Support for Grade 5 Families

If your child is using Bridges Grade 5, you may find the resources below helpful.

What Your Fifth Grader Will Learn  (PDF)

Your child’s teacher may use the Math Skills & Concepts Student Report to communicate with you about how your child is doing in math class. This report is meant to provide an overall picture of your child’s progress at a given point in the year. It does not include every skill or idea your child will study in math class. To get a more complete picture of how your child is doing, you can also read your school’s report card, talk to your child’s teacher, and ask to see examples of your child’s work including class work and tests. Revised standards in some states expect students to master some of the skills we have designated as “beyond first grade.” For example, updated Oregon standards require fifth graders to divide 3- and 4-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers using efficient and effective paper-and-pencil methods, including the standard algorithm. By the end of the year, they should also be able to add and subtract all fractions, as well as decimals through the thousandths.

Overview of Grade 5 Units  (PDF)

Each two-page handout below provides a quick overview of what students will learn in a single Bridges unit. They include sample problems with answers, so you may find them useful when helping with homework. If you're not sure what unit your child's class is in right now, ask his or her teacher, or look at the small print at the top of the most recent homework assignment.
Unit 1,  Unit 2,  Unit 3,  Unit 4,  Unit 5,  Unit 6,  Unit 7,  Unit 8

Math with Your Fifth Grader (PDF)

This handout offers advice on how to help with homework and make math a fun and useful part of family life.

Parents as Partners

The Oregon Council for Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) offers a pamphlet to assist parents in their efforts to support and encourage their children in mathematics. You can download the pamphlet in both English and Spanish. (Click on the version you want.)

Math Vocabulary for Grade 5  (PDF)

Click here to refresh your memory of key terms you may need to help with your fifth grader’s homework. Definitions include examples and pictures. If you want to look up other words, we recommend using A Maths Dictionary for Kids, which includes definitions, examples, animations, and even practice games.

Home Connections for Grade 5

Online Skills Practice for Grade 5

Age-appropriate computer games can help your child practice basic skills. The links below will take you to free online games that may be helpful and fun for your fifth grader. (You may need to update the browser on your computer or install free plugins like Flash or Shockwave for these games to work.)

Play each game first to make sure it matches your child’s interests and abilities. You might need to help your child get started with each game. If your child has trouble focusing, the graphics may be too distracting. Children benefit from hands-on experiences and interaction with other people, so when you have time, play board games and talk to your child about the math he or she is doing. There is no substitute for your interest and involvement!

Basic Multiplication
Times Square  This game provides great practice with multiplication facts as players race to be the first to get 4 products in a row on the game board.
 
Factor Dazzle  Players score points for finding all the factors of target numbers set by their opponents.
 
Table Numbers  The player chooses a factor between 2 and 9. He or she is then presented with 3 different numbers, and has to choose the one that is a multiple of the chosen factor. Good visuals; good practice.
 
Two Minute Warning   The player has 2 minutes to answer as many multiplication problems as he or she can. At the end of the game, the computer will show how many correct and incorrect answers the player got.
 
Pumpkin Multiples   The player races to collect multiples of a number. Before your child starts playing, talk about how you can tell if a number is a multiple of the number he or she selected. At the end of the game, the computer will show the multiples: talk with your child about any patterns he or she sees in those numbers. What do the multiples have in common?
 
Basic Division
Timed Flashcards   The player recalls 30 basic division facts. You’ll need to click on a few links to get to the flashcards. There are also links on this page to basic multiplication facts, and more advanced multiplication and division combinations.
 
Order of Operations & All Basic Facts
Make 24  The player uses four numbers and all operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) to make 24.
 
All Basic Facts
Number Factory  In this engaging, puzzle-like activity, the player is challenged to add, subtract, multiply and/or divide a set of 4 numbers to come as close as possible to a target number.
 
Quick Math   The player must select the operational symbol (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division) that will make the equation true. All equations are based on basic facts. After your child has played a few times, talk about some quick ways to tell which operation will complete the equation. Your child might be using strategies that don’t involve doing all the calculations, and that is fine: the strategies probably rely on a strong sense of number and operations.
 
Fractions
Dig It  Players take turns digging in a field loaded with precious stones. The object is to collect as much dirt and as many stones as possible. Players tell the shovel where to dig by using a set of numbers to make a fraction, and then locating that fraction on a number line that runs across the field. The more accurately they locate the fraction, the better their score.
 
Fraction Feud  Players use number "cards" to create fractions that are larger (or smaller) than their opponents' in a series of mock jousts.
 
Drop Zone  Players add fractions that will total 1 as they race to win 5 points in this action-packed game. Develops fraction sense, estimation, and skill at adding fractions with like and unlike denominators. A winner!
 
Adding Fractions   This activity challenges students to use pictures to help add fractions with unlike denominators. 
 
Money: Subtraction with Decimal Numbers
Making Change  The player finds the difference between a price and the amount of money paid. Then the player shows that change using the fewest coins and bills possible. Talk to your child about some ways to calculate the amount of change mentally. For example, can he or she add up from the price to the amount paid to figure the difference?
 
Angle Measurement
Mini-Golf  In this engaging electronic version of billiards, the player attempts to make a hole in one by hitting it at the correct angle.
 
Slam Ball  Players take turns slamming a ball off the sides of a game board to collect points by hitting tokens along the way. Each player gets 6 turns, and each time, the ball can be angled up or down before being launched to move along the most optimal path.
 
Alien Angles   The player positions a ray to estimate different angles in order to rescue lost space aliens.
 

More Games
The two sites below contain some of the best games for elementary math students. Look through the sites to find other games for your child to play.
Primary Games
Math Games on Fun School
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

Math Books for Grade 5

Reading books with mathematical themes can help students improve their skills and foster a good attitude toward math. This list will direct you to books that you and your child may enjoy.

Counting & Number Sense
A Million Dots by Andrew Clements

Multiplying
The Best of Times by Greg Tang

Money
If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz

Problem Solving
Anno's Math Games by Mitsumasa Anno
The King's Chessboard by David Birch (used in Bridges Grade 5)

Estimation
Great Estimations by Bruce Goldstone
Greater Estimations by Bruce Goldstone

Geometry
Cubes, Cones, Cylinders, & Spheres by Tana Hoban
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland by Cindy Neuschwander (used in Bridges Grade 5.  See also other titles in the Sir Cumference series, for example, The Dragon of Pi)

Measurement
Counting on Frank by Rod Clement
Millions to Measure by David M. Schwartz (used in Bridges Grade 5)

Math Activities
Math Games & Activities from Around the World by Claudia Zaslavsky
Arithmetricks: 50 Easy Ways to Add, Subtract, Multiply, and Divide Without a Calculatorby Edward H. Julius

Mathematical Fiction
The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger
The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat by Theoni Pappas
The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures by Malba Tahan
Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales by Theoni Pappas