UCPS 2011-12 Goals and Objectives for Grades Three to Five

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Goals and Objectives UCPS | 3

Table of ContentsLetter of Introduction 4

Grade LevelsThird Grade

Math

Writing

Social Studies

Science

Reading

Fourth GradeMath

Writing

Social Studies

Science

Reading

Fifth GradeMath

Writing

Social Studies

Science

Reading

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“It is important that we never allow ourselves to forget our purpose is best summed up through our mission...

Preparing All Students to Succeed.”- Dr. Ed Davis

Superintendent


Dear Parents and Union County Public School Families:

We look forward to being a part of your child’s education-al success. We also want to remind you that, your child’s academic progress is dependent upon parents, teachers, school staff, and most importantly, your child, all working together.

This booklet serves as a roadmap for you by outlining the pertinent goals and objectives that tell you what your child should know and be able to do at his/her grade level. Curriculum will focus on the goals and objectives as stated in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (K-12).

Daily instruction, homework, assigned reading projects and writing should reflect the student’s progress toward the achievement of stated goals and objectives. Work samples provide you and your child with “evidence” of progress toward the predetermined goals. End-of-grade testing at designated grade levels will also verify student achievement.

Additional information concerning the curriculum and special programs provided at your child’s school is avail-able from the school staff. If you have questions regarding your child’s education, contact your child’s teacher. If the issue/question is not resolved at that level, please contact the school principal.

Thank you for your support in helping fulfill the UCPS mission of Preparing All Students to Succeed.

Mary Ellis

Deputy Superintendent

of Instructional Programs

Tom Bulla

Director for Elementary Education


3rd Grade


MathematicsThe mathematics curriculum is organized into the following five strands:(1) Number and Operations; (2) Algebra;(3) Geometry; (4) Measurement; and(5) Statistics and Probability.

Problem-solving strategies are embedded into each of the five strands.

The Math Essential Standards for all (grade level) students are as follows:• Understand the numerical value of whole numbers 0 to 10,000• Use strategies to solve multi-digit addition and subtraction problems• Understand multiplication and division and their relationship using

facts 0-10• Understand the meaning of fractions• Understand the associative, commutative and the identity properties

of multiplication• Use the concept of equality with unknown quantities• Analyze numeric and non-numeric patterns• Classify figures according to their properties• Represent points, paths, lines and geometric figures on a rectangular

coordinate grid• Measure length, weight, capacity and temperature using metric units.• Understand how to determine area• Use clocks to tell time to the nearest five minutes• Interpret tables and bar graphs• Explain the results of simple probability experiments

Meaning and PurposeProblem-Solving ProcessConceptsStrategies and Skills

FocusExpectations are that third-grade students are very actively engaged in doing mathematics. They can describe their ideas and thinking both orally and in writ-ing. Proficient third graders relate manipulatives with ideas. They explain and record the mathematical concepts using precise vocabulary and symbols.


WritingThird graders write for a variety of purposes. They can support their ideas with references to their reading. They use a variety of prewriting activities, revise their writing by adding details and recognize incorrect spelling.

Composing Process:• Spells correctly most of the time• Uses punctuation correctly• Self-assesses own writing• Uses paragraphs to organize on one topic• Uses prewriting activities independently (brainstorming, webbing or list-

ing ideas)• Revises by adding and/or deleting for elaboration/ clarification• Edits for incorrect spelling, mechanics and grammar• Experiments with word order in sentences• Uses order and time in writing• Critiques a variety of reading selections in reading log/journals• Maintains a writing portfolio• Uses vocabulary, ideas, themes and language structure from books in own

writing

Characteristics of a Writer:• Uses original word choices• Uses excitement, humor and suspense in word choices• Creates characters and events from personal environment• Responds to literature, informational and practical texts and writes to sup-

port ideas with reference to evidence presented in text• Writes for pleasure• Writes for extended periods of time• Describes feelings and experiences in narrative writing• Records in learning log• Demonstrates voice, sense of audience and purpose

Composing Products:• Includes characters, setting, problem and solution in story writing• Identifies main idea, lesson or moral in writing• Writes a variety of literary information and practical texts (fairy tales, po-

etry, recipes, news articles, interviews, etc.)• Writes to support ideas in text


Social StudiesIn third grade, students draw upon knowledge learned in previous grades to develop more sophisticated understandings of how communities may be linked to form larger political units, and how there are cultural, geo-graphic, and economic connections.

