Fifth & Sixth Grade Curriculum

The fifth and sixth grade curricula at Butler Catholic are designed to foster a smooth transition as middle school students. Emphasis is placed on the "cross-curricular" concept in which activities in one enhance those of another.

RELIGION Classes are scripture-based with the use of the Bible as the text. Emphasis is placed on the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus. Concentration and focus include individual responsibility for moral decision, ministry, and full participation in Liturgy and personal prayer life. Supplementary resources include Catholic web sites and Catholic periodicals. Cooperative learning experiences enhance the program. Prayer partners form bonds with the elderly of the community.

READING and ENGLISH Students are academically grouped for reading and math at this level. The reading program is challenging for our students. A combination of textbook selections and novels form the basis of the curriculum. Literary skills and vocabulary development are teacher generated, derived from novel content and multiple professional resources. Students are exposed to various genre of literature. Accelerated Reader is used as a supplemental program. A Character Dress Up Day is celebrated. Word recognition and comprehension are taught and monitored through Diocesan guidelines. Proper grammar, mechanics and ongoing development of writing skills, centered on five or six traits, are emphasized. Narrative, informational, and persuasive writing projects are incorporated within the language arts curriculum. Participation in the Diocesan English Festival has been an exciting event for the students. They have been very successful in the endeavor.

MATH Students are engaged in understanding and communicating in their math program. Higher level thinking skills are nurtured and developed. Goal setting and the quality process are emphasized. Curriculum areas include geometry, probability, fractions, measurement, graphing, and of course successful understanding and execution of basic computational skills.

SCIENCE The science curriculum relies heavily on the use of technology. Earth science includes weather web sites which are pulled to predict weather, to observe trends, and to gather data. In space science, NASA sites are used to follow the space program and to gather ideas to create our own Space Rover. Physical science includes the study of the atomic structure of matter and the resulting Periodic Table. Life science deals with anatomy and systems of the body.

SOCIAL STUDIES Curriculum topics at these levels include ancient history study of Greece and Rome. Virtual tours of these historic topics are experienced. Weekly current events at a national, state, or local level are presented and discussed.

The fifth grade students celebrate with a science / math picnic. They have prayer partners with parish members and enjoy a visit and celebration with them. The Drug Safety Program, D.A.R.E., is an important experience for the students also. The students in sixth grade participate in the WISR Spelling Bee. Very often class activities stem from books read and countries studied.