Lower School Gr5- ACADEMIC PROGRAMME 2026

GRADE 5 ACADEMIC PROGRAMME 2 6 - 2 7

The International School of Brussels

The International School of Brussels

INTRODUCTION The Lower School at ISB is where children ages 2.5-12 years learn by exploring the world with curiosity, and by asking questions and developing skills in problem solving and interpretation. Further consolidating the understanding, skills, and knowledge necessary for a lifetime of learning, students develop independence and self-reflection as they grow from children to young teens.

The key elements are the academic and specialist subjects, the engaging learning environment, and the highly-qualified and caring faculty and staff.

Our Academic subjects build the foundational knowledge and skills for understanding our world, but also provide opportunities for extensive challenge.

The Specialist programme provides a wide breadth of experiences for all students, supporting them in being performers, artists, language learners and building the habits of life-long physical activity.

The age-appropriate learning environment provides flexibility and adaptability to a wide range of configurations for teaching and learning.

Our faculty are all specialists in working with and supporting lower school-aged children.

The ISB curriculum is based on a set of content standards selected from national systems and educational institutions. Standards are selected to align with ISB’s mission and vision to provide the foundation for our international curriculum which is accredited by The Council of International Schools and The Middle States Association (USA). Those standards are listed and linked below.

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC CONTENT STANDARDS Advisory: International School Counsellor Association

Mathematics: Common Core Standards

Arts: National Core Arts Standards

PE & Health: National Physical Ed Standards

Digital Citizenship: Common Sense Education

Science: Australian Curriculum

Language Arts: Common Core Standards

Social Studies: Education For Global Citizenship

Languages: The Common European Framework

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LANGUAGE ARTS Reading In fifth grade, students broaden and deepen their understanding of informational and literary text.

Students reflect on their skills and adjust their comprehension and vocabulary strategies to become better readers. Developing an appreciation of sophisticated children’s literature is a focus of this reading programme.

Non-Fiction Reading

In this unit, students develop reading strategies to enhance comprehension, including finding main ideas and supporting details. Building Skills in note-taking and summarising is also a focus which is then revisited in later units.

GRADE 5

Historical Fiction

Through the genre of historical fiction set in WW2, students build understanding of some of the consequences of prejudice. Students build skills in inferring, summarising and using text evidence to support opinions. Texts such as ‘Bicycle Spy’, ‘Number the Stars’, ‘Safiyyah's War’ are read in this unit.

Author Study

By reading various books by Michael Morpurgo, students build skills in identifying internal and external conflicts, static and dynamic characters, common themes, and the impact of different points of view across multiple texts by an author. Students also make connections between the books and the author's life.

Poetry

Reading the poetic novel ‘Home of the Brave’, students explore ‘what is poetry? Students explore poetic devices such as personification, simile, and metaphor.

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Writing As students move into Grade 5, they are challenged to develop a more sophisticated approach to writing, mastering complex sentence structures, nuanced arguments, and detailed narratives.

Building a more formal tone in their writing as well as bringing text to a high standard are key features.

Argument

Building on research and note-taking skills in previous units, students write well-supported arguments, demonstrating how emotive language, modal verbs, and complex sentences powerfully connect ideas to really persuade their readers.

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Information

Narrative

Throughout the unit, historical events during the ‘Age of Exploration’ are researched.

Students choose a specific event to recount and include an orientation, the sequence of events, impact, and and reorientation. Each paragraph has key features like conjunctions, time phrases or clauses, or modal verbs to clearly convey key information to their audience.

Using tools like heart, neighborhood, or mind maps to identify important narrative features, students build stories which use descriptive language to create a strong sense of setting and varied verbs and evaluative language to fully develop their characters.

Students also practice and reinforce their understanding of sentence structure and subordinating conjunctions to ensure they connect ideas logically.

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MATHEMATICS The ISB mathematics programme is designed to develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts while nurturing critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities. Below are the key elements to our approach: Developing students’ concrete-pictorial-abstract thinking to build a solid foundation by connecting abstract concepts to tangible experiences Engaging students in hands-on activities, manipulatives, and interactive games to foster a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts Presenting real-world problems or open-ended questions to encourage students to think critically, apply mathematical concepts, and develop problem-solving skills Using visual representations such as diagrams, charts, and models to help students visualise abstract concepts, making them more accessible and easier to comprehend Providing multiple entry points to concepts, and offering support tailored to individual needs Cultivating a growth mindset towards learning math by emphasising effort, perseverance, and the belief that mathematical abilities can be developed through practice and learning from mistakes

GRADE 5

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Geometry - Quadrilaterals Students begin this unit by analysing a variety of polygons and describing their attributes. Students sort them into a variety of categories based on these attributes. Focus then shifts to exploring groups of quadrilaterals in depth: trapezoids, parallelograms, rectangles, rhombuses, kites and squares.