Through their study of various patterns of community living, the students begin to understand that people’s activities are influenced not only by their geographic location, but also by how they use the earth’s materials, the physical environment, and how they express their diversity through culture.

Students will understand the importance of being a citizen and identify the contributions of selected individuals in the local community. Students will recognize that Americans are comprised of people who have diverse eth-nic origins and traditions who all contribute to American life. By looking at communities from a geographic perspective, students become aware of some of the cultural, political, geographic, historic, environmental and eco-nomic factors that help bind communities together through both time and space.

Building upon experiences that demonstrate chronological thinking, stu-dents begin to expand their ability to think like a historian by asking ques-tions that historians ask. Using both primary and secondary sources, stu-dents understand the significant role of the individual in shaping history and explore changes in communities and regions over time.

Through the study of historical narratives, students are introduced to the concept of perspective by asking them to explain why people can describe the same event differently. This serves as a building block for more sophis-ticated analyses in subsequent grades.

- continued


Social StudiesThe following five domains make up the curriculum for social studies:

History• Understand how events, individuals and ideas have influenced the

history of local and regional communities

Geography and Environmental Literacy• Understand the Earth’s patterns by using the 5 themes of geography

(location, place, human-environment interaction, movement and regions).

Economic and Financial Literacy• Understand how the location of regions affects activity in a market

economy• Understand entrepreneurship in a market economy

Civics and Governance• Understand the development, structure and function of local

government.• Understand how citizens participate in their communities.

Culture• Understand how diverse cultures are visible in local and regional

communities.


ScienceGoal : All Union County students will(1) develop an understanding of the nature of science via hands-on experi-ences;(2) develop and use science process skills;(3) develop and use science manipulative skills;(4) develop a positive attitude toward science and its application to society; and(5) use scientific investigation to learn science concepts.

Process Skills:• Observe• Classify• Use numbers• Communicate Measure, Infer, Predict• Use space-time relations• Formulate hypotheses• Interpret data• Define operations• Experiment• Control variables• Formulate models

Manipulative Skills• Safety• Choose, construct and assemble equipment• Care for equipment and materials• Handle and care for living organisms• Use materials and equipment

Attitudes Toward Science• Learning and experiencing science• Natural resources• Scientific inquiry

Science Concepts• Plant growth and adaptation• Soil properties• Earth/Moon/Sun systems• Human skeletal and muscle systems

Focus:Identifying systems and patterns in systems.


ReadingThird graders read many types of texts -- literary, informational and practical. They distinguish between fact and opinion. These students interpret poetry and infer main ideas in a variety of prose. Students in this grade use mul-tiple reading strategies to construct meaning from text. They choose to read silently for extended periods of time for pleasure and information.

Reading Comprehension:• Reads literary, informational and practical texts• Recognizes stanza and rhyme• Interprets poetry• Infers main idea of moral in fairy tales, tall tales, fables, legends and myths• Compares traits of characters• Compares/contrasts characters, events and/or stories• Compares/contrasts poems and other literary selections• Distinguishes between fact/opinion• Recognizes similes and metaphors• Summarizes/records information and details• Understands cause/effect relationships and details• Interprets maps, charts and diagrams• Compares/contrasts information visually

Characteristics of a Reader:• Reads a variety of topics• Reads for a variety of purposes• Has a personal reaction to poetry, informational and narrative text• Reads for extended periods of time

Reading Strategies:• Has mastery of phonics knowledge• Predicts words by using letter clusters, vowel patterns and endings• Knows when text makes no sense and takes action to correct, such as

rereading• Uses a variety of word attack skills• Rereads for meaning and to check predictions• Uses analogy to identify words almost the same• Finds small familiar words inside larger unknown words• Keeps a list of unknown words to study later• Puts text in own words• Supports ideas by reference to evidence presented in text• Uses headings, bold print and italics• Focuses on detail to locate specific information and to clarify meaning• Checks for understanding by paraphrasing information from text


4th Grade


MathematicsThe mathematics curriculum is organized into the following five strands:

(1) Number and Operations; (2) Algebra;(3) Geometry; (4) Measurement; and(5) Statistics and Probability.


