The student has already in the first three grades been introduced to the four processes and has achieved skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. In the fourth grade we enter into the world of smaller parts to gain facility in applying the four processes to fractions. Fractions are introduced within the context of a story of a king and his lands, who divides them first into quadrants (fourths), and then further divides the lands into pastures and fields, farmland and orchards, and ever smaller fractional parts.

Fractional understanding becomes the focus in Grade 4. The study of fractions is introduced with physical objects to experience math in a concrete way before forming mental concepts. We begin with the concept of a whole, the world, you, me or a cake.

In grade 5 more complex fractions studies, multiplying and dividing mixed fractions and mixing the four operations in a problem are introduced to square, prime and abundant numbers. Decimals are introduced and students learn how to use all four operations with decimal fractions, followed by learning to convert fractions to decimals and vice versa. All these makes a great foundation for later work. Freehand geometry is also brought to the fifth grade students.