Students describe the relationships amongst quadrilaterals to organise them into categories and subcategories using increasingly precise language to describe their characteristics.

Place Value Understanding in this unit is extended to thousandths using visual models to see the relationship between partitioning wholes and the decimal place value system. Students explore comparing and ordering decimals using various visual models, with an emphasis on the hundreds grid and number line. They learn how to partition a number line in tenths, hundredths, and thousandths and are able to show the fraction, decimal, percent equivalents on a number line. Students are introduced to exponential notation and the pattern between the number of zeros/place values in a product/quotient when multiplying/dividing by powers of 10 is explored. Students use this understanding to help make sense when converting metric units. Finally, students use their understanding of decimal place value to round, add and subtract decimals to the thousandths.

Geometry - Coordinate Plane Students are introduced to the first quadrant of the coordinate plane and learn to draw it and use it to gain insight into a variety of data. After plotting data points that represent real world situations on a coordinate plane, they begin to notice and analyse patterns. Students are also able to generate patterns and start to describe them with rules and expressions.

Multiplication & Division Students focus on multi-digit multiplication and work with problems involving both multiplication and division, including decimals by decimals. These computations are investigated and applied to a variety of problems and real world situations. Students learn various methods and strategies, encouraging them to analyse all and choose the one that is most efficient when calculating the product or quotient.The unit also emphasises estimation and understanding of place value in order to determine placement of the decimal point.

GRADE 5

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Measurement: Volume In this unit, students recognise volume as an attribute of three-dimensional figures, building on the connection of how the perimeter is linear or one-dimensional and the area is for two-dimensional figures. Students discover and explore volume using both manipulatives and technological resources, measuring the volume of various rectangular prisms, cubes, and L-shaped prisms using cubic units Students have experiences that help them connect this packing and counting the number of cubic units that fills a box (prism) to the efficient method, demonstrated by the formula: V = l x w x h and V = B x h and that volume can be calculated using the dimensions of an object.

Fractions Students build on the skills and understandings they have developed about fractions, multiplication, the areas of rectangles, and scaling as they explore multiplication of fractions (including mixed numbers) by whole numbers and fractions. Students divide a whole number by a fraction and a fraction by a whole number, expressing both quotients as fractions, increasing their understanding of how division and fractions are connected and how they both connect to multiplication.

Operations and Algebraic Thinking Students use the order of operations to interpret and evaluate numerical expressions and write and evaluate written expressions. Building on the foundational work from the coordinate plane unit, students notice and analyse patterns and relationships, expressing them in the form of numerical expressions.

GRADE 5

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SCIENCE

The ISB Science programme offers students the chance to explore essential science concepts and processes, understand the methods used to develop scientific knowledge, and appreciate science's role in our culture, society, and daily lives. The curriculum equips students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to make informed decisions on various issues. It also fosters the joy of scientific investigation and discovery and nurtures their innate curiosity about the world around them.

OFFERED IN FRENCH OR ENGLISH Earth & Space: Everyday appearances suggest the sun travels across our sky, yet questioning what we see and collecting precise mathematical data over centuries uncovered a surprising reality: the Earth is part of a system of planets orbiting around a star (the sun), where predictable phenomena on Earth, including seasons and eclipses, are caused by the relative positions of the sun, Earth and the moon.

In this unit, students follow this path of scientific discovery—questioning initial assumptions and relying on precise data to understand how celestial bodies interact. Students develop a strong spatial understanding of these phenomena as they track shadow lengths, log moon phases in observation journals, and analyze data to explain how Earth’s tilt drives seasonal changes.

Physical Sciences: Watching a shadow stretch across a sidewalk, catching your reflection in a calm pond, or seeing a straw appear bent in a glass of water reveals the fundamental behavior of energy: light from a source forms shadows and can be absorbed, reflected and refracted. In this unit, students explore optics by investigating how light travels, interacts with different materials, and allows us to perceive our world. Hands-on testing brings these optical phenomena to life: students may draw ray diagrams to map light paths from a source to the eye, classify materials as transparent, translucent, or opaque, or use mirrors and lenses to bend and redirect light beams through air, water, and glass.

