5th Grade ELA
Curriculum Guide
2012-2013
1
Year at a Glance
1st 6 Week Unit
Who Am I?: School Spirit
2nd 6 Week Unit
Nature: Wild Encounters
3rd 6 Week Unit
My Surrounding: Revolution!
4th 6 Week Unit
Literacy: What’s Your Story
5th 6 week Unit
Growing and Changing: Under Western Skies
6th 6 week Unit
Discovery: Journey to Discovery
2
Using this Guide:
This curriculum guide is to be used as just that, a guide. While using this guide you are encouraged
to take notes on what activities were successful, which ones were not, and what suggested ideas to
add. The sequence was planned in theory and once in practice, does it make sense? This guide
should be used as a living document that should be adjusted throughout the year and changed from
year to year in order to best meet the needs of our students. Each 6-week unit has multiple literacy
standards. These reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills are all incorporated into each unit.
Please note that you can work on more skills than the ones listed if the teachable moments occur.
This guide strives to keep each teacher focused on the same standards and skills while using their
own teaching styles and approaches. If a concept is not the focus until later in the year, you may
introduce the students to it if it works with earlier lessons.
Within each unit are samples of activities and assessments. Please note teachers are not limited to
these examples. Additional lessons, activities, and assessments are expected and encouraged.
The sample activities are not exclusive to the particular unit in which it is listed. If you like an
activity and want to tweak it for a future unit please do so. When using this guide, you will notice
that there is not a sample activity for every standard or essential skill listed. It is the teacher’s
responsibility to know the skills to be focused on for each unit. Additionally, there are many
activities that should run the whole year but may only be listed under one unit. For example, Word
Work activities and teaching the writing process should be taught and used every day and in every
grade, from kindergarten through 6th grade. This guide provides ideas; gives a framework; and
educates the teacher on areas in which she/he requires guidance. This guide is a planning tool
used to align the standards and the school. The teacher is the determining factor in how effectively
this guide is to be used.
Each unit has one to two character traits/ virtues that are to be integrated throughout the 6 weeks.
Students should learn the meaning of the terms, analyze characters in books, and analyze their
own actions using these terms. The students will work on social skills throughout the 6-week units
using the designated traits as a focus. It is encouraged to pull in previously taught character traits
as you see fit.
Grade levels should use this guide to create more in-depth lesson plans while not limiting their
creative process to the resources listed. During each unit, it is crucial to monitor all standards
being taught. By the end of each unit, the teacher should have a strong knowledge of where each
child is performing in each area. This data will be used to determine which skills need to be retaught and which students need remediation. A chart at the end of this guide shows the specific
standards covered during each unit.
Note: if there are students who have not mastered a skill and that skill is not represented in future
units, the teacher will need to determine a plan on how she or he will revisit that skill/standard and
at what level of instruction (whole class, small group, or one on one) students will receive.
3
Notes, Tips, and Pointers
Writing Across the Curriculum:
Writing and reading go hand-in-hand, but writing is integrated into all of our subject areas.
Students need to write in many different ways and for many different purposes to understand the
importance of writing. The writing process should be taught explicitly on a daily basis. The steps
of the writing process need to be followed in all grades from the prewriting to publishing.
However, that is not the only time writing should take place in a classroom. Students in
kindergarten up to eighth grade should be writing five to ten times a day. Each grade will manifest
the processes differently, but many of the ideas are the same. And remember, it is not just the
students who should be writing throughout the day, it is the teachers too. Shared writing, model
writing, recording student-generated ideas, and creating classroom-generated charts and graphs
are great ways to model the importance of writing and create a classroom brimming with literacy.
Math Journals: Math journals are spiral bound notebooks for students to keep track of their
mathematical thinking. Writing helps our students make sense of their thinking and encourages
students to see math as a language and concepts in addition to set skills. Even kindergarteners
can start the year off with a math journal, primarily using pictures to convey their thoughts.
Drawing, sketching, and diagrams should be encouraged. This is a great way to informally assess
students and monitor their progress throughout the year.
Quick Writes: When you are in the middle of an activity/ lesson, watching an educational film, or
reading a passage in any content area, a Quick Write is a great process to work on with your
students. The idea is to stop at designated points during your instruction to check for
understanding, make predictions, hypothesis or inference, make a connection, summarize, etc.
The students write their thoughts down quickly and share with designated students. This activity
should only take about 5-10 minutes, depending if your students share their Quick Writes with the
whole class, a partner, or small group. Many teachers who use this method keep scratch paper
near the desks or use notebooks or Quick Write journals.
Literary Responses: Literary Responses come in many forms. The idea is that the students
respond to literature with some sort of writing activity. Activities could include filling in a graphic
organizer, changing the ending to the story, writing about the sequence of the story, writing a
letter to a character/author/ historical figure, creating a newspaper article based on the reading or
creating their own page to the story (ex. read a book about presidents and then the class makes a
class book, each child creating one page about what they would do if they were president).
Reports/ Research papers: Students can create a research paper or report at every grade level.
Get the students involved in their science or social studies topics through exploration and creating
a research paper that they can publish.
Journaling: There are so many ways to get students journaling. All they need is a notebook and
pencil. Students can write about their ideas, personal experiences, and opinions. The teacher
can provide a prompt, story starter, or let the student select a topic. Interactive journals are a
great way to use journaling for communication. In this process students write to the teacher and
the teacher writes back. This is also a creative way to work on letter writing, using writing as a
communication tool, building relationships with students, and teaching mini lessons to a particular
child.
4
Note Taking: Note taking is an important skill and one that needs to be taught. A student should not
be copying word for word off of the board. Students should be creating their own words to
capture what they have learned and this should be explicitly taught. In the younger grades,
students can draw pictures of what they have learned and use labels as an early version of note
taking.
Science Notebooks: Science notebooks, similar to math journals, give students a place to take
notes, jot down Quick Writes, or write up a complete science lab. A science notebook is a great
tool for gauging individual learning throughout the school year.
Grouping Practices:





