Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Key Learning: Effective writers can share deep thinking about texts and life by composing and sharing literary essays.

Unit Essential Question: How can I compose and share literary essays that reveal deep thinking about texts and life?

Concept:


Concept:
Focus
Content
CC.1.4.5.G, CC.1.4.5.H
Lesson Essential Questions:
CC.1.4.5.G, CC.1.4.5.I, CC.1.4.5.K
Lesson Essential Questions:
How do I generate and collect topics
to compose literary essays?
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the
text?







Collect seed ideas in a writer’s
notebook.
Find a significant moment in the
story. Copy the start of it into your
notebook; envision it; fill in details,
sounds, actions, thoughts, feelings.
While reading closely, be alert to
little details other readers pass by.
Underline or mark with a sticky note
details you see and then write a
thought about what you noticed.
Pay special attention to aspects of
texts that are noteworthy, including
a character’s actions, motivations,
struggles, and changes.
Reread notebook entries searching
for common patterns across texts
that can be used to comparative
essays.
Understand the authors use literary
devices to highlight deeper
meanings of the text.
Pay special attention to an
author’s craftsmanship and use of
literary devices as ways generate
topics for comparative literary
essays.
Vocabulary:



Use Prompts for Pushing Thinking as
supports to elaborate on ideas
about the text, such as:
o I think this is important
because…
o I partly agree but…
because…
o Might the reason for this be…
o I noticed that this section ,
too… and I think it connect to
the whole story because…
o This might be present
because…
o There is one thing in the story
that doesn’t “fit” for me and
it’s…
o I see (the item you are
discussing), and then a similar
thing happens (in this place); I
think this is repeated
because…
Entertain questions about
character and theme instead of
answering them.
Share how a theme of the text
connects to writer’s life or life in
general.







Tell a story to illustrate or support
the thesis statement.
Angle the story to make a point.
Summarize a portion of the text to
make a point to support the thesis
statement.
Use lists to make a point or support
the thesis statement
Apply what you know about
writing literary essays about one
text to comparative essays.
Use descriptions of author’s
craftsmanship as evidence to
make a point or support the thesis
statement.
Compare and contrast characters
and/or themes of two different
texts, sharing how these ideas
relate to your life or life in general.
Vocabulary:
comparative essay, compose, generate,
literary essay
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-1-
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Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
Concept:
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Concept:
Organization
Concept:
Editing
Publishing
CC.1.4.5.G, CC.1.4.5.J
CC.1.4.5.L, CC.1.4.5.T
Lesson Essential Questions:
Lesson Essential Questions:
How can I structure my essay in a way
that pushes my readers to think more
deeply about the text?

Use Box (Thesis Statement) and
Bullet (Reasons) structure.

Reread writer’s notebooks
searching for statements that
could be used as a thesis
statement for an essay.

Test validity of thesis statement and
revise as necessary.

Provide reasons and evidence
(bullets) to support thesis
statement.
How can I edit my writing so it is not
only easy to read but also read with
phrasing and expression?

Create compound sentences with
direct objects.

Use coordinating and
subordinating conjunctions to
create compound sentences.

Correctly punctuate a compound
sentence.
How can I publish and share my best
writing with my audience?

Use the Opinion Writing Checklist,
rubrics and exemplars to select an
essay worthy to be published.

Revise, edit and publish a literary
essay about a single text.

Publish a comparative essay about
two different texts

Revise, edit and publish a
comparative literary essay.

Share writing in small groups using
appropriate volume, rate, and
intonation.
Vocabulary:
structure, thesis statement
Vocabulary:
structure, thesis statement
Vocabulary:
Suggested Lesson Sequence:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
CC.1.4.5.G, CC.1.4.5.L, CC.1.4.5.T,
CC.1.4.5.U, CC.1.5.5.D, CC.1.5.5.E
Lesson Essential Questions:
How do I generate and collect topics to write literary essays?

Collect seed ideas in a writer’s notebook.

Find a significant moment in the story. Copy the start of it into your notebook; envision it; fill in details,
sounds, actions, thoughts, feelings.
How do I generate and collect topics to write literary essays?

While reading closely, be alert to little details other readers pass by. Underline or mark with a sticky note
details you see and then write a thought about what you noticed.
How do I generate and collect topics to write literary essays?

