Standards-Aligned Elementary Math & Reading Activities

While the official Common Core doesn’t have standards for pre-kindergarten students, eSpark Learning understands this is a crucial time to introduce mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). That’s why we have developed standards-aligned resources for each subject, helping pre-k teachers lay the foundation that will help students succeed in the years to come.

For Pre-K math, the standards-aligned teaching resources introduce the basic principles of counting, including:

Counting to 10
Understanding sequences
Counting objects
Matching numbers to objects
Introducing comparative language (e.g., ‘more or less than’)

Through eSpark’s activities and assignments, Pre-K students should aim to recite numbers in order, understand the relationship between written numbers and quantities, and count zero to 10 objects in any type of configuration.

In Pre-K ELA, eSpark’s resources lay the foundation for reading, language, and literature. More specifically, students will learn about:

Recognizing letters of the alphabet
Identifying words that rhyme
Engaging in, listening to, and telling stories
Meanings of words
Discovering and defining unknown words

Pre-K is the perfect opportunity to get students on the right learning track from the very beginning, setting them up for success as they enter Kindergarten. With these standards-aligned resources, they’ll have the familiarity, knowledge, and confidence to tackle the standards put in front of them the following year.

Through interactive games, videos, activities, and critical thinking assessments, eSpark Learning helps support Pre-K teachers as they introduce math and ELA to young minds. Developed from the Common Core standards, our curriculum drives a deeper understanding of each subject and concept. The goal? To help students lay a strong foundation of knowledge and skills that will successfully grow as they do.

For Pre-K students, the Common Core doesn’t outline official standards in Mathematical Practice. But through research and in-depth knowledge of the Common Core, eSpark Learning has developed standards-aligned teaching resources for Pre-K students and teachers. With these, students will have the building blocks necessary to succeed in all the standards they will learn in Kindergarten (and beyond).

Through eSpark’s curriculum, Pre-K students will learn the most basic introductory math skills, including reciting and recognizing numbers. More specifically, students will navigate seven standards — each aligned to one domain: Counting and Cardinality.

Initially, students will learn to recite numbers in order from one through 20. Then, through repetition and practice, students will begin to understand sequences, including which numbers come before or after one another. As their knowledge progresses, Pre-K students will start to work with objects — learning how to count them in different configurations, count how many, and matching them with written numerals.

In the final standards, students will be introduced to comparative language and how to describe groups of objects. They’ll learn phrases such as ‘equal to’ and ‘more or less than’ to compare and contrast collections of objects. Through these lessons, students will better understand the relationship between written numbers and physical quantities.

With the help of eSpark, Pre-K students can get ahead of the learning curve — taking in knowledge 1.5 times faster than their peers. Our engaging activities and videos help teachers take a hands-on approach to standards-aligned learning, ensuring students are more than ready to meet the Common Core goals outlined for them next year.

eSpark’s Pre-K math curriculum aligns with Common Core standards while meeting students where they are. Our adaptive, engaging assignments help reinforce all of the brand-new concepts Pre-K students will learn for the first time. And with targeted math lessons and activities for each standard, teachers can help students navigate, learn, and practice their newly established knowledge and skills. Teachers can also tap into eSpark’s data, which monitors students’ progress and identifies any gaps in learning.

The Common Core standards for English Language Arts start at the Kindergarten grade level, but eSpark Learning understands that education should begin in the years before. That’s why we’ve developed standards-aligned teaching resources for Pre-K students, helping them build a strong foundation of knowledge before taking on the goals and standards outlined for them in Kindergarten.

During this foundational year for Pre-K students, the curriculum will introduce many new concepts throughout three domains and 18 total standards.

In the first domain, students will focus on building reading skills. They’ll start to learn, recognize, and recite letters of the alphabet, identify words that rhyme, and practice common letter sounds. Students will also begin to engage with and understand different types of texts and stories during this time.

From there, Pre-K students will learn to expand their knowledge of simple and familiar words. With guidance and support, they will begin to identify words with similar and opposite meanings. They’ll also start to apply those meanings to the world around them by describing places and sorting objects.

Finally, students will start to explore the world of literature, where they’ll practice listening to and telling stories. Through engaging activities, they will also learn to identify characters and settings, define unknown words through context and illustration, and recognize different types of texts, such as poems, storybooks, and nursery rhymes.