Varying the way students are grouped for instruction is an important component of planning
and teaching. There is a place for whole group, small group, partner work, and 1-on-1
instruction throughout the day. Determining an instructional method is part of the lesson
planning process along with planning what the students will be doing with or without the
direct instruction from the teacher.
Students need to truly understand the teacher’s expectations and procedures when
working with partners, in centers/ stations, or independently. These expectations should be
modeled and practiced at the beginning of the year. When working in small groups, the
teacher needs to make sure the other students are working on high-quality, independent
work, or academic centers.
Small group instruction is great for working with a few students with similar areas of
weakness and at similar levels or to facilitate a small group of students at different levels
learning from one another.
When pairing students, be thoughtful of which students should be paired together.
Typically the highest performer in the classroom should not be paired with the lowest
performer in the classroom because both may feel frustrated. Also, many times students
with specific personality traits do not work well together. For example, two shy students or
a student who struggles with behavior and a student who is very quiet.
Every teacher also needs to plan for what she/he will be doing when students are working in
pairs or independently. Will the teacher be walking around and checking for understanding
with groups or students, or calling students over to a table to do some 1-on-1 instruction or
assessing? Avoid the mistake of using this time to catch up on e-mails or finish paperwork.
Each and every moment the students are in the classroom is an opportunity to learn more
about the students and make a larger impact on their learning.
Assessments:
Data should drive the teacher’s instruction. Teachers need to use formative and summative
assessments such as: 1-on-1 assessments (running records, check lists, progress monitoring),
observations, writing samples, DIBELs, or Scantron Performance Series to determine which
students are at mastery and which students need more assistance/ remediation. Using frequent
student data provides informed decision making in order to determine the pace of the classroom
and the need for additional activities to strengthen a concept in the class.
5
Literacy Throughout the Day:

Many classrooms have a designated reading/ language arts time each day. Designating 90 minutes a day for reading and additional time for writing is expected, but these times are
not the only times one can focus on literacy.

Morning Routine: When students enter their classroom in the morning they typically have a
series of routines to perform. Options to incorporate literacy into their routines could
include: reading a morning message with details of the day, writing in interactive journals or
other journaling activities, morning work that aligns to previously taught skills, and easy
access to a variety of literature to read if morning tasks are completed early.

Morning Meeting: During the morning meeting the teacher can discuss homework, the
previous day’s lessons and have students talk about the expectations the teacher has for
the day. This is a time to work on conflict resolution and classroom management issues.

SSR/DEAR Time: In the afternoon or after lunch and recess is a great time for the students
to have some quiet time with books that they choose. Many teachers call this Self Selected
Reading, Silent Sustained Reading, or Drop Everything and Read time. This tends to last
only 10-15 minutes, but is an ideal time for teachers to meet with students and conduct
assessments.