Biological Sciences: Why are some organisms able to endure extreme heat, freezing ocean waters, or months without rain while others perish? Students step into the role of biological detectives to solve this question, uncovering a core rule of nature: living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment. In this unit, students gather evidence to investigate how specialized physical traits and behaviors allow plants and animals to meet their daily survival needs in particular environments.

Chemical Sciences: Pouring a cold glass of juice, watching steam rise from a hot kettle, and feeling a firm wooden table under your hand show matter in action: solids, liquids and gases have different observable properties and behave in different ways. In this unit, students act as materials scientists to investigate how different states of matter occupy space, hold or change shape, and respond to environmental changes. Interactive investigations bring these states of matter to life: students may measure the mass and volume of invisible gases, observe state transitions as materials are heated or cooled, or test "tricky" substances—like slime—that blur the boundaries between categories.

GRADE 5

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SOCIAL STUDIES Social studies are essential for helping children understand the world around them and their place within it. The Lower School Social Studies programme encompasses history, geography and civics providing students with a broad perspective on human experiences. Through social studies, students learn about different cultures, historical events, the functioning of governments, the interconnectedness of global communities and the importance of active engagement in society.

OFFERED IN FRENCH OR ENGLISH Government This unit introduces the main forms of government and overall structures in democratic governments using the illustrative context of the European Union. Rights and responsibilities of citizens and key themes of power & governance, sustainability, equality, and group identity are explored in terms of the role of government.

Key Knowledge in this unit: how democracy is maintained through citizen participation, including being informed, advocating, and voting. examples of where competition for resources led to conflict and the need for effective conflict resolution mechanisms. the three branches of government: the legislative, the executive and judicial the process of law-making in the context of the European Union Migration This unit provides an introduction to human migration, exploring the reasons, impacts, and diverse forms it takes. Students reflect on reasons for migration decisions through the lens of "push and pull" factors. Students explore diverse migration stories including historical instances such as The Irish Potato Famine and the 1930s Dust Bowl to explore that migration has always been part of the human experience.

Key Knowledge in this unit: define migration and various categories of migration, such as voluntary, forced, internal, and international movements the push and pull factors that influence people to move, including economic, political, social, and environmental reasons positive and negative consequences of migration on individuals, communities, and nations in historical contexts contemporary migration issues, including the differences between migrants and refugees

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VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS Visual Arts Students investigate space and perspective through both 2D and 3D studies, with a focus on twopoint perspective, and observational drawing of fore, middle and background. In addition, students explored architectural design by constructing models for an imaginary city using attachment methods with recycled materials. They also learn traditional bookbinding techniques to craft personalised sketchbooks. Throughout the semester, relevant artists are discussed to enhance students' understanding and inspire their creative expression.

Performing Arts Students in Grade 5, choose one of the following Music options. Drama rotations occur throughout the year.

In the second half of the year, students build on these skills, focusing on higher-level musical concepts like articulation, dynamic contrast, and tone quality, while developing individual skills and ensemble performance.

Strings Students focus on developing the foundational skills of producing sound, playing notes and rhythms, bow hold and note reading. These are complex skills that require daily repetition to build muscle memory, so daily practice at home for 10-15 minutes is absolutely crucial. Students also learn essential rehearsal dynamics, such as setting up their instruments, standing and sitting with them correctly, listening actively, and taking care of their instruments.

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Voiceworks Students explore musical elements like rhythm, pitch, tempo, and dynamics through singing exercises and repertoire, enhancing vocal techniques such as breathing, projection, and tone quality. Grade 5 VoiceWorks students practice singing in multiple parts, emphasising diaphragmatic breathing, projection, blending, and dynamic contrast. They also discuss genres and compositional styles, learn ukulele basics to understand harmony and chords, and compose their own songs by creating chord structures, writing melodies, and fitting lyrics, while focusing on structure, repetition, sequence, and engaging the audience. Students perform learned repertoire in a formal concert and identify musical concepts through listening and studying music theory, focusing on the major scale and its intervals.

Drama In our drama course for Grades 5 & 6, students embark on an exciting journey where they can test their creative ideas and shape them into a captivating performance. They dive into the fun process of creating unique characters, memorizing lines, and adding simple production elements to bring their stories to life. Through engaging activities, students explore how to use their physicality and voice to convey meaning, and discover the powerful effects of music and lighting on the audience's experience. It's all about having fun, expressing themselves, and learning the magic of theater in a supportive environment!