With eSpark’s standards-aligned teaching resources, Pre-K students can learn 1.5 times faster than their peers, laying a solid foundation of knowledge that will prepare them for the year ahead. Teachers can also closely track students’ progress, ensuring they are on the right learning track.

Kindergarten Math

Who can forget the days of counting with fingers, writing a few too many backwards 3s, and coming to the realization that a rotated triangle is still a triangle?

Kindergarten math standards revolve around the concepts of foundational number sense, basic counting, simple comparisons and operations using objects, sorting skills, definition of measurable attributes, and shape recognition.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Counting to 100 by ones and tens
Writing numbers from 0-20
Counting objects in different formations
Understanding the concept of "more" and "less"
Adding and subtracting within 5
Comparing and sorting by length and weight
Naming, identifying, and drawing shapes

Kindergarten Reading

Ah, kindergarten, home to those unforgettable reams of primary ruled paper, bags of cotton balls, and glue sticks galore. What a time to be alive!

In kindergarten, students spend the year developing foundational literacy skills so they can move to first grade with the ability to sound out simple words, print letters, understand and recognize phonemes, and comprehend simple texts.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Reading stories by following words
Recognizing upper and lowercase letters
Understanding letter sounds and syllables
Categorizing objects
Understanding action words
Listening to and retelling stories
Asking and answering questions about different texts
Identifying different types of familiar texts
Comparing and contrasting stories
Learning new words

eSpark is built on the idea that learning can be both fun and personalized. The program features a holistic, varied approach to instruction, with a purposeful mix of videos, songs, games, and activities. It's not the tedious information dump > multiple choice practice > check for understanding routine found in so many other online programs. Your students deserve better. eSpark doesn't stop at engagement, either—the program has been consistently proven to improve student outcomes on third-party benchmark assessments.

Who can forget the days of counting with fingers, writing a few too many backwards 3s, and coming to the realization that a rotated triangle is still a triangle?

Kindergarten math standards typically revolve around the concepts of foundational number sense, basic counting, simple comparisons and operations using objects, sorting skills, definition of measurable attributes, and shape recognition.

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned kindergarten math teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Counting and Cardinality

Count to 100 by ones and tens.
Count forward from any given number within a known sequence, understand how to add 1 to any number.
Write numbers 0-20 and apply written numerals to objects.
Count to answer "how many?" questions about 0-20 objects in a variety of arrangements.
Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities, connect counting to cardinality.
Identify groups of objects as greater than, less than, or equal to one another.
Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals.

Ah, kindergarten, home to those unforgettable reams of primary ruled paper, bags of cotton balls, and glue sticks galore. What a time to be alive!

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned kindergarten reading teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

First Grade Math

First graders can do way more than just count by the end of the year, they can add and subtract in their heads, put two triangles together to make a square, and even tell you (give or take an hour) what time it is.

First grade math standards throughout the country build on early number sense work, addition and subtraction with small numbers, place value understanding, simple measurement and time, and spatial reasoning, to lay a strong foundation for more complex work in years to come.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Adding and subtracting up to 20
Solving word problems
Developing number sense skills with number bonds and other strategies
Understanding place values
Finding unknown addends
Comparing numbers and differentiating less than, equal to, and greater than
Measuring and sorting by lengths
Creating simple graphs and charts
Telling time to the hour and half-hour
Drawing, building, and dividing shapes

First Grade Reading

Forget those nervous, new-to-school vibes. First graders are seasoned vets who know a thing or two about how the classroom works. Reading groups are where the magic happens.

First grade is an exciting time in a young reader's journey to literacy. Many students will be transitioning from guided to independent reading, learning how to read familiar stories with understanding and purpose. Print concepts and the ability to decode more complex words will also be developed.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Asking and answering questions about texts
Retelling and describing stories, including key details, characters, settings, and events
Identifying the narrator and point of view
Using illustrations and pictures to better understand texts
Comparing and contrasting texts
Recognizing features of a sentence, including capitalization and simple punctuation
Segmenting words into phonemes
Knowing the spelling-sound correspondence for common digraphs
Recognizing sight words
Self-correcting while reading
Using common verb tenses, affixes, and inflections
Leveraging context clues
Distinguishing shades of meaning

First grade math standards typically build on early number sense work, addition and subtraction with small numbers, place value understanding, simple measurement and time, and spatial reasoning, to lay a strong foundation for more complex work in years to come.

