Fifth Grade

Wayland Union Schools utilizes Bookworms Reading and Writing as the basis of our Language Arts program. We are excited to share the list of books your child will be reading this year as part of our 5th grade Bookworms Reading and Writing program. Bookworms is a research-based curriculum that builds strong reading skills, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and writing through engaging, high-quality literature.

Your child will read books during two main parts of their ELA block:

✅ Shared Reading – books students read together with the teacher to build reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies.

✅ ELA – chapter books read aloud by the teacher to build listening comprehension, vocabulary, and writing connections.

Students will also participate in a Differentiated Instruction Block to receive diagnostically-driven, Science of Reading-aligned instruction targeting foundational reading skills.

Below are the texts your child will read this year:

Shared Reading Texts

• Walk Two Moons (Creech)
• Animal Cells and Life Processes (Somervill)
• Plant Cells and Life Processes (Somervill)
• The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens (Lauber)
• All about waves, currents, the gravitational pull of the moon, and more! (Simon)
• All about solar flares, eclipses, sunspots, and more! (Simon)
• The Westing Game (Raskin)
• Bud, Not Buddy (Curtis)
• How Does a Waterfall Become Electricity? (Snedden)
• Ice to Steam: Changing States of Matter (Johnson)
• The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (Philbrick)
• Half and Half (Namioka)

ELA (Read-Aloud) Texts

• Keep On!: The Story of Matthew Henson: Co-discoverer of the North Pole (Hopkinson)
• Rats Around Us (Eagen)
• Messenger, Messenger (Burleigh)
• Hoops (Burleigh)
• The Boy Who Loved Words (Schotter)
• The Grackle, Pigeon, Something Told the Wild Geese (Nash, Moore, and Field)
• Long-Leg Lou and Short-Leg Sue, The Earth is a Living Thing (Silverstein and Clifton)
• Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky (Ringgold)
• A Single Shard (Park)
• The Porcupine Year (Erdrich)
• Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt)

Essential Standards for 5th Grade Language Arts:

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Determine to or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
• Compare and contrast the overall structure (chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem and solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
• Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and format, including quantitatively (charts, graphs, etc.), and orally.

Wayland Union Schools utilizes Everyday Mathematics as the core resource for addressing our math curriculum.

Essential Standards for 5th Grade Mathematics:

• Round numbers and decimals to any place value
• Multiply and divide whole numbers and decimals by powers of ten
• Create equivalent fractions using common multiples
• Add and subtract fractions with different denominators

Parents looking to help their child with math at home might find the following resources useful.

Everyday Math At Home - 5th Grade

Fifth graders in Mystery Science delve into complex science concepts such as the properties of matter, ecosystems, and space. They’ll explore big questions like "How do plants make food?" and "What causes the phases of the moon?" Through hands-on investigations, students gain a better understanding of the structures of matter, photosynthesis, and the solar system. The curriculum challenges them to apply scientific reasoning and introduces foundational ideas in chemistry, physics, and astronomy, preparing them for middle school science concepts.

Mystery Science

Fifth graders study U.S. history more comprehensively, covering events from pre-Columbian Native American societies through the American Revolution and the founding of the nation. This includes a deeper look at the geography, economics, and key figures that shaped early America. Students will analyze important documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, helping them understand the foundations of American democracy. The curriculum emphasizes civic responsibility, individual rights, and the workings of government, preparing students to understand their role as informed citizens.

Studies Weekly

Elementary students at Wayland Union Schools attend classes in Music, Physical Education, Media, and Art on a weekly basis.

Wayland Union Schools offers access to several different programs that can keep students learning at home. Please read below to learn about the various programs. Usage may vary from grade to grade so please be sure to look at the target audience and work with your child's teacher to maximize the benefit of each program.

Please contact your child's teacher or the Technology Helpdesk (helpdesk@waylandunion.org) for usernames and passwords for the various websites.

To learn about the different programs that students may utilize at home, click here.

The elementary curriculum at Wayland Union Schools is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Math and Language Arts and Michigan Standards for Science and Social Studies. Though essential standards and general topics of study have been identified for each content area, students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in all or most grade level standards in order to be promoted to the next grade level.