5th Grade Math Tests and Quizzes
The fifth grade is where students really start to expand the math vocabulary and their use of multi-digit large and small numbers. Students learn how to do operations with decimal values to the hundredths place. Where there are decimals, there must be fractions and this level does not disappoint. Students begin to perform basic operations with fractions. They learn to multiply and divide fractions as well as converting units and fractions. Line plots make a brief, but important appearance. This is where measurement has us going with this. The concept of exponents makes its way into the lives of our students for the first time. Another light round for geometry is found at this level. This time the focus is on the concept of volume. After writing materials for every level of the math curriculum and then coming back to it, I got a very good grasp of the range of difficulty of the problems. I find this level has one of the most diverse ranges of difficulty out of everything. It reminds me of a question asked by an ecology professor from years back. Question 1: "What color is the sky?" Question 2: "On a molecular level, what transitions of molecules creates the blue color? Be specific."
- Fifth Grade Core Sampler Test - An extreme overview of curriculum in a thirty-minute test.
- Multiple Choice Questions Form A - This format is becoming the mainstay of most national exams.
- Multiple Choice Questions Version 2 - The complete exam. Full coverage of every standard found at this level.
- Multiple Choice Questions Sampler Version 3 - This is a shorter exam, just 25 questions. Great for a quick review!
- Full Length Practice Exam - Every standard under the sun is covered in this full exam.
- Short Response Questions Form B - I see this form more on a state-level examination circuit.
- Extended Response Questions Form C - This format has been faded out a bit. Administrators seem to feel it is too subjective and difficult to score fairly.
- Grade 5 Operations and Algebraic Thinking Quiz - Order of operations, working with expressions, and understanding math patterns.
- Grade 5 Numbers and Base Ten Operations Quiz - A heavy emphasis is given to decimal place value, rounding and decimal operations.
- Grade 5 Fractions Quiz - Students start to see how fractions are used in their everyday lives. We also cover every operation known to man with them.
- Grade 5 Measurement and Data Quiz - Lots of unit conversion and understanding dimensions and the relative volume that is a result.
- Grade 5 Geometry Quiz - This is the specific area at this level that you will see a huge range of difficulty. It's like the core standards are incomplete in this topic area.
What is the 5th Grade Math Curriculum?
Most teachers that I run into that have taught up and down the entire K-12 spectrum swear that 5th grade is the best grade level to teach. It is where maturing kids and the end of elementary school meet. At this point they have developed a good sense of humor and are, for the most part, magnets for learning new things. Students are active citizens and are aware of current events, but they still have that level of child-like innocence that makes it fun to teach them something that completely opens up the world to them. When it comes to the math curriculum for 5th grade it is broken down into five distinct units: Prealgebra, Base Ten, Fractions, Measurement, and Geometry. Let’s explore what takes place within each of these units.
I call the first unit Prealgebra, but some local curriculums refer to it as operations. Which makes sense, but to be honest it is so much more than your standard addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The foundation is built off of the order of operations with integers and all types of different equations and expressions. Students learn their way around a pattern or two in both the numeric and visual form. Students finish out by applying their graphing skills to solve real world story-based problems.
The base ten unit focuses heavily understanding the concept of powers of ten across the decimal system. Students learn to express numeric values in word and expanded form. We go further with decimals and get them comfortable with values set the thousandths place. Rounding these decimal values plays a large role. We also have them learn to master basic operations with decimals. Our basic operations get ramped up heavily with students multiplying and divide values that consist of five digits or more.
Fractions play a big role at the 5th grade level. I find I spend the majority of my time with this unit, over the course of the year. While the curriculum is spiral for most of the curriculum meaning students have been at least introduced to it, fractions are mostly brand new for 5th graders. We cover every operation that can be done between whole numbers, proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers. Students also project these skills on to a wide array of word problems.
Measurement is the fun time of year and can mostly be taught using a hands-on tactile approach. Students start to be relaxed with their ability to convert between Imperial and metric units. The big goal here is to get them thinking about what tool they need to use to measure something. Can they use a ruler, or do they need a long tape measure? Students start to see all forms of capacity that they have not seen before.
Geometry, as usual in elementary school, is short and sweet. Students experience coordinate graphing for the first time and apply them to positional maps among other things. We start to really lock down what each geometric shape consists of.