Major differences in 4th and 5th grade skills?

[amyc78]

We are considering a co-op next year that will combine 4th and 5th graders for all subjects except math. Curriculum materials have not been decided yet but I am wondering what the major differences are in 4th and 5th grade skills?

 

My child is currently 4th and will be 5th next year. I want to make sure he is adequately challenged and prepared for 6th grade. Socially this co-op will be a good option for him.

[Dramorellis]

My son is currently in 5th and I can't say there has been a great change in his skill set. We have just done more of the same that we did last year but with greater understanding in discussions. I would say I have seen a move toward more independence ( not a lot) and looking at things more logically. The only big leaps we experienced this year was a more cohesive writing style, dropping of penmanship as a study and going deeper into our literature and latin. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I doubt there is major differences with one year apart.  I think more importantly you think of your individual kid.  Is your child working at a level that you feel is somewhere around that level?  Too far above or below could be frustrating or pointless.  Although I always saw these outside experiences as mostly social opportunities.  That's something I can't really pull off at home.  So there is value in that either way.

 

 

[luuknam]

I'm not sure what your question is - are you concerned about what you'll need to supplement the co-op with because they're combining 4th and 5th so you're worried it'll be too much at a 4th grade level? Or are you unsure of what level to expect from the co-op? Or...?

 

You could read TWTM or "What your 5th grader needs to know" and other books like that, but it's going to be quite individual, and different people have different expectations, and a lot of that is geographical and socio-economical differences etc. You could talk to the co-op (and parents whose kids attended this year) about what their expectations are for 4th and 5th graders - some co-ops are much more rigorous than others.