Appendix
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS
California Fifth Grade Math Standards
Number Sense
1.0 Students compute with very large and very small numbers, positive integers, decimals, and fractions and understand the relationship between decimals, fractions, and percents. They understand the relative magnitudes of numbers:
1.1 Estimate, round, and manipulate very large (e.g., millions) and very small (e.g., thousandths) numbers.
1.2 Interpret percents as a part of a hundred; find decimal and percent equivalents for common fractions and explain why they represent the same value; compute a given percent of a whole number.
2.0 Students perform calculations and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication and division of fractions and decimals:
2.1 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide with decimals; add with negative integers; subtract positive integers from negative integers; and verify the reasonableness of the results.
2.2 Demonstrate proficiency with division, including division with positive decimals and long division with multidigit divisors.
2.3 Solve simple problems, including ones arising in concrete situations, involving the addition and subtraction of fractions and mixed numbers (like and unlike denominators of 20 or less), and express answers
in the simplest form.
Algebra and Functions
1.0 Students use variables in simple expressions, compute the value of the expression for specific values of the variable, and plot and interpret the results:
1.1 Use information taken from a graph or equation to answer questions about a problem situation.
Mathematical Reasoning
1.0 Students make decisions about how to approach problems:
1.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships, distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information, sequencing and prioritizing information, and observing patterns.
2.0 Students use strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions:
2.1 Use estimation to verify the reasonableness of calculated results.
2.2 Apply strategies and results from simpler problems to more complex problems.
2.3 Use a variety of methods, such as words, numbers, symbols, charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, and models, to explain mathematical reasoning.
2.6 Make precise calculations and check the validity of the results from the context of the problem.
3.0 Students move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations:
3.3 Develop generalizations of the results obtained and apply them in other circumstances.
California English Language Arts Standards
1.0 WORD ANALYSIS, FLUENCY, AND SYSTEMIC VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level appropriate words.
Vocabulary and Concept Development:
1.2 Use word origins to determine the meaning of unknown words.
2.0 READING COMPREHENSION: Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They describe and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the text by using their knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose.
2.1 Understand how text features (e.g., format, graphics, sequence, diagrams, illustrations, charts, maps) make information accessible and useable.
2.2 Analyze text that is organized in sequential or chronological order.
1.0 WRITING STRATEGIES: Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing exhibits the students' awareness of the audience and purpose. Essays contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students progress through stages of the writing process as needed.
Organization and Focus
1.2 Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions:
a. Establish a topic, important ideas, or events in sequence or chronological order.
b. Provide details and transitional expressions that link one paragraph to another in a clear line of thought.
c. Offer a concluding paragraph that summarizes important ideas and details.
Research and Technology:
1.3 Use organizational features of printed text (e.g., citations, end notes, bibliographic references) to locate relevant information.
1.4 Create simple documents by using electronic media and employing organizational features (e.g., passwords, entry and pull-down menus, word searches, the thesaurus, spell checks).
1.5 Use a thesaurus to identify alternative word choices and meanings.
California Fifth Grade Science Standards
Physical Sciences
1. Elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of matter in the world. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know that during chemical reactions the atoms in the reactants rearrange to form products with different properties.
b. Students know all matter is made of atoms, which may combine to form molecules.
c. Students know metals have properties in common, such as high electrical and thermal conductivity. Some metals, such as aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and gold (Au), are pure elements; others, such as steel and brass, are composed of a combination of elemental metals.
d. Students know that each element is made of one kind of atom and that the elements are organized in the periodic table by their chemical properties.
g. Students know properties of solid, liquid, and gaseous substances, such as sugar (C 6HO 6), water (H 2O), helium (He), oxygen (O 2), nitrogen (N 2), and carbon dioxide (CO 2).
h. Students know living organisms and most materials are composed of just a few elements.
Life Sciences
2. Plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste disposal, and transport of materials. As a basis for understanding this concept:
e. Students know how sugar, water, and minerals are transported in a vascular plant.
f. Students know plants use carbon dioxide (CO 2) and energy from sunlight to build molecules of sugar and release oxygen.
g. Students know plant and animal cells break down sugar to obtain energy, a process resulting in carbon dioxide (CO ) and water (respiration).
Earth Sciences
3. Water on Earth moves between the oceans and land through the processes of evaporation and condensation. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know most of Earth's water is present as salt water in the oceans, which cover most of Earth's surface.
d. Students know that the amount of fresh water located in rivers, lakes, underground sources, and glaciers is limited and that its availability can be extended by recycling and decreasing the use of water.
e. Students know the origin of the water used by their local communities.
4. Energy from the Sun heats Earth unevenly, causing air movements that result in changing weather patterns. As a basis for understanding this concept:
5. The solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable paths. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system and is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.
c. Students know the path of a planet around the Sun is due to the gravitational attraction between the Sun and the planet.
Investigation and Experimentation
6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
a. Classify objects (e.g., rocks, plants, leaves) in accordance with appropriate criteria.
b. Develop a testable question.
h. Draw conclusions from scientific evidence and indicate whether further information is needed to support a specific conclusion.
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