The Math Essential Standards for all (grade level) students are as follows:• Understand the value of whole numbers and decimals representations

from 0.01 to 100,000• Use strategies to solve problems involving multi-digit addition, sub-

traction, multiplication and division of whole numbers• Understand the concepts of equivalence in fractions, improper frac-

tions, mixed numbers and decimals• Add and subtract fractions with like denominators and decimals.• Use mathematical properties to solve problems.• Write and solve equations and inequalities containing variables using

the order of operations.• Analyze patterns to identify rules.• Understand the concept of symmetry and transformations.• Measure length, weight, capacity and temperature using customary

units in order to solve problems.• Understand the relationship between area and perimeter of polygons• Interpret data from investigations involving one or two sets of data• Predict the outcomes of simple probability experiments


Focus :Proficient fourth-grade students have expanded their abilities to perform mathematical tasks and to use models to demonstrate their understandings. They are confident in exploring new concepts with concrete materials because they have had repeated opportunities to experiment with manipulatives. The evaluation of student achievement in mathematics should reflect what

students can do, explain and record.


WritingFourth graders write for a variety of reasons and for different audiences. They are learning to use more detail, sequence and description in their narratives. As members of “reading/writing groups,” they give sugges-tions for revision to others. They edit their written work for basic sen-tence formation, usage, mechanics and spelling.

Composing Products:• Uses more than one character and episode in developing stories• Writes compositions with teacher support• Writes on a variety of topics• Assesses writing in learning logs/journals• Writes imaginative and personal narratives• Narratives have a logical, coherent and organized structure• Identifies main idea/supporting detail in descriptive writing• Records new information in learning log• Uses oral and written language to discuss, interview, solve problems

and make decisions• Creates readable documents through legible handwriting and/or

word processing

Composing Process:• Uses the writing process • Gives suggestions to another’s writing • Revises the sequence and ideas • Combines sentences • Edits for: run-on sentences, agreement between subject/verb, dou-

ble negative, the apostrophe, identify paragraphs, commas in series, dates and addresses, and use of quotation marks and misspellings

Characteristics of a Writer:• Writes for extended periods• Selects best piece of writing and gives reasons for selection• Shares written work with peers• Maintains a writing portfolio


Social StudiesFourth-grade students proceed from studying their community to a study of the state of NorthCarolina. Students learn about the characteristics of North Carolinians, who we are and where we came from. The geographic regions, landforms, climate and resources are explored. The social, economic and political institutions are stud-ied as students develop a broader context of the southeast, the nation and the world economy.

The concepts developed in fourth grade will be further refined in grades five through seven as other world regions are studied. Geography is a major concept of study. Maps as well as other resources are used so students can make decisions and solve problems related to our state. Through the study, students should be able to state values and beliefs of the people of North Carolina, the environment of our state, how North Carolina society is organized, how people in North Carolina make a living and how North Carolina has changed over time.

Government and Active CitizenshipAnalyze social and political institutions in North Carolina and how they structure society

Technological InfluencesIdentify advantages and disadvantages of technology in the lives of North Carolinians

Global ConnectionsGive examples of interdependence North Carolina has with other states and nations

Historical PerspectivesTrace the history of colonization in North Carolina

Geographic RelationsApply the five themes of geography to North Carolina and its people

Culture and DiversityExamine the important roles ethnic groups have played in the development of North Carolina

Individual Development and IdentityIdentify ways the individual can contribute to the community

Economics and DevelopmentEvaluate how North Carolinians apply economic principles within the community, state and nation

Focus :North Carolina Geography and History


ScienceGoal:All Union County students will1. develop an understanding of the nature of science through hands-on

experiences;2. develop and use science process skills;3. develop and use science manipulative skills;4. develop a positive attitude toward science and its application to soci-

ety; and5. use scientific investigation to learn science concepts.

Process Skills:• Observe, classify, use numbers, communicate, measure, infer, predict • Use space-time relations• Interpret data• Define operations• Experiment• Control Variables• Formulate Models

Attitudes Toward Science:• Learning and experiencing science• Natural resources• Scientific inquiry• Science, technology and society

Manipulative skills:• Safety• Choose, construct and assemble equipment• Use science equipment and material appropriately• Care for equipment and materials• Handle and care for live organisms

Focus :Analyze systems and learn how systems work..

