Ages 10 to 11
5th grade math: what your child learns, and how to help
5th grade math is mostly about fractions with unlike denominators, decimals, and volume. Here is what that means, where children often get stuck, and simple ways to help at home.
What your child learns in 5th grade
Fractions
Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. Multiply fractions, and divide unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions.
Decimals
Read and compare decimals to thousandths, and add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals to hundredths.
Whole-number operations
Multiply multi-digit numbers with the standard method, and divide by two-digit divisors.
Volume
Find the volume of rectangular boxes by counting cubes and with length × width × height.
Coordinate plane and expressions
Plot points in the first quadrant, and write and evaluate expressions with parentheses.
Based on the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Your state or school may order topics differently.
Where children often get stuck
- Finding a common denominator
- Placing the decimal point after multiplying
- Thinking multiplying always makes a number bigger
How to help at home
- Double or halve a recipe together.
- Ask "is your answer reasonable?" before checking it.
- Use graph paper for coordinate games like battleship.
How Kidscient helps with 5th grade math
- It starts from your child's level, not their grade. A short, friendly check finds what your child can already do. Many children are ahead in some topics and behind in others.
- Homework help without answers. Your child snaps tonight's math homework and Curio helps with each problem by asking and hinting. Your child writes every answer. Code checks the arithmetic.
- Guided lessons on a whiteboard. Curio explains each step out loud while drawing it, then asks your child to try. Lessons open level by level; at the founding beta they start around the grade 4 level.
- Voice-first. Your child talks through their thinking, which is where the learning happens.
Parents also ask
What math is taught in 5th grade?
How can I help my 5th grader with math at home?
My child finds 5th grade math too easy. What should we do?
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