At FreedomHomeschooling.com, we list several free all-in-one-curriculum programs. These programs include every subject your 5th grader will need. Homeschoolers often choose all-in-one programs because of the simplicity they provide. They take care of the planning and curriculum selection for you.
However, many homeschoolers, myself included, prefer to choose a separate curriculum for each subject. This allows us to customize our children’s education, choosing materials that fit their learning styles and individual needs in each subject area. Also, I’ve always enjoyed the variety that a more eclectic approach provides. Using the same approach and materials for every subject can become monotonous for some students.
If you’d like to piece together your own customized 5th grade curriculum, visit FreedomHomeschooling.com’s main page, and choose a subject area to explore from the menu. On that subject’s page, you will find a list of links to free curriculum resources.
Below, I’ve provided a sample 5th grade Christian curriculum. This sample curriculum is intended to give you an idea of what a 5th grade curriculum could look like. Feel free to make substitutions as needed. If you have other children, you may prefer to study some subjects, like Bible, history, and science, together as a family.
Language Arts, Geography, and Art
The Good & the Beautiful (TGTB) Language Arts Level 5 covers reading, writing, spelling, literature, grammar, punctuation, art, and geography in one downloadable course. The course download includes the course book, course companion, geography & grammar cards, daily checklist, and shared reader. TGTB recommends that you use their free assessment to determine if Level 5 is the correct placement for your child.
TGTB doesn’t include handwriting instruction. For cursive penmanship practice, you can print Bible copywork worksheets at Bible Story Printables and Hubbard’s Cupboard. Or you may choose to have your child copy passages from their Bible or history lessons in cursive.
For additional reading practice, either borrow books from your local library or download some of these classic readers. If you would like your child to work on reading comprehension, try Read Theory. This reading practice website starts children out with a placement test. Then, the child is given passages to read at their level. Based on how they answer the questions about the passage, their level will move slightly up or down. The site also keeps track of progress.
Math
FreeMath uses online activities and printable worksheets. The lessons will need to be taught by the parent. You’ll notice that only 27 weeks of materials are included, rather than 36 weeks, which is a typical school year. This is because the curriculum skips the review often included in other math courses. If your child needs more review, consider adding Doctor Genius for online practice or K5 Learning or Dad’s Worksheets for printable worksheets. If your child does not require review, just progress to 6th grade math when your child completes 5th grade math. Unfortunately, FreeMath ends at 5th grade. When your child is ready for 6th grade math, you can begin MasterMath. Be sure to read MasterMath’s instructions for homeschoolers for important information about how this curriculum works and how to use it.
If your child needs practice with math facts, you can either use flashcards or have your child practice online at XtraMath. XtraMath’s facts fluency program helps children master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. XtraMath tracks progress and generates reports for the parent/teacher. After the child has mastered an operation, they are awarded a printable certificate.
Bible
Free Sunday School Lessons was designed for use in a group setting but also works well for homeschoolers. There are 95 Foundations of the Faith Lessons. If you do three lessons per week, they could all be completed during a single school year. Each lesson includes worksheets, notebooking suggestions, and a memory verse. Every 5th lesson is a quiz. Review flashcards are also included for each unit.
History
U Read Thru History is a Charlotte Mason inspired, literature-based approach to learning history. Each year your child will spend one semester learning World History and one semester learning American History. Year 5 covers the Post Civil War Era and Enlightenment. Each weekly lesson includes discussion questions and activities. If you are unable to find the books recommended in your local library, you may substitute any book that covers the same topic. If you choose to buy some of the books, save money by purchasing used books. For more information on how these history courses are set up, be sure to read the teacher’s guide.
Science
In Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool’s Biology course, your child will learn about two branches of biology: human anatomy and plant life. The course uses online textbooks, videos, and other online learning materials. The course is scheduled in 180 daily lessons. Easy Peasy offers this course at two levels. Your 5th grader will be in the upper level, which is designed for 5th to 8th graders.
Life Skills
This year’s life skills focus is first aid, safety, and survival skills. Which topics you choose to cover will depend a lot on your child’s maturity level and your family’s needs. The article, 5 Important First Aid Skills Your Child Needs to Know, is a great place to start. For additional ideas, read 12 Life-Saving First Aid Skills That Everyone Should Learn or 7 Vital First Aid Skills Every Family Should Know. If your family doesn’t have a first aid kit, have your child help put one together. Here’s a list of items to include in the kit. You may also want to post this first aid reference sheet somewhere in your home, like on the refrigerator. Kids Health has a collection of safety and first aid articles which are written directly to children. Choose one article per week for your child to read. Be sure to supervise your child on this website, as there may be some articles in the sections for parents and teens that are not age appropriate. The article, Survival Skills for Kids, lists 24 survival skills you can teach your children. Some of the topics listed are outdoor cooking, water purification, using a pocket knife, what to do when you’re lost, and more. You will probably want to help your child research some of the topics further, either at the library or online.
Computer Skills
Code.org’s Course F teaches visual block-based programming. Your child will review loops, events, functions, and conditionals before learning about variables and more advanced loops. In the second part of this course, your child will design and create a capstone project they can share.
Typing.com teaches touch typing through interactive lessons. Your child may start at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced level. The program tracks progress and provides additional lessons for frequently missed keys.
Physical Education, Recess, and Health
Make sure your child has plenty of free time for active play and exercise. If you would like some ideas, Chapter 3 (page 46) of Physical Activity for Everyone from the Center for Disease Control provides information about how much exercise children need, as well as, numerous suggested activities. If your child plays a sport or takes dance, karate, gymnastics, swimming lessons, etc, these can also be considered part of your physical education program. Your child may also enjoy these dance and exercise videos, especially when the weather isn’t good for outdoor play.
Operation Fit Kids’ curriculum for 3rd through 5th graders teaches the importance of physical fitness and proper nutrition. The downloadable lessons include activities, worksheets, journal pages, and more. This curriculum only has seven lessons, making it a short unit that could be completed at any point during the school year, rather than a complete year-long program.
Other Grades
I hope this sample curriculum has been helpful. If you’re looking for guides for other grades, you can find them here.
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