- continued


ScienceScience Concepts:Physical Science: Forces and Motion/Properties and Change• Explain how various forces affect the motion of an object• Recognize the composition and uses of rocks and minerals• Recognize basic forms of energyEarth Science: Earth Systems, Structures and Processes• Understand phases of the moon (causes of day/night)• Understand the use of fossils and earth changes over timeLife Science: Structures and Functions of Living Organisms• Understanding ecosystems• Understanding food energy for growth and repair of the body


ReadingFourth graders continue to read many types of texts -- literary, informational and practical pieces. Through reading they can make connections with situa-tions beyond their own experience. In narrative texts, they recognize organi-zational patterns and motives of characters. They can make inferences, draw conclusions, and are learning to support their opinions about what they read. Fourth graders are becoming more skillful at following written directions and in reading for information in a variety of resources.

Reading Comprehension:• Uses many types of reading, listening and viewing resources• Recognizes characteristics of narrative texts• Recognizes organization, logic and details in narrative text• Discusses motive of characters• Recognizes themes related to personal experiences• Infers and draws conclusions from text• Follows written instructions• Recognizes authors’/illustrators’ individual voices and styles• Compares oral/written directions• Analyzes structure of informational selection• Interacts with the text before, during and after reading

Characteristics of a Reader:• Identifies reading as a source of information• Reacts to narratives, biographies and autobiographies• Offers reasons for feelings from text• Reads independently daily from self-selected materials

Reading Strategies:• Uses word identification strategies appropriately and automatically when

encountering unknown words• Uses suffixes, prefixes and word parts• Self-corrects, confirms and predicts independently• Paces reading according to style and difficulty of text• Develops questions from reading materials• Summarizes information• Uses a variety of sources to check for accuracy• Locates information on electronic devices, indexes and directories• Selects books for a specific purpose• Asks questions to understand point-of-view• Uses graphic organizer to organize information


5th Grade


MathematicsThe mathematics curriculum is organized into the following five strands:(1) Number and Operations; (2) Algebra;(3) Geometry; (4) Measurement; and(5) Statistics and Probability.


The Math Essential Standards for all (grade level) students are as follows:• Understand the value of whole numbers, fractions and decimal rep-

resentations from 0.001 to 1,000,000• Use combinations of whole number addition, subtraction, multipli-

cation and division to solve multi-step problems in context• Use strategies to solve problems involving addition and subtraction

of fractions and decimals• Use tables and graphs to compare ratios• Apply mathematical operations to solve equations• Apply the concept of inequality• Analyze growing and repeating patterns to solve problems• Apply properties to classify polygons• Understand the relationships between rectangles and rectangular

prisms• Use a protractor to measure angles• Use measurement of temperature and of elapsed time to solve prob-

lems• Interpret trends in data from statistical investigations


Focus:Grade five is a pivotal year. It is a culmination and synthesis of what has come before in grades K through 4 and a transition to the greater independence and responsibilities students need to exhibit in middle grades.


WritingFifth graders use written language to formulate hypotheses, evaluate information and ideas, present and support arguments, and influence the thinking of others. They make written presentations to inform or per-suade, selecting vocabulary for impact. They include concrete images in poetry and in prose. They can complete routine forms they encounter as students and consumers and write social correspondence such as infor-mal letters and invitations.

They revise their writing for meaning and clarity and pay particular at-tention to organization and coherence among the paragraphs of the longer pieces they produce. In addition to revising their own written work, they also give their peers revision advice.

Composing Products:• Uses multiple characters and episodes• Writes a variety of compositions• Assesses performance by writing in learning log• Uses details in clarification writing• Writes clarification essays with an organized, coherent structure• Completes forms with personal information• Composes a variety of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama using self-selected

topic and format (e.g., poetry, research, reports, news articles, letters-to-the-editors, business letters)

• Writes in reading log questioning new information and reflecting on what is read

• Produces work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., clarifica-

tion essay, feature story, business letter)

Composing Process:• Determines the impact of word choice on written and spoken language• Consults sources to enhance writing• Revises beginning and ending paragraphs• Uses technology as a tool to enhance and/or publish a product• Edits final product for language conventions and format

• Writes poetry with images and descriptions

Characteristics of a Writer:• Shares written work with peers• Comments/expresses ideas about unique topics in peer’s writing• Maintains a writing portfolio• Selects best piece of writing and gives reasons for selection

• Uses writing to understand their world and other cultures


Social StudiesContinuing the history, geography, civics and government, economics and culture strands from previous grades, fifth grade expectations will address change and continuity in United States history. Students begin the study of United States history with American Indian groups indigenous to the United States before the arrival of European settlers and conclude with the Civil War and Reconstruction period. Learned concepts will be applied within the context of American history. Teachers are encouraged to guide students in drawing parallels between contemporary issues and their his-torical origins.

