• We alternate years. One year we use "God's Amazing Creation" to study Genesis 1-2 and "Digging up the Past" to study Genesis 3-11. And the next year we use   "Lord, Teach me to Pray"  and  "How to Study the Bible for kids"
• NIV Bible

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson:

3 hours per week

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests:

Assignments are 60% and memory work is 40%.

Summary of Course Content and Activities

Physical Education and Wellness 5 (or PEW 5) is based on the new Alberta curriculum (2022).  PEW supports a strength-based focus that promotes the development of the whole individual and aims to nurture students in their pursuit of living healthy and active lifestyles.  Physical education improves the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities.  As students become physically literate, they develop the motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge to value and take on the responsibility for engaging in a wide range of physical activities.  Wellness education promotes the vitality of individuals and communities and provides students with opportunities to learn about various aspects of health and wellbeing and to make informed decisions.  As students grow and develop, they access, comprehend, evaluate, communicate, and apply health and wellness-related information as a means of promoting, maintaining, and improving wellbeing in a variety of settings throughout their lifetimes.  Students who understand the importance of their wellbeing can make healthy living choices because they have developed essential knowledge and skills.

There are 9 units of study: Active Living and Motivation; Movement Skills Development; Developing Character; Personal Safety; Healthy Eating; Healthy Relationships; Decision Making; Human Reproduction (opt-in); and Financial Literacy.  There are also monthly physical activity logs to complete.

Please note that the Human Reproduction unit is an “opt-in” unit of study and requires parental approval before a student is allowed to take part in it.  Parents can contact the school to gain access to the course in order to view the unit’s contents.

On top of Alberta Education’s goals and outcomes, this course is designed to help students develop a godly understanding of who they are, from a biblical perspective, and to also learn how to take care of their bodies in a healthy manner, through eating well and daily physical activity.  Health and life skills involve learning about the habits, behaviours, interactions, and decisions related to healthy daily living and planning for the future.

There is an assignment at the end of each unit of study that relates back to the information taught in the lesson.  Also, there are formative assessments placed throughout the lessons, such as Group Discussions and Table Talks and Case Studies, that students think through to develop their understanding of the course material and have parents actively work with them to provide their practical input based on their own personal experiences.

Philosophy Statement:

God has created each person as unique individuals, with different bodies, minds, interests, personalities, families, etc.  Thankfully, we can be assured that God spent time thinking about and planning every part of us.  Psalm 139:13-16 says:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”

Learning to eat healthy foods and in moderation, along with daily physical activity, helps our bodies to be the best that they can be in order to serve the Lord.  Additionally, knowing what to think and how to think, through a proper grasp of who we are in relation to the God of the universe, helps us to organize our thought-life in a way that supports a biblical worldview.  This, then, benefits us as we learn to live and think rightly in a world that wants to pull us away from God.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites for PEW 5.

Materials:

• PC computer (not an Apple, Chromebook, or iPad), printer, scanner, internet access.

Forecasted Amount of Time:

At least 20 minutes/day for PE activity and 10 minutes/day for Wellness assignments.

Evaluation:

Unit Assignments (Wellness) – 50%
Monthly Activity Logs (PE) – 50%