Fifth Grade

In fifth grade the children begin to study the plant kingdom as well as ancient history and some of its most influential people.  Topics Include:

Language Arts:

    • Ancient Civilizations of India, Persia, Mesopotamia and Egypt
    • Greek Mythology and Ancient Greek History
    • North American Geography and History

Skills:

vocabulary building, parts of speech, subject/predicate/object, prepositional phrases, synonyms/antonyms, homonyms/homophones, direct/indirect speech, passive/active voice, self and peer editing, letter writing, writing reports: research and note taking, poetry: rhythm and meter

Mathematics:

    • Ancient Mathematics of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece
    • Freehand and Compass Geometry
    • Biography of Pythagoras and other mathematicians

Skills:

Number and operations: fractions, decimals, place value, base ten
Measurement: conversions, volume, surface area,
Geometry: lines, angle, coordinates, shapes
Algebra: order of operations, mathematical properties

Science

    • Botany

Skills:

Identification of plants, plant lifecycle, plant habitat

Music:

    • Strings: violin, viola or cello
    • Choir: singing in parts and rounds
    • Flute: playing in parts and rounds
    • Major and minor scale studies

Arts:

    • Arts are interwoven in all above disciplines
    • Painting
    • Clay modeling

MEET THE TEACHER

Dara Cantrell

Dara Cantrell was born and raised in Ashland. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Music from SOU before moving to New York City, where she received her Master’s in Education. She and her family spent a year and half living and traveling in Eastern Europe, before returning to the Rogue Valley in 2010, which is when she began her journey at Madrone Trail. She took her first class from first grade all the way through eighth grade, who graduated with flying colors in 2018.

In 2019, Dara began the journey again with her second class of first graders, the Sunflower Class. She is excited to utilize all the knowledge and skills she has gained over the past nine years. Dara is passionate about Waldorf education and loves the Madrone Trail community deeply. She loves to share her passion for music, and her experience and knowledge with others in the community and thrives on connection and cooperation. Dara has three children of her own, two of whom attend Madrone Trail, and one who graduated Madrone Trail in 2021.