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned first grade math teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Forget those nervous, new-to-school vibes. First graders are seasoned vets who know a thing or two about how the classroom works. Reading groups are where the magic happens.

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned first grade reading teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Reading Foundational Skills

Understand print concepts such as recognizing the distinguishing features of a sentence (first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
Distinguish long from short vowels.
Produce single-syllable words by blending sounds.
Isolate and pronounce initial, middle, and final phonemes in spoken single-syllable words.
Segment spoken single-syllable words into individual phonemes.
Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
Know final -e and common vowel team conventions.
Determine the number of syllables in a printed word.
Decode simple two-syllable words.
Read words with inflectional endings and affixes.
Recognize and read 1st grade sight words.
Read 1st grade text with purpose and understanding.
Meet 1st grade phonics, phonemic awareness, and phonological awareness objectives.

Reading Literature

Ask and answer questions about key details.
Retell stories and demonstrate understanding of the central message or lesson.
Describe characters, settings, and major events
Identify feelings words.
Explain differences between fiction and non-fiction texts.
Identify the narrator and point of view (who is telling the story?).
Use illustrations and textual details to describe characters, setting, or events.
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
With prompting and support, read 1st grade prose and poetry.

Language

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.
Use sentence-level context as a clue to meaning.
Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to meaning.
Identify frequently occurring root words and their inflectional forms.
Understand word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
Sort words into categories.
Define words by category and one or more key attributes.
Identify real-life connections between words and their use.
Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs and adjectives.

Reading Informational

Ask and answer questions about key details.
Identify the main topic and retell key details.
Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information.
Ask and answer questions to clarify the meaning of unknown words.
Know and use various text features (headings, tables of contents, glossaries, menus, icons, etc...) to locate key facts or information.
Distinguish between information provided by pictures and information provided by words.
Use illustrations and details to describe key ideas.
Identify author reasoning.
Compare and contrast two texts on the same topic
With prompting and support, read 1st grade informational texts.

Second Grade Math

Odd or even? 15 minutes or 20? Two quarters or six dimes and a nickle? Second grade mathematicians are putting what they've learned into practice, with some real-world ramifications.

Second grade students will develop more advanced addition and subtraction skills while laying the foundation for multiplication. Additional life skills are introduced, including work with time and money, and students begin working more with data. Shape work moves from recognition and building to partitioning and deconstruction.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Adding and subtracting within 100 using various strategies
Fluently adding and subtracting within 20 using mental strategies and mentally adding and subtracting 10 or 100
Understanding odd vs. even
Working with simple arrays
Recognizing place value out to the hundreds
Counting within 1000
Reading and writing with base-ten numerals and expanded form
Comparing numbers with >, =, and < symbols
Measuring, estimating, and comparing lengths
Applying critical thinking skills to solve word problems, including those involving money
Telling time to the nearest five minutes
Visualizing data with line plots, picture graphs, and bar graphs
Partitioning shapes to lay the foundation for fractions

Second Grade Reading

Are your second graders happy, or are they ecstatic? Are they lively or bouncing off the walls? Loud or ear-splitting? Shades of meaning can make all the difference!

Most second graders will have developed enough independent reading skills that they can begin to consume and comprehend more complex texts spanning a variety of genres. Decoding skills have developed to include complex spelling-sound correspondences and two-syllable words, while oral reading begins to include purposeful inflection and cadence. Students can craft compound sentences, use commas, and infer the meaning of unknown words.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Asking and answering questions
Retelling stories and identifying lessons or morals
Understanding story structure, point of view, and main idea
Explaining how pictures and illustrations add clarity to text
Distinguishing long and short vowels
Recognizing more complex vowel teams and spelling patterns
Decoding two-syllable words and words with common prefixes and suffixes
Identifying grade-appropriate sight words
Reading text with fluency, expression, and self-correcting word recognition
Distinguishing and applying shades of meaning
Identifying root words, compound words, and multiple-meaning words

Odd or even? 15 minutes or 20? Two quarters or six dimes and a nickle? Second grade mathematicians are putting what they've learned into practice, with some real-world ramifications.