Pay special attention to aspects of texts that are noteworthy, including a character’s actions, motivations,
struggles, and changes.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Use Prompts for Pushing Thinking as supports to elaborate on ideas about the text, such as: )
 I think this is important because…
 I partly agree but… because…
 Might the reason for this be…
 I noticed that this section , too… and I think it connect to the whole story because…
 This might be present because…
 There is one thing in the story that doesn’t “fit” for me and it’s…
 I see (the item you are discussing), and then a similar thing happens (in this place); I think this is
repeated because…
How can I edit my writing so it is not only easy to read but also read with phrasing and expression?

Create compound sentences with direct objects.

Correctly punctuate a compound sentence.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Entertain questions about character and theme instead of answering them.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Share how a theme of the text connects to writer’s life or life in general.
-2-
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
How can I structure my essay in a way that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Use Box (Thesis Statement) and Bullet (Reasons) structure.

Reread writer’s notebooks searching for statements that could be used as a thesis statement for an essay.

Test validity of thesis statement and revise as necessary.
How can I structure my essay in a way that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Use Box (Thesis Statement) and Bullet (Reasons) structure.

Provide reasons and evidence (bullets) to support thesis statement.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Tell a story to illustrate or support the thesis statement. )

Angle the story to make a point.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Summarize a portion of the text to make a point to support the thesis statement.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Use lists to make a point or support the thesis statement
How can I edit my writing so it is not only easy to read but also read with phrasing and expression?

Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions to create compound sentences.

Correctly punctuate a compound sentence.
How can I publish and share my best writing with my audience?

Use the Opinion Writing Checklist, rubrics and exemplars to select an essay worthy to be published.

Revise, edit and publish a literary essay about a single text.
How do I generate and collect topics to write literary essays?

Reread notebook entries searching for common patterns across texts that can be used to comparative
essays.

Apply what you know about writing literary essays about one text to comparative essays.
How do I generate and collect topics to write literary essays?

Understand the authors use literary devices to highlight deeper meanings of the text.

Pay special attention to an author’s craftsmanship and use of literary devices as ways generate topics for
comparative literary essays.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text?

Use descriptions of author’s craftsmanship as evidence to make a point or support the thesis statement.
How can I craft content that pushes my readers to think more deeply about the text

Compare and contrast characters and/or themes of two different texts, sharing how these ideas relate to
your life or life in general.
How can I publish and share my best writing with my audience?

Publish a comparative essay about two different texts

Revise, edit and publish a comparative literary essay.