Word Walls: At each grade level Word Wall activities may look different. The younger
grades focus on sight words placed in alphabetical order while the older grades can focus
on commonly misspelled words and curriculum-related vocabulary either placed in
alphabetical order, by theme or spelling pattern. A Word Wall is a tool for students to use to
improve their reading, spelling, and vocabulary skills. It is also not a static resource; many
teachers incorporate specific word wall lessons and activities into their daily routines.

Other Content Areas: As mentioned earlier, you can write in every subject in addition to
reading. In the lower grades, non-fiction books read aloud are ideal to teach about social
studies and science concepts followed with a class-generated graphic organizer or chart.
In the higher grades, this leads to research and reports, presentations, and projects. Also,
once the students are readers, using historical fiction novels is a way to bring history alive.
Comprehension Strategies:
Research shows that skilled readers use a set of learning strategies that help them make meaning
from text. Teachers need to expose students to these strategies starting in kindergarten and going
through 8th grade by modeling, conducting think-alouds, and facilitating class discussions.
Making Connections: Children make personal connections with the text by using their schema
(prior knowledge). There are three main types of connections that can be made: Text to Text, Text
to Self, and Text to World. It is important to model/ teach students how to activate their prior
knowledge and make connections before, during, and after reading.
Questioning: Questions help students clarify and deepen their understanding of the text they are
reading. Using stickies, journals or recording forms for students to jot down questions before,
during, and after reading is an effective technique for students to record their ideas.
6
Visualizing: Mental pictures are the cinema-like unfolding of imagery in your mind that makes
reading three-dimensional. Visualizing helps readers engage with text in ways that make it
personal and memorable.
Inferring: Inferring is usually described as “reading between the lines.” Readers form best
guesses using evidence such as context clues, picture clues, and their own personal knowledge.
Students predict, draw conclusions, and find meaning in unknown words.
Evaluating: Readers judge, justify, and/or defend understandings to determine importance based
on stated criteria. The reader makes judgments about what they read and can explain their way
through evidence in the text.
Synthesizing: Readers’ thinking changes as they gather more information. New information makes
readers re-evaluate their schema to form new schema. In a more child friendly term, synthesizing
is putting the pieces together to see them in a new way.
5 Components of an Effective Reading Lesson:
Starting in 4th and 5th grade, phonological awareness and phonics are not a huge part of an
effective reading, however, if a student is not at mastery, more work will need to be done in these
two areas.
Phonological awareness involves the understanding that spoken language can be broken into
smaller units: sentences into words, words into syllables, syllables into phonemes. Phonological
awareness is a broad term that encompasses oral language skills in rhyming, alliteration, sentence
segmentation, syllable blending and segmenting, onset-rime blending and segmenting, and
phoneme blending and segmenting. Instruction in phonological awareness provides the
foundational skills for understanding the relationship between letters and phonemes.
Phonics instruction teaches students how to use the relationships between sounds (phonemes) and
letters to decode unfamiliar words in text. It involves teaching students the basic correspondences
between letters and sounds, how to blend sounds together to produce words, and how to use these
phonemic decoding skills while reading text. Phonics instruction that is systematic, explicit, and
incorporates appropriate guided and independent practice activities, typically leads to higher
achievement in word recognition and spelling. Phonics instruction and skills become more complex
as students progress from learning simple correspondences between single letters and sounds, to
work with initial and final consonant blends and various vowel combinations, and finally to larger
“chunks” of letters in words. Good readers will be able to fluently apply phonemic decoding skills to
help them identify unfamiliar words they encounter in text.
Fluency develops over time through supported and repeated reading practice. Fluency develops as
