Answering Your Child's Fifth Grade Science Questions
As can be seen from the quick outline of fifth grade topics above, your child already knows many of the topics discussed from previous grade levels. Thus, answering your child's fifth grade science questions mostly involves reminding them of what was already learned. If you have been helping your child with their science class since the first grade, you are likely to know what they understand well and what they need help in. Try to come up with methods your child can use to remember concepts previously learned.
Beginning the fifth grade, you have to begin showing your child how to find the answers to their science questions themselves. Teaching them how to use the school library or the Internet for research purposes will be a great help to your child. (*Note: When allowing your child to use the Internet, be sure to restrict websites that may lead your child to explicit material.) By teaching your child to answer their own science questions, you are encouraging independence in study and learning. They will need this independence in middle school and in high school, so encouraging it now will be a big help in the future.
Finally, learn to recognize when your child is truly having a hard time. Some topics are relatively easy to learn and to search answers for, but other topics can be much harder. Also, there are times that Internet resources are written in a manner too difficult for your child to understand, or the language used contains words your child is not familiar with. Guide your child to more child‐friendly sites, and encourage the learning of new and big words so that they may also read the more complicated sites slowly.
Getting them Interested
Many parents believe that if your child has been interested and involved in science since the first grade then they will continue to be interested and involved in it during the fifth grade and during higher grades. While this is usually true to some extent, many children have problems focusing on any class beginning the fifth grade and though they may be interested, they could also be not interested enough. This disinterest is usually brought about by social factors.
First, your child is one of the older kids in school and they are also acquiring a growing circle of friends. The fifth grade is the beginning of the years when children would rather be with their friends than be with their parents. This often means that children focus less on their studies and more on having fun with their friends, keeping up with trends, and being “cool.”
This pressure to be “cool” is the second social factor that causes a disinterest in science. For many kids, science and math are seen as geeky subjects. Sometimes, just being good at these subjects can label you off as a geek, so children pretend not to be good at it and to not be interested in it until the day comes that they really aren't.
The peer pressure to be “cool” begins to happen in the fifth grade, and it’s something parents should take note of so that they can properly prepare their children to combat the pressure. Not being able to do this can sometimes lead children down destructive paths in higher grade levels. Show your child that it is okay to be good and be interested in science because at the end of the day, they will benefit from it. If they resist, play it cool yourself. Sneak in a few science conversations and experiments here and there to remind them how fun and interesting science can be. Keep in mind, however, that some children will like science despite what the majority of other children think.
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