Using primary and secondary sources, fifth grade students will compare founding documents of the United States with those of North Carolina such as the United States Constitution and the North Carolina Constitution. Students will learn about the “Founding Fathers” who envisioned the path for our democratic republic, while also exploring the contributions of di-verse groups to the building of our nation. Speeches that laid the foun-dation of American ideals and institutions will be studied along with the examination of everyday life during the Pre-Colonial period through Re-construction.

Students expand their knowledge of human systems as they understand push/ pull factors of migration and immigration and their influence on cul-ture in the United States. Students deepen their understanding of human-environment interactions by assessing positive and negative effects of hu-man activities on the physical environment of the United States.

Building on their knowledge of economic principles, students focus on eco-nomic growth in the United States and develop an understanding of pro-duction, specialization, and the division of labor. Students begin to apply economic principles to their own lives as they learn to make responsible financial choices in spending and saving.

- continued


Social StudiesThe following five domains make up the curriculum for social studies:

History• Analyze the chronology of key events in the US

• Understand the role of prominent figures in shaping the US

Geography and Environmental Literacy• Understand how human activity has and continues to shape the US

Economic and Financial Literacy• Understand how a market economy impacts life in the US

• Understand that personal choices result in benefits or consequences

Historical Perspectives• Analyze the effects of change in communities and predict future changes

Civics and Governance• Understand the development, structure and function of government in the US

• Analyze life in a democratic republic through rights and responsibilities of citi-

zens

Culture• Understand how increased diversity resulted from migration, settlement pat-

ters and economic development in the US


ScienceGoal: All Union County students will1. (1) develop an understanding of the nature of science through hands-

on experiences;2. (2) develop and use science process skills;3. (3) develop and use science manipulative skills;4. (4) develop a positive attitude toward science and its application to

society; and5. (5) use scientific investigation to learn science concepts.

Process Skills:• Observe• Classify• Use numbers• Communicate• Measure• Infer• Predict• Use space-time relations• Formulate hypotheses• Interpret data• Define operations• Experiment• Control variables• Formulate models

Manipulative skills:• Safety• Choose, construct and assemble equipment• Care for equipment and materials• Handle and care for living organisms• Use materials and equipment

Attitudes Toward Science:• Learning and experiencing science• Natural resources• Scientific inquiry• Science, Technology, Society

Science Concepts:• Interdependence of plants and animals• Forces and motion in technological design• Landforms• Weather and climate

Focus:Using evidence, models and reasoning to form scientific explanations


ReadingFifth graders enjoy a variety of literary pieces as well as informational and practical texts. They begin to pay more attention to detail, organization and logic of what they read and the ways authors support ideas with evidence. They compare pieces they have read and defend their reading preferences. They detect the implied motives of characters as revealed in dialogue and action. They identify literary archetypes such as “heroes” and “villains.” They use appropriate reading strategies and word attack skills according to pur-pose of the test.

Reading Comprehension:• Recognizes coherence, logic and organization in clarification text• Sees how details relate• Sees similarities/differences between selections• Sees patterns in informational and practical texts• Discusses motives of characters• Recognizes heroes, heroines and villains• Recognizes text that supports a recommendation, opinion or argument• Compares information from different sources• Compare different versions of the same story from different cultures• Discusses author’s purpose and point of view• Describes links between personal experiences and text• Increases vocabulary knowledge through reading, word study, discus-

sion and content

Characteristics of a Reader:• Reads materials beyond personal experiences• Reads for pleasure, interest or learning• Expresses feelings about characters from own experiences• Applies comprehension strategies critically, creatively and strategically

Reading Strategies:• Uses resource materials (dictionary, encyclopedia and atlas)• Varies reading strategies according to text• Answers questions by scanning passages or phrases• Scans, skims or reads carefully depending on purpose

400 North Church StreetMonroe, NC 28112

Phone 704.296.0835 Fax 704.283.8419www.ucps.k12.nc.us

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UCPS 2011-12 Goals and Objectives for Grades Three to Five

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Transcript of UCPS 2011-12 Goals and Objectives for Grades Three to Five