Math curriculum frameworks vary from one school to another, although each grade level covers similar concepts. What do 5th graders learn in math? You might ask.
By the time a child reaches 5th grade, they’ve essentially grasped basic arithmetic operations and are advancing to more advanced concepts. These include the order of operations, otherwise known as PEMDAS, decimals, ratios, geometry, and more.
Below is a more detailed discussion of the skills commonly covered in 5th grade math.
7 Math Skills Your Kids Will Learn in 5th Grade
Whether you’re homeschooling your child or preparing them for 5th grade, knowing which math topics are going to be discussed allows you to offer better support. In fact, you can find ways to make their math learning experience fun!
1. Solving numerical expressions
Numerical expressions are math sentences that have one or more symbols or operators (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division). It is possible for a numerical expression to contain as many operators as possible. For example, 10 ➗2 ✕ 5 + 3 – 7.
Moreover, your child learns PEMDAS, which stands for parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. PEMDAS teaches them the correct order of operations especially when students encounter problems containing more than one function.
For example, consider the expression 6+3×(4−2). Using PEMDAS, they need to solve the expression inside the parentheses first. So, 4 minus 2 equals 2. The next step is to do multiplication and division from left to right. Since there’s no division, all they need to do is multiply 3 by 2. The answer would be 6.
The last step would involve addition and subtraction. So, 6 plus 6 equals 12.
2. Working with decimals
Learning how to do decimals is an important part of a fifth grader’s lesson plan. This includes the following:
- Adding decimals - For example, 1.3 + 7.5 = 8.8
- Subtracting decimals - For example, 0.44 - 0.35 = 0.09
- Adding and subtracting with money notation - For example, $3.50 + $1.25 = $4.75
- Rounding decimals - This includes rounding decimals to the nearest whole number, nearest tenth, and nearest hundredth.
- Multiplying decimals - For example, 4.00 × 1.25 = 5.00
- Dividing decimals - For example, 15.60 ➗ 4.20 = 3.71
Since decimals are commonly used in real-life situations, such as money, mastering them allows a fifth-grader to solve everyday problems with ease.
3. Adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators
Children in fourth grade already know how to subtract and add fractions with like denominators. Moreover, they’re introduced to real-world examples of fractions that involve comparison.
When they reach fifth grade, they will learn to work with fractions with unlike denominators. For them to perform addition or subtraction, an important step would be to find a common denominator. This allows the fractions to become compatible.
4. Measuring volume
Volume in math is defined as the amount of space occupied by an object and is measured in cubic units — e.g., cubic centimeters, cubic inches, and cubic meters. Fifth graders need to learn the concept of volume as it helps them practice their spatial reasoning skills. It’s also a necessary step before reaching advanced math!
When introducing volume, teachers should begin with a hands-on activity, which is counting cubes. This way, they can imagine the placement of cubes in a prism.
After this activity, they slowly learn the traditional formula for volume, which is multiplying the length, width, and height of an object!
5. Geometry
If you’re a math teacher or tutor, start your geometry lesson with this math joke: “Why was the Geometry teacher absent from school? She sprained her angle (ankle)!”
Geometry is all about studying shapes, sizes, angles, positions, lines, surfaces, and more. It has two major branches, namely plane geometry and solid geometry.
The reason why geometry is a must is that it has many practical real-life applications in engineering, art, and architecture.
Here’s a geometry problem that’s suitable for fifth graders:
Sheila has a piece of rectangular-shaped paper. The length of the paper is 12 inches, and the width is 8 inches. He wants to cut out a square from one corner of the paper. The square has sides of length 4 inches. What is the area of the remaining paper?
Based on this problem, they will need to find the area of the square and the area of the original rectangle to figure out the area of the remaining paper.
6. Plotting points on the coordinate plane
Graphing points on a coordinate plane is another important math topic for fifth graders. They’re going to learn the Cartesian system or coordinate system that consists of the horizontal x-axis and vertical y-axis.
In addition to plotting points, fifth graders find coordinates and determine the distance between them.
The Cartesian coordinate can serve as a basis for other math concepts, such as geometry, calculus, and algebra. During the learning experience, students get to appreciate solving problems visually!
7. Introduction to algebra
Many school systems start incorporating algebraic concepts in fifth grade. Students may learn common algebra terms, such as:
- Variable
- Constant
- Expression
- Function
They may also be asked to solve simple algebraic equations like 2x = 10 where they determine the value of x. Through algebra, students are taught how to think critically and do logical reasoning. As they master basic algebraic concepts, their confidence increases!
Summary
With this list, you can prepare your child for fifth-grade math. Before class starts, will also help to spend some time reviewing previous lessons to check if they have a solid understanding of these fundamental concepts.
You can also introduce math tricks that involve mental strategies, also known as mental math, to increase their ability to perform quick calculations.
By pointing out examples of math in daily life, your child will appreciate the fact that math is everywhere. More importantly, don’t forget to acknowledge their efforts and success — no matter how small they may be.