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned second grade math teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Number and Operations in Base Ten

Understand that the three digits of a 3-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones.
Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.
Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form.
Compare two three-digit numbers based on meanings of the hundreds, tens, and ones digits, using >, =, and < symbols to record results.
Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Geometry

Recognize, name, and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or equal faces.
Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.
Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares.
Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describing the shares using the words "halves," "thirds," "half of," "a third of," etc...
Describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, and four fourths.
Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes do not have to be the same shape.

Are your second graders happy, or are they ecstatic? Are they lively or bouncing off the walls? Loud or ear-splitting? Shades of meaning can make all the difference!

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned second grade reading teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Reading Foundational Skills

Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.
Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.
Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.
Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.
Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
Recognize and read 2nd grade sight words.
Read 2nd grade text with purpose, understanding, and expression.
Meet 2nd grade phonics and phonological awareness objectives.

Reading Literature

Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, when, and why.
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message or meaning.
Describe how characters respond to major events and challenges.
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
Describe the overall structure of a story.
Acknowledge differences in point of view, including assigning different voices to each character.
Use information gained from illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding.
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story by different authors or from different cultures.
Proficiently read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band.

Reading Informational

Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, when, and why.
Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text, as well as the focus of specific paragraphs.
Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas/concepts, or steps in technical procedures.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in texts relevant to a 2nd grade topic or subject area.
Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, menus, icons) to locate key facts or information.
Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to explain, answer, or describe.
Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text.
Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
Proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts in the grades 2-3 text complexity band.

Third Grade Math

100 is not enough—it's time to start working with some seriously big numbers. Don't be late this year or your students will know, now that they can tell time to the minute!

In third grade, students will begin developing multiplication and division skills to round out the four core operations. They'll learn about basic equations and apply various strategies to solve complex critical thinking challenges. Fractions are introduced and expanded upon throughout the year and students will now be asked to tell time to the nearest minute if they can't already. Volumes and masses replace length and weight, the concept of area is introduced, and shapes are discussed in terms of various attributes.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Interpreting products and quotients of whole numbers with groups of objects
Fluently multiplying and dividing within 100
Applying properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide
Solving multi-step word problems using the four operations
Rounding to the nearest 10 or 100
Fluently adding and subtracting within 1000
Understanding fractions and fraction equivalence
Telling time to the nearest minute
Measuring volumes, masses, and areas
Categorizing shapes based on angles and sides

Third Grade Reading

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." Thanks a lot, Shakespeare! Poetry with purpose is one of our favorite topics covered at this stage of development.

Developing readers encounter new milestones in third grade, including the ability to comprehend a variety of literature and text types, make deeper connections while reading, and decode larger and more complex words. This is the final year for foundational reading standards in eSpark and most basic phonics work has been wrapped up at this point. Fluency is taking center stage, as students work with on-level text and continuously challenge themselves to grow. Language and grammar instruction expands to include more tenses, irregular words, abstract words, and complex sentences.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Asking and answering questions by referring explicitly to the text
Recounting stories and describing characters, events, and main ideas
Understanding story structure and point of view
Comparing and contrasting texts from the same author and on the same topic
Decoding multisyllable words and words with common Latin suffixes
Reading grade-level text, prose, and poetry with purpose, understanding, accuracy, and expression
Describing relationships between characters, actions, events, concepts, and steps
Using text features and search tools to locate information

100 is not enough—it's time to start working with some seriously big numbers. Don't be late this year or your students will know, now that they can tell time to the minute!

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned third grade math teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Interpret products of whole numbers as the total number of objects in a number of groups.
Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers; e.g., the partitioning of groups into equal shares of objects.
Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities.
Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers.
Learn properties of operations and apply them as strategies to multiply and divide.
Understand division as an unknown-factor problem.
Fluently multiply and divide within 100; know all products of two 1-digit numbers by the end of the year.
Solve two-step word problems using all four operations; represent problems with equations and letter stand-ins for unknown quantities.
Identify arithmetic patterns and explain them using properties of operations.

Measurement and Data

Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes.
Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes.
Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories.
Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs.
Measure areas by counting unit squares.
Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.
Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons.

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." Thanks a lot, Shakespeare! Poetry with purpose is one of our favorite topics covered at this stage of development.

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned third grade reading teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Reading Literature

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for answers.
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed.
Describe characters in a story via traits, motivations, or feelings, and explain how their actions contribute to events.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language (metaphors, similies, analogies, etc...).
Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems; e.g., chapter, scene, and stanza.
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or characters.
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by words.
Compare and contrast themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (series).
Independently and proficiently read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band.

