Descriptions of the Reporting Categories Grade 5

The following descriptions outline what your child should know and be able to do at this grade level.

Numbers and Operations

This topic includes skills related to operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students must be able to use these operations and understand how they relate to each other. Students must also grasp an overall understanding of numbers, including ways of representing numbers and relationships among numbers and number systems. Finally, students must be able to make reasonably accurate estimates.

Have your child list the multiples of a number. Then, ask him or her to stop while counting and name the corresponding multiplication fact. For example, if your child is listing the multiples of 4 and stops at 32, your child should name the multiplication fact of 4 x 8 = 32. This game can increase in complexity as the numbers get larger. For a new challenge, try this game with multiples of 17.

Measurement

This topic includes the basics of measurement, like finding distances using the customary and metric measurement systems and measuring and comparing angles. As students progress through this topic, they must apply the appropriate tools and techniques, and formulas to determine measurements.

Help your child understand and estimate units of measure. For example, ask your child to estimate the height of the ceiling in a given room. Ask him to explain how the estimate was found and encourage him to use known measures for estimation. If your child has trouble coming up with a reasonable estimate, ask such leading questions as: How tall am I? How tall are you? If you stood on my shoulders, would you be able to stand up straight in this room? Be sure to follow up by finding the actual height of the ceiling.

Geometry

This topic includes skills related to shapes. Students must identify and classify two- and three-dimensional shapes. Students must also use the characteristics of these figures in problem solving situations. As they progress through this topic, students will also apply the rules of congruence, correspondence, and similarity to solve problems.

One element in understanding geometry is identifying lines of symmetry in various objects. A line of symmetry divides a figure so that one half is an exact reflection of the other. You might ask your child to draw a figure with no symmetry at all. Next ask him to draw a figure with exactly one line of symmetry, then exactly two lines, exactly three lines, and so on. This activity might be difficult at first, but it will become easier for your child to recognize lines of symmetry as he pursues these challenges.

Algebraic Concepts

This topic requires students to demonstrate an understanding of patterns, relations, and functions. Students must use numbers, symbols, words, tables, and graphs to represent mathematical situations. Students must also be able to describe or use models to represent mathematical situations.

For practice with patterns, play a guessing game with your child. Think of a number pattern (such as "squaring") and give the first three items in the sequence (1, 4, 9, ...). Ask your child for the pattern and the next three numbers (16, 25, 36, ...). Your child can then make up another pattern and have you guess what it is. The number pattern doesn't need to have a special name; anything with a rule will work.

Data Analysis and Probability

This topic requires students to use data to solve problems. Students will construct and read bar and line graphs. As they progress through this topic they will use more advanced data displays, like box-and-whisker plots and scatter plots. Students must make inferences and predictions based on data. Finally, they must understand and apply basic concepts of probability.

Ask your child to collect some real data, organize the data in a table, and display them in a line graph or a bar graph. For example, your child might collect data about the average high and low temperatures in a given location throughout the year. Your child can collect the data by taking the actual temperature on the first day of each month or find this information by doing research in the library or on the Internet. Then he or she can create a line graph that shows the high temperatures in red and the low temperatures in blue. This graph will show the temperature trends throughout the year.