students are able to recognize words “by sight”, decode unfamiliar words, and construct meaning
more actively and rapidly. It is important for teachers to understand that “sight words” are not just
the small number of irregular words they directly teach students, but eventually all words become
sight words as they are repeatedly read correctly in text. It is the students’ ability to recognize very
large numbers of words “at a single glance” that is one of the most important factors underlying the
development of reading fluency in the early elementary grades. Teachers should use read-alouds,
recorded books, peer reading, readers’ theater and discussions to model the elements of
expression, intonation, phrasing, and rate. One important reason for teaching students to read
prosodically is that it will help to focus their attention on the meaning of what they are reading—it is
7
difficult to read with proper expression if students do not actively construct meaning as they read.
Daily oral reading experiences with teacher feedback should be provided at the student’s
instructional reading level. Practice at the student’s independent reading level is also necessary.
Fluent readers are so skilled at identifying the words in print, and they do it so easily and
effortlessly, that they are able to devote most of their attention to constructing the meaning of what
they read.
Vocabulary knowledge is often divided into two categories: oral vocabulary (listening and
speaking) and print vocabulary (reading and writing). The role of vocabulary instruction in the
classroom is to expand the oral vocabulary while developing an extensive print vocabulary. The
ultimate goal of vocabulary instruction, within the context of reading instruction, is to help students
learn the meanings of many words in order to improve reading comprehension.
Comprehension is the ability to understand and gain meaning from text. Comprehension occurs as
a result of the interaction between the reader and the text. Before reading even begins, reading
characteristics, such as word reading ability and vocabulary, impact the level of a student’s
comprehension. During reading, students depend on their cognitive and linguistic processing
abilities, and their knowledge and skill in the use of comprehension strategies, to construct
meaning. After reading, students use other strategies and expressive skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the text.
Word-Solving Actions:
The idea is that students will learn to read in kindergarten through 2nd grade and then read to learn
in third grade and up. This is not always the case. Students need to learn reading and wordsolving strategies throughout their elementary years to prepare students to read, understand or
write any word that they may come into contact with. Below is a list of age appropriate wordsolving strategies to explicitly teach students to use so they can be independent readers and
thinkers.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Use word parts to derive the meaning of a word
Use the context of the sentence, paragraph, or whole text to help determine the
precise meaning of a word
Use the pronunciation guide in a dictionary
Connect words that are related to each other because they have the same base or
root word
Use the dictionary to discover word history
Distinguish between multiple meanings of words when reading texts
Understand the concept of analogy and its use in discovering relationships between
and among words
Use knowledge of Greek and Latin roots in deriving the meaning of words while
reading texts
Use knowledge of prefixes, root words, and suffixes to derive the meaning of words
while reading texts
Assessing Mastery
It is crucial to monitor the progress our students are making and constantly reflect and change
instruction and plans if necessary, to meet our students’ needs. A teacher should be using
formative assessments and summative assessments throughout the units to gage if the
instructional approaches are effective. Also, each unit has a set of benchmarks that will be taught,
but many of these benchmarks cover multiple skills and are taught over multiple units. Within each
unit, there is a section entitled, ‘Target Outcomes for this Unit’. Within this section there are skills
8
listed that outline what should be mastered at the end of each 6 week unit. Also, when the
benchmark has been fully covered for the year, it is underlined in the final unit that it appears in. At
this time, the teacher should check for mastery of all the skills that fall under that benchmark by the
end of the designated unit.
Students should start 5th grade being able to:
Reading Standards for Literature and Informational Texts













