Newfoundland and Labrador · Grade 5 · 2026–27 · For parents

What your child learns in Grade 5 in Newfoundland and Labrador

In Grade 5, Newfoundland and Labrador students work through Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, French — 140 specific skills across 25 units, set by the province's official curriculum. This page lists them all in plain words, subject by subject, so you know exactly what "how was school?" is actually covering this year.

5Subjects
25Units
140Skills

Built from the official Newfoundland and Labrador curriculum · free to start · web, iPhone & Android

How to read this page

Newfoundland and Labrador publishes its curriculum as long official documents written for teachers. This page is the same content, translated for the fridge door: each subject below shows this year's units and the skills inside them. If a skill sounds unfamiliar, that's the point — now you know what to ask about at dinner.

Mathematics this year

Math builds in layers, and this year's layer matters — each unit below leans on the ones before it. In Newfoundland and Labrador, that's Mathematics, Grade 5 — 11 units, 46 skills.

Large Numbers

  • Large numbers in media

Representing Whole Numbers

  • Writing numbers to a million
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

Fractions and Decimals

  • Making equivalent fractions
  • Tenths, hundredths, and thousandths
+ 5 more skills in this unit →

Multiplication and Division

  • Multiplying and dividing with zero
  • Dividing with models and strategies
  • Mental multiplication strategies
+ 7 more skills in this unit →

Decimal Operations

  • Estimating and placing the decimal point
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

Patterns

  • Describing patterns with expressions
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

Equations

  • Writing equations with a variable
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

Measurement

  • Relating metric length units
  • Area and perimeter relationships
+ 5 more skills in this unit →

Geometry and Transformations

  • Parallel and perpendicular sides
  • Describing transformations
+ 5 more skills in this unit →

Data

  • First-hand and second-hand data
+ 2 more skills in this unit →

Probability

  • Describing likelihood
+ 2 more skills in this unit →

See the full Mathematics, Grade 5 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →

English Language Arts this year

Reading, writing, and speaking skills deepen this year — less "can they read it," more "what do they make of it." In Newfoundland and Labrador, that's English Language Arts, Grade 5 — 3 units, 37 skills.

Speaking and Listening

  • Expressing ideas with supporting evidence
  • Engaging in collaborative discussions
  • Using non-verbal communication sensitive to others
+ 6 more skills in this unit →

Reading and Viewing

  • Using cueing systems to construct meaning
  • Creating an inquiry question to gather information
  • Extending understanding by responding personally
+ 17 more skills in this unit →

Writing and Representing

  • Developing proficient writing and representing
  • Creating texts for wide audiences and purposes
  • Creating texts using the writing process
+ 5 more skills in this unit →

See the full English Language Arts, Grade 5 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →

Science this year

Science gets more structured this year — real investigations, real explanations, real vocabulary. In Newfoundland and Labrador, that's Science, Grade 5 — 3 units, 28 skills.

Earth and Space Science

  • Describing weather with measurements
  • The water cycle
+ 4 more skills in this unit →

Physical Science

  • Different kinds of forces
  • Simple machines make lifting easier
  • States and properties of materials
+ 11 more skills in this unit →

Life Science

  • How body systems meet our needs
  • The respiratory system
+ 6 more skills in this unit →

See the full Science, Grade 5 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →

Social Studies this year

Social studies widens the lens this year — history, geography, and how communities and governments work. In Newfoundland and Labrador, that's Social Studies, Grade 5 — 5 units, 17 skills.

Social Studies Concepts and Skills - 1. Integrated Concepts and Process Skills (ICPS)

  • Inquiry and issues analysis
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

History - 2. Individuals, Societies, and Economic Decisions

  • Decisions to meet needs and wants
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

History - 3. Interdependence

  • Locating a medieval society
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

History - 4. People, Place, and Environment

  • Locating an ancient society
  • Diversity and naming First Nation and Inuit peoples
+ 3 more skills in this unit →

History - 5. Time, Continuity, and Change

  • Primary sources, archaeologists, and historians
  • Locating settler societies
  • Comparing past and present societies
+ 3 more skills in this unit →

See the full Social Studies, Grade 5 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →

French this year

French builds through listening, speaking, and simple reading — confidence first, grammar second. In Newfoundland and Labrador, that's Core French, Grade 5 — 3 units, 12 skills.

Oral Communication

  • Elaborating on simple messages
  • Explaining how you feel
+ 7 more skills in this unit →

Reading and Viewing

  • Reading short, simple texts
+ 1 more skill in this unit →

Written Communication

  • Planning and creating written texts

See the full Core French, Grade 5 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →

Three ways parents use this list

At report-card timeMatch the teacher's comments to the units above — "working on number sense" stops being a mystery phrase.
At parent-teacher nightPick one unit per subject and ask "how is my child doing with this?" — specific questions get specific answers.
When they're stuckFind the exact skill on this page, open it in MapleMind, and the tutor teaches just that — step by step, as many times as it takes.

Common questions

What does my child learn in Grade 5 in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Newfoundland and Labrador's official curriculum sets out Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, French for Grade 5 — 140 specific skills in total. The big themes: Mathematics covers large numbers and representing whole numbers; English Language Arts covers speaking and listening and reading and viewing; Science covers earth and space science and physical science. The full list is on this page.

Is this the official Newfoundland and Labrador curriculum?

It's built from Newfoundland and Labrador's official program of studies, reorganized into plain language — and each subject links to a course page that quotes the ministry's own wording and links to the government source, so you can check our work. One honest caveat: we're not the ministry, curricula do change, and we can't guarantee this reflects the very latest revision, so confirm anything important against the live provincial curriculum data.

My child is finding one of these skills hard. What can I do?

That's normal — every skill on this page is one most kids wobble on at first. MapleMind teaches any of them one-on-one: a short lesson in plain words, a worked example, then solving together. It's free to start, on any device, in 14 languages.

Keep exploring

Knowing the list is half the job

The other half is the teaching — and that's what MapleMind does. Pick any skill on this page and see it taught properly, free, in under a minute.

MapleMind isn't affiliated with any ministry of education. We build these guides from each province's official program of studies and refresh them from time to time — but curricula change, and we can't guarantee this page reflects the very latest revision. Always confirm against the live provincial curriculum data. Last updated 2026-08-15.