Share writing in small groups using appropriate volume, rate, and intonation.
-3-
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-4-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-5-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-6-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-7-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-8-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-9-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-10-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
-11-
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Exemplar #1
Some people think that growing up is fun, or
exciting, having birthday parties and blowing
out candles. But smart kids know that growing
up is not all fun. Your old clothes don‟t fit
anymore, and you can‟t play the same games,
and you need to worry about new things, like
money or work. In the story, “Eleven,” by
Sandra Cisneros, Rachel comes to an
understanding of what being eleven really feels
like.
Rachel comes to understand that when you
are eleven, you are also ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one. In
the story, Rachel sits at her desk, staring at the
nasty red sweater Mrs. Price made her keep.
She was disgusted with it, and wanted to cry
like she was three. She tried not to let her
three come out though. Why did she want to
cry over a sweater? She thought she was
eleven, old enough not to cry over something
silly like a sweater. She then realized she was
not just eleven, but ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, and one. There are other
sections of the story where Rachel
understands that when you are eleven, you‟re
also all the ages inside. For example, she
says, “when you are scared and need to sit on
your Mama‟s lap, that is the part of you that is
still five.” And “When you say something
stupid, that is the part of you that is still ten.”
Another section in the story where Rachel sees
that she has all the ages is “When you are sad
and need to cry, that is the part of you that is
still three.” And one more place is when she
blabbed and stuttered to Mrs. Price when she
wanted to say something. That was the part of
her that was still four. Her understanding that
when you are eleven you are also all the ages
inside is important because the way Sandra
Cisneros stretches out “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3,
2.=, and 1” instead of saying “all the other
ages” – she really wants to show that it is the
most important part.
Something else that Rachel comes to
understand is that turning eleven can be a let
down. I see this in the text here: Rachel
expected to feel eleven on her birthday as
soon as she woke up. But she did not. She
opened her eyes and everything was just like
yesterday but it was today. She went to school
and expected to feel like a big eleven-year-old,
but instead has a terrible day. Mrs. Price
forces her to wear a nasty, disgusting sweater.
She cries in front of the whole class like she
was three. At the end of the day, she just
wanted to be gone and forgotten. Other parts
in the text where I see that Rachel understands
being eleven can be a let down are “You don‟t
feel eleven. Not right away. It takes a few
days, weeks even, sometimes even months
until you say eleven when they as you.” And
“You are not smart eleven Not until you are
almost twelve.” And when she realizes that
she does not know what to
do when Mrs. Price forces her to wear the
sweater. She does not have enough
ages yet. I can really tell that Rachel does not
feel eleven because Rachel says, “I‟m eleven”
or a variation on that a lot, and that shows that
she really has to remind herself because that is
not the way she feels. Also, Sandra Cisneros
made a list of examples at the end of the story
of things that are far away like “I wish I was
102 or anything but eleven” and “far away like
a runaway balloon” or like “a teeny tiny little o
in the sky.” This really shows how much
Rachel wants the day to be over with.
Because she did not have a happy birthday.
She had a let down birthday.
Literature can help you understand things
better. For example, I have come, through
Rachel‟s thoughts and experiences, to a
conclusion that growing up is not all birthday
parties and blowing out candles. And I have
learned that I should appreciate being young
while I am
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Student Learning Map
Grade: 5
Second ½ of October – First ½ of November
(4 Weeks)
Writing
Unit 2: Literary & Comparative Essays
Mode: Opinion
Exemplar #2
Jeremy, in the story “Those Shoes,” by
Maribeth Boelts, wants a pair of sneakers that
are too expensive for his grandmother to buy
new. By the end of the story, Jeremy learns
that he doesn‟t need shoes to be happy, that
there are other parts of his life that matter. In
Cynthia Rylant‟s moving story, “Stray,” Doris is
a young girl who finds a puppy during a
snowstorm and sets her heart on keeping him,
although she knows her parents won‟t hear of
it. This story‟s happy ending rests more on
Doris‟ realization that her parents really care
about her than on the fact that she gets to keep
the dog. “Those Shoes” by Maribeth Boelts
and “Stray” by Cynthia Rylant are both stories
of longing and acceptance: Both are stories of
characters who want something extraordinary,
but end up appreciating what they have.
In both stories, we are introduced to characters
who desperately desire something that their
families cannot afford. Jeremy sees „those
shoes‟ everywhere – it seems that all the other
boys are wearing them, and Jeremy can‟t
escape the message that without the black
high-tops with the two white stripes, he just
isn‟t fast enough, cool enough, or popular
enough to count. “I have dreams about those
shoes,” he says. He wants the shoes so much
that he pays for a second-hand pair of them
himself, even though they pinch his toes
because they are the wrong size. Doris wants
to keep the puppy she finds so badly, even
though she knows that “her father made so
little money any pets were out of the question.”
Doris pushes herself to tell her parents about it,
even though she understands that her father is
determined to take the dog to the pound as
soon as the snow has been cleared and he can
get his truck out; even when her parents ignore
her, she keeps saying more about the dog and
how easy it would be to keep it. Doris‟ dreams,
like Jeremy‟s, are affected by her impossible
wish: “Her dreams were full of searching and
searching for things lost.”
Both characters, however, come to terms with
their searching by the end of the stories. The
stories have very different outcomes for the
characters: Jeremy‟s wish is never fulfilled,
whereas Doris‟ is. Jeremy eventually decides
to give his too-small shoes away to a boy who
has been kind to him when others were making
fun. Doris spends a terrible afternoon trying to
adjust to the loss of the puppy, only to discover
that evening her father has brought the dog
back home after all. In each case, the reader
can understand that the human relationships in
these characters‟ lives are what matter most,
and that it is the strength of those relationships
that we trust to bring future happiness to
Jeremy and Doris, despite the harsh material
conditions of their lives. By the end of “Those
Shoes,” it has snowed, and Jeremy remembers
that his grandmother has brought new boots
for him. “New black books that no kid has ever
worn before.” And by the end of “Stray,” the
snow has cleared and Doris‟ parents have
changed their minds –we see a new side of
Doris‟ dad, who couldn‟t bear to leave the dog
in the cruel pound.
Reading these two stories has made me
realize that although we may search outside of
ourselves and our relationships for happiness,
there is nothing so valuable as our connections
to people closest to us, and nothing so fulfilling
as strengthening those connections. We can
trust that, although, as Jeremy‟s grandmother
says, “There‟s no room for „want‟ around here
– just need,” Jeremy and Doris will get what
they need, which is the love of people around
them.
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