Determine what a grade appropriate text says explicitly and be able to infer
Identify the main idea and supporting details of 4th grade text
Summarize
Identify cause and effect relationship within 4th grade level informational texts
Have extensive knowledge of comparing and contrasting abstract ideas, events, and
concepts
Gather information through research,
Identify the author’s purpose
Use text features to clarify informational and fiction text
Determine the theme of a 4th grade text
Have extensive knowledge on how to analyze characters, settings, and plot
Have knowledge of mythology and the terminology used within the genre
Identify and compare all genres
Read within the 4th-5th grade text complexity band at a Lexile score of 77-980 or around
level U according to Fountas and Pinnell levels
Foundational Skills and Language




Read all grade level words using complete knowledge of letters, syllables, prefixes,
suffixes, adverbs, root words, and plural words.
Use a variety of reading strategies to read with fluency and accuracy
Have a sound understanding of: synonyms, antonyms, homographs, homophones
compound words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, possessives, and abbreviations.
Recognize and start to use figurative language devices such as: metaphors, similes, and
idioms
Writing Standards





Write opinion, informational, descriptive, and narrative pieces using the writing process
that are written clearly with voice, structure, and organization.
Evaluate reading through writing
Conduct research through pre planning activities
Be comfortable with the planning, revising, and editing process
Write using creative language, precise conventions and genre specific structure and
traits while writing to a particular audience.
9
Text Complexity Grade
Band in the Standards
Old Lexile Range
Lexile Ranges Aligned to CCR
Expectations
K-1
NA
NA
2-3
450-725
450-790
4-5
645-845
770-980
6-8
860-1010
955-1155
9-10
960-1115
1080-1305
11-CCR
1070-1220
1215-1355
Fountas and Pinnell Levels
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Grade Level Goals
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
10
Focus of Each Unit: Fiction and
Informational Text
120%
100%
80%
Informational
60%
Fiction
40%
20%
0%
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
11
Unit 5
Unit 6
Unit 1: Who Am I?: School Spirit
In fifth grade, there are students at different places in the continuum of reading, writing, and
thinking skills. As educators, we want to evaluate where they are and move them to where they can
go. We want to help the students build a classroom community that supports each other on their
individual journeys. This first unit focuses on building a community of learners, getting to know the
students academically and creating a plan to fill any gaps a student may enter into fifth grade with.
BENCHMARKS COVERED:
Reading Standards for Literature
5.RL.2 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.
5.RL.3 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).
5.RL.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular
story, drama, or poem.
5.RL.7 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).
5.RL.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to
similar themes and topics.
5.RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of
the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Reading Standards Informational Text
5.RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade
5 topic or subject area.
5.RI.5 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.
5.RI.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of
view they represent.
Foundational Skills
5.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
5.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Writing Standards
5.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details,
and clear event sequences.
5.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience.
5.W.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
5.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language Standards
5.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
5.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
Speaking and Listening Standards
5.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
5.SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS




Handling and taking care of books and other educational tools
Classroom and teacher expectations and routines
Working in academic work stations or cooperative groups
Conflict resolution strategies
12



Readers think about what they already know to help them understand a story, this is called prior
knowledge.
Readers use what they already know and what the author tells them to infer and draw conclusions.
Readers make predictions before, during, and after reading
.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How can our differences teach us?
How does a character learn an important lesson?
How can graphic representations help us learn through informational text?
How does interacting with text help us form opinions and impressions about the people and events around us?
How do you use what you read to answer questions?
ESSENTIAL CONTENT/ UNDERSTANDINGS:
The students will understand how to:
 Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and
morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and
out of context.
 Use prior knowledge to comprehend a text.
 Use visual aids in fiction and informational text to support comprehension
 Identify a theme of a fictional story
 Write a narrative that orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or
characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
 Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and
events or show the responses of characters to situations in a written piece.
 Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
 Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
 Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events in a written piece.
 Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more characters,
settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters
interact].").
 Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons
and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support
which point[s].").
 Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in
particular sentences.
 Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses.
 Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.
 Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
 Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).
 Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
 Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence.
 Use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from
the rest of the sentence (e.g., It's true, isn't it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you,
Steve?).
 Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.
 Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
 Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that
preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
 Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
 Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and
elaborate on the remarks of others.
 Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained
from the discussions.
 Identify words with suffixes and prefixes and explain the meaning of the words
13
THINKING QUESTIONS:





Make a case for the new character and how he might change the plot for the better.
What judgment can you make about the character’s actions?
What choice would you have made in the same situation? Why would you choice be a better
choice?
Why is this poem interpreted in different ways by different people? Who is right?
What character traits would you use to describe each character? What examples in the text
can you find that support your choices?
TERMINOLOGY
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Root/ base
Word origin
Simple sentence
Compound sentence
Tenses-present/ past
Present participle/ past participle
Prior knowledge
Inference
Context Clues
Conflict
Plot
Motive
Fiction/ non-fiction
Audience
Tone
Style
Fluency/ inflection
Vivid
Logical
Compare/ contrast
Summarize/ Summary
Distinguish
Analyze
Implied
Sequential/ chronological
Drama
Interpretation
Narrative
Proofread
Edit
Clarify
Evidence
Navigation
Graphic
Diagram
Illustration
Chart
Organization
Multi-media
14
TARGETED OUTCOMES:
At the end of this unit students should have the ability to:






Describe what prior knowledge is and explain why it helps with comprehension
Apply prior knowledge of main idea and cause and effect to examine/ analyze a passage.
Recognize and form various verb tenses by adding appropriate endings
Use context clues and knowledge of syllables to decode and understand new words
Write a narrative piece using all steps of the writing process.
Use knowledge of syllables to read unfamiliar words
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS
Sample ActivitiesLiterature Circles:
Literature circles are small groups of students who come together to discuss a piece of literature at a deeper
level. Groups are formed by letting students choose