Band In the first half of the year, 5th grade students familiarise themselves with their new instruments, learning basic notes, rhythms, instrument set-up, maintenance, listening skills, and beginning musicianship. Practicing at home for 20-30 minutes on non-band days is crucial for reinforcing class lessons and improving music comprehension.

In the second half of the year, students build on these skills, focusing on higher-level musical concepts like articulation, dynamic contrast, and tone quality, while developing individual skills and ensemble performance.

GRADE 5

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION & HEALTH The Physical Education & Health programme fosters the development of motor skills, coordination, and balance. Beyond the physical benefits, it also promotes mental well-being and supports selfesteem. By participating in a variety of physical activities, children learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle, which can lead to lifelong habits of physical activity.

Building on team skills developed in previous years, students explore invasion games such as basketball, hockey, and soccer, gaining an understanding of key fitness components, including heart-rate analysis for a deeper awareness of a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, students engage in a Movement Composition unit involving flow movements with dance, martial arts, and yoga, where they are expected to create a flow movement project in one of these options in a group setting. Students engage in a unit called Adapted Games to explore the lived experiences in similar games found in Paralympics or Special Olympics.

GRADE 5

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LANGUAGES Multilingualism and cultural understanding is a key part of being an International Citizen.

Students, who have demonstrated proficiency in English, access our French language programme. Additional languages are offered as part of the ISB+ programme, based on demand. ISB follows the Common European Framework for Languages.

English Proficiency

French Foundations A1 Intermediate A2 Independent B1 / C1

Grades 5 & 6 Science & Social Studies in French option

ISB+ Plus Languages Open to all regardless of English Proficiency

HOME LANGUAGE CLASSES Students who speak Hebrew, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Dutch or Swedish have access to one hour a week of a home language class. For Prekindergarten and Kindergarten this has an oral language focus. For students in Grade 1 and beyond this has a focus on the development of literacy skills.

Hebrew

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Spanish

Japanese

Korean

Dutch

Swedish

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FRENCH Francophone Celebrities (Francophones Célèbres) Drawing on current and past figures from the world of arts, sports, science and politics in Francophone culture, students develop the vocabulary and language features to describe an important figure of their choice.

Foundational Engage in basic social exchanges Recite simple vocabulary Write about matter of personal relevance using simple words and basic expressions Intermediate Understand everyday conversations with peers Catch the main point in short clear, simple messages and announcements Describe what they plan to do at the weekend or during the holidays

A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body (Un esprit sain dans un corps sain) Creating a youtube video or podcast for a travel show to Belgium, students demonstrate how to choose and order a balanced and healthy meal. For independent French speakers, students compare different aspects of health: food, medicine, education with that of Ancient Greeks, Gauls and Romans.

Some learning targets in this unit: Foundational Describe concrete objects while showing them Use days of the week, time, hour.

Understand everyday expressions for simple, concrete needs Intermediate recognise familiar words and expressions in conversations extract the essential information from short recorded passages give a short, rehearsed presentation on a familiar subject Independent understand factual reports or short talks / lectures including descriptions compare perspectives and express own opinion using subject specific vocabulary give straightforward factual information about a topic

GRADE 5

The International School of Brussels My Travelogue (Mon carnet de voyage) Building on the Grade 5 experiences and extended field trip, students explore likes and dislikes to create a travelogue about their experiences.

Some learning targets in this unit: Foundational engage in basic social exchanges express opinions write as a series of short sentences using simple words and formulaic expressions, with reference to a dictionary Intermediate understand simple directions on how to get from X to Y write short recounts express likes and dislikes Independent writes detailed recounts of experiences as a narrative, clearly describing feelings and reactions and giving a linear sequence of events give detailed instructions for how to do something reads & understands narratives, including the main points and important details

Story of a child of war (Le journal d’un enfant pendant la guerre) - Independent Linking to the unit in the homeroom, students learn about events that took place during World War 2 and study what children's daily life looked like in Belgian and French cities. They create a fiction character whose life is described in a diary.

Independent Understand film narratives, including the main points and important details Find specific information in newspaper articles and non-fiction texts Compare perspectives and express own opinion using subject specific vocabulary

HOME LANGUAGES In our Home Languages classes, students are supported to acquire and accurately use a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases for reading, writing, speaking and listening. Working towards reading grade-level appropriate text for comprehension is a priority for both fiction and non-fiction, supporting students to maintain and progress in their home language.

