As the students occupying the highest grade level at Lerner, the fifth graders take on a number of leadership roles that build over the course of the year.

Not only do the fifth grade students complete coursework in all of their subjects that is academically on a par with many middle schools, but they also set the standard for the younger children in a number of ways. From partnering with their kindergarten book buddies to complete reading and writing assignments to greeting guests on VIP Day to coordinating recess games during recess, the fifth graders are constantly hard at work guiding the direction of the school. The fifth grade students also head student council and yearbook, and the teachers call upon them as “assistants” in K-5 weekly electives. Fifth graders are well-prepared for these challenges due to the rigorous academic expectations that the teachers set for them.

Class novels in language arts, including “Wonder,” “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” and “The Giver,” address emotionally complex topics that the students analyze and apply to their own lives. These texts bridge to their work in Social Studies and Judaic Studies, where the fifth graders debate and discuss issues from multiple points of view while developing clear arguments to support their own perspective. In math and science, the fifth grade students reach an exciting level of inquiry, as they ask and answer their own questions and tie their inquiries to applied knowledge about the natural and logical underpinnings of our world. The skills that the fifth graders have honed in their elementary years are showcased in their graduation ceremony, which takes place in both Hebrew and English, and weaves together the strands of Judaic and general studies that shaped their lives at Lerner.