Reading Informational

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for answers.
Determine the main idea of a text; recount key details and explain how they support the main idea.
Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a 3rd grade topic or subject.
Use text features and search tools (key words, sidebars, hyperlinks, etc...) to efficiently locate information relevant to a given topic.
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author.
Use information gained from illustrations and the words in the text to demonstrate understanding
Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text.
Compare and contrast the most important points and key details in two texts on the same topic.
Independently and proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band.

Fourth Grade Math

Whole numbers are easy, fractions are what separate the true mathematicians from the beginners. (This is not true, but hopefully your fourth graders feel that way).

In fourth grade, students will build on the multiplication and division skills mastered in the previous year to solve more complex problems using a variety of strategies. Pattern recognition is emphasized and place value is revisited. Students can now fluently add and subtract large numbers, compare fractions and decimals, and begin applying operations to those numbers. Various units of measurement are explored and angles and lines serve as the primary themes for most geometry work.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Understanding multiplicative comparisons and distinguishing them from additive comparisons
Solving multi-step, whole-number word problems using all four operations
Learning how to use letters as stand-ins for unknown quantities
Identifying patterns and implicit features of patterns
Using place value to round multi-digit whole numbers
Reading and writing multi-digit whole numbers using numerals, number names, and expanded form
Fluently adding and subtracting multi-digit whole numbers
Multiplying multi-digit numbers with place value, properties of multiplication, and arrays
Explaining equivalent fractions and comparing fractions
Adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers
Understanding decimals

Fourth Grade Reading

Is there anything more rewarding than listening to your fourth grader give a mini dissertation on a new topic they just read about for the first time? Expertise is born in books!

Most fourth grade-level readers are moving beyond basic consumption of text toward deeper levels of understanding and connection. Students will be developing the ability to infer much more than they have in the past and integrate information from multiple sources to build background knowledge on various subjects. eSpark's fourth grade reading content is focused primarily on Reading Literature and Reading Informational skills, with an emphasis on not just understanding text, but also synthesizing and using the information.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Referring to details and examples when explaining what the text says and describing elements in depth
Drawing inferences from text
Determining the meaning of words and phrases based on origin and context
Explaining the differences between poems, drama, and prose and identifying structural elements of each
Comparing and contrasting point of view and firsthand vs. secondhand accounts
Determining the main idea of nonfiction text and the theme of a story, drama, or poem
Describing structure using chronological, cause/effect, and problem/solution language
Interpreting information presented in non-text formats like charts, graphs, and web elements
Understanding and explaining author logic and evidence

Whole numbers are easy; fractions are what separate the true mathematicians from the beginners. (Ok, maybe that's a stretch, but hopefully your fourth graders feel that way—they've begun to master the four operations at this point and will be looking ahead to new layers of complexity).

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned fourth grade math teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison; represent verbal statements of multiplicative comparisons as multiplication statements.
Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative comparison, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number, distinguishing multiplicative comparison from additive comparison.
Solve multi-step word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted.
Find all factor pairs for a whole number in the range of 1-100; recognize that a whole number is a multiple of each of its factors; determine whether a given whole number 1-100 is a multiple of a given one-digit number.
Generate a number of shape pattern that follows a given rule. Identify apparent features of the pattern that were not explicit in the rule itself.

Number and Operations in Base Ten

Recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right.
Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results.
Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.
Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.
Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

Number and Operations Fractions

Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n x a) / (n x b) by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions are the same size; use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions.
Compare two fractions with different numerators and denominators, e.g., by creating common denominators or numerators, or by comparing to a benchmark fraction such as 1/2. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with symbols >, =, or < and justify the conclusions.
Understand a fraction a/b with a > 1 as a sum of fractions 1/b.
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.
Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100.

Measurement and Data

Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems.
Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit; solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using information presented in line plots.
Recognize angles as geometric shapes formed when two rays share a common endpoint, and understand angle measurement.
Measure angles in whole-number degrees using a protractor; sketch angles of specified measure.
Recognize angle measure as additive; solve addition and subtraction problems to find unknown angles on a diagram in real world and mathematical problems.

Is there anything more rewarding than listening to your fourth grader give a mini dissertation on a new topic they just read about for the first time? Expertise is born in books!

