As a fifth grader, your child will participate in an inquiry-based classroom, fostering curiosity in the sciences and encouraging exploration and expression of scientific knowledge in all academic areas.

Sciences emphasized at this grade level include Mixtures and Solutions, which introduces your child into the wonders of chemistry and the structures of matter. In Earth and Sun, students will be investigating the dynamic water and weather cycles and the applications in their world. In Living Systems, curiosity peaks with the investigations of the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and excretory systems of plants and humans. Throughout students focus on the scientific process via science journals and strategies of prediction, observation, analyzing, and drawing conclusion.

A cornerstone of the fifth grade program is Students Helping Restore Unique Biomes, known as SHRUBs. Under guidance, support, and direction of the National Park Service Rangers of the Santa Monica National Recreation Area (SAMO), your child will participate in EARTH’s SHRUB service-learning project, a yearlong event. Students will take 6 field trips to SAMO. They will participate in the collection of seeds from native plants, storing, planting, transplanting, and the establishment of native plants in the restoration area. In the spring, an exciting family celebration occurs, and interpretations are offered to fourth graders, as they are welcomed into the SHRUB program. Additionally, there is a class trip to Pali which allows for the continuation of a collaborative work environment focusing on skills the students learned and developed in and outside the classroom.