Characteristics of a Fourth Grade Student

4th Grade Curriculum Guide for Parents

• enjoy being given responsibility, but still require guidance and direction to keep on track
• need sets of guidelines and rules to follow
• enjoy learning new information and facts, but may not reflect deeply on them
• are generally able to read to learn, having passed the learning-to-read stage
• learn best by starting with concrete experiences
• place great emphasis on peer relationships
• like being and doing things with friends
• need to belong to a group, particularly an understanding family group
• often play to the point of exhaustion
• are becoming quite skillful in motor performance
• have fine motor skills that vary greatly with the individual
• have a heightened sense of right and wrong based on fairness
• are beginning to be able to understand and apply the message in a story
• strive to incorporate good works into daily living

Characteristics of a Fifth Grade Student

5th Grade Curriculum Guide for Parents

• are very curious
• need guidelines and rules to follow
• have an abundance of energy and are industrious workers
• need warm and supportive reinforcement from parents and other adults
• are sensitive to criticism but beginning to realize that criticism is necessary and helpful
• dislike being criticized in front of their friends
• transition into puberty, especially among the girls, with physical changes and difficult to control emotions
• as a group, display wide variations in rate of growth
• have increased interest in sexuality
• appreciate and develop personal talents and abilities
• are still mostly concrete in their thinking while developing expanded language skills
• recognize signs and symbols, e.g., in games, sports, and clothes
• have longer attention spans and enjoy reading
• have a great need to belong, so they make commitments to (sports, fun, service) groups or may belong to peer groups who develop their own codes of behavior
• enjoy cooperative learning activities with friends
• learn from role models
• continue closeness with family, but begin to make choices independent of adults
• grow in ability to distinguish right and wrong and have a heightened sense of justice
• begin to be aware of different customs and rituals among people
• become aware of past, present, and future community experiences, e.g., the Church as a committed community of believers