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned fourth grade reading teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Reading Literature

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what it says explicitly and when drawing inferences.
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize.
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology.
Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems and drama when writing or speaking.
Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.
Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions.
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics and patterns of events in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
Proficiently read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry in the grades 4-5 text complexity band.

Reading Informational

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what it says explicitly and when drawing inferences.
Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize.
Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
Describe the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.
Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band.

Fifth Grade Math

Welcome to the wonderful world of PEMDAS—a parenthetical paradise where brackets have nothing to do with sports and braces don't cost a small fortune!

In fifth grade, pattern recognition is emphasized and place value is revisited. Students can now fluently add and subtract large numbers, compare fractions and decimals, and begin applying operations to those numbers. Various units of measurement are explored and angles and lines serve as the primary themes for most geometry work.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Using parentheses, brackets, and braces
Understanding and applying order of operations
Writing and interpreting simple expressions
Identifying pattern relationships and forming ordered pairs
Multiplying by powers of 10
Reading, writing, and comparing decimals to thousandths; solving decimal equations
Fluently multiplying multi-digit whole numbers
Adding, subtracting, and dividing fractions; completing word problems with mixed numbers
Understanding metric measurement and completing measurement word problems
Measuring angles, areas, and perimeter
Using fractional line plots

Fifth Grade Reading

Research papers may be anathema to most students, but by now we've developed the skills to sufficiently analyze and synthesize text. Look out book reports, here we come!

Fifth grade reading work is largely a continuation of everything students worked toward in the previous year, just on a larger scale and with more challenging texts. Many students will have identified a number of enticing characters and series when picking out books, and they are doing a better job of comprehending literary devices like metaphors and similes.

Some of the skills students will master in eSpark include:

Differentiating between explicit meaning and inferences
Comparing and contrasting story elements
Summarizing texts
Identifying theme through characters
Relating parts of a text to the whole; understanding structure
Comparing and contrasting similar texts (same genre or topic)
Using context clues to define unknown words and phrases
Enhancing meaning and tone with multimedia
Identifying main idea and key details; explaining two related ideas
Using text features to find information
Integrating information from multiple texts

Welcome to the wonderful world of PEMDAS—a parenthetical paradise where brackets have nothing to do with sports and braces don't cost a small fortune!

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned fifth grade math teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols.
Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them.
Generate two numerical patterns using two given rules; Identify apparent relationships between corresponding terms; form ordered pairs consisting of corresponding terms from the two patterns, and graph the ordered pairs on a coordinate plane.

Number and Operations in Base Ten

Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when multiplying or dividing by powers of 10; use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.
Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place.
Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.
Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors using various strategies; illustrate and explain the calculation with equations, arrays, and/or area models.
Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and various strategies.

Number and Operations Fractions

Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators.
Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem; use benchmark fractions and number sense of fractions to estimate mentally and assess the reasonableness of answers.
Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator (a/b = a ÷ b); solve word problems involving division of whole numbers leading to answers in the form of fractions or mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem.
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction.
Solve real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem.
Apply and extend previous understandings of division to divide unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions.

Measurement and Data

Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system, and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
Measure volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, and improvised units.
Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and solve real world and mathematical problems involving volume.

Geometry

Use a pair of perpendicular number lines, called axes, to define a coordinate system, with the intersection of the lines (the origin) arranged to coincide with the 0 on each line and a given point in the plane located by using an ordered pair of numbers, called its coordinates. Understand that the first number indicates how far to travel from the origin in the direction of one axis, and the second number indicates how far to travel in the direction of the second axis, with the convention that the names of the two axes and the coordinates correspond (e.g., x-axis and x-coordinate, y-axis and y-coordinate).
Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation.
Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category.
Classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties.

Research papers may be anathema to most students, but by now we've developed the skills to sufficiently analyze and synthesize text. Look out book reports, here we come!

For a more comprehensive look at eSpark's standards-aligned fifth grade reading teaching resources, check out the breakdown of covered domains and the skills students will be working on here:

Reading Literature

Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
Proficiently and independently read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band.

Reading Informational

Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

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Explore eSpark's Curriculum

Pre-Kindergarten Standards Aligned Teaching Resources

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Kindergarten Skills and Standards Covered in eSpark

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1st Grade Skills and Standards Covered in eSpark

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