(Language offerings: Dutch, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Swedish and Hebrew)

KEY KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS analyse the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs and larger portions of the text relate to each other and the whole text. assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative and figurative meanings, and analyse how specific word choices shape meaning and tone.

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FOUNDATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Reading Students develop their letter and phonic knowledge to build their reading skills. They progress from simple to more complex texts to read fluently with meaning and purpose. They apply comprehension and vocabulary strategies to a variety of narrative and informational text. Students build and demonstrate comprehension by participating in small group discussions, writing responses to comprehension questions and prompts , and using evidence from text to support their thinking.

Writing Our authors write for a variety of purposes, using a range of forms. Students apply grammar and vocabulary practiced in short written exercises, to longer written pieces. Students use the writing process to revise and improve their work. Handwriting and Typing skills are practiced throughout the year.

My Family and Me Students use basic action verbs to talk about daily activities and family routines. They learn to describe habits using the simple present and ongoing actions with the present continuous. The unit will also introduce vocabulary related to family members and subject pronouns. Additionally, students use the verbs "to have" and "to be" to describe people. By the end of the unit, they talk about their families and daily routines with confidence.

Realistic Fiction Students learn key vocabulary related to fiction text features and story elements. They explore characters, setting, plot, and theme to understand how stories are structured. Students practice oral and written retells to improve comprehension and storytelling skills. They also learn to identify the main idea of a story and support it with details. By the end of the unit, students discuss and summarise fiction texts.

Personal Narrative Students explore the structure of personal narratives. They practice using past tense verbs to describe events and add circumstances to explain when, where, or how actions happen. Students also develop their writing by using simple and compound sentences, descriptive noun groups, and correct punctuation. Through reading personal narrative mentor texts, they analyse how writers share experiences and apply these techniques to their own writing. By the end of the unit, students write clear and engaging personal narratives.

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Fiction - Mysteries Students explore narrative genre features and vocabulary to deepen their understanding of different types of fiction. They analyse the plot by identifying key events, conflicts, and resolutions. Students practice making predictions based on textual evidence and inferring meaning from clues provided by the author. They also use the future tense to discuss possible outcomes and character developments.

Opinion Writing Students learn to clearly state their opinions and support them with strong reasons and researched examples or facts. They use the stoplight paragraph structure to organise their ideas effectively and practice using connectives and sentence starters for sequencing. Emphasis is placed on precise vocabulary to strengthen their arguments. As an extension, students develop their opinions into full argumentative essays. The unit concludes with a debate, where students present and defend their viewpoints using persuasive techniques.

Nonfiction Students explore text features to help them navigate and understand informational texts. Students practice skimming and scanning techniques in guided lessons and independent practice to locate important information quickly. They also learn to find text evidence to support their understanding and determine the importance of details within a passage. As an extension, students practice paraphrasing to express ideas in their own words while maintaining the original meaning.

SKILLS Students who require consistent learning support have access to smaller group support during a Skills Learning support class which happens three times per week, instead of French and during Language Arts and /or Mathematics blocks. During this time, students have access to additional curricular support aimed at improved student access and success. In addition to this, students receive targeted support for their individual learning goals as part of their individual learning plan.

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ADVISORY

The Advisory programme, led by the Lower School counsellor, builds the social and emotional understanding and skills of our students. Learning over the year is structured around the following strands: Social-Emotional Development, Global Perspectives, Academics, & Future Goals and Planning.

As the academic year progresses, Social Emotional Learning becomes an integral part of our Advisory lessons, which enhances our overall learning experiences. We delve into important themes such as developing and applying social skills and cultivating healthy relationships. We learn effective strategies for conflict resolution and problem-solving, along with deeper insights into behaviour and emotional regulation and brain function. Furthermore, we address critical issues like personal and digital safety, our identity and diversity. We develop more effective tools for preparing and dealing with various transitions and changes in our lives.

LIBRARY Introducing primary and secondary sources as they explore roles and responsibilities of government and historical instances of migration help students become more effective researchers. Exploring new titles is encouraged through book talks and through targeted exploration of the library collection. In Grade 5, students have the special honour to provide input into the possible titles for the next year’s IRIS book award.

TECHNOLOGY Students elevate their technical expertise by applying variables and functions to construct complex, multilayered programs that build strong computational thinking skills. Alongside coding, they master essential modern digital literacy—learning to evaluate online news and clickbait critically, maintain healthy digital habits, navigate online friendships, and build a balanced relationship with technology.

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Kattenberg 19, B-1170 Brussels, Belgium +32 2 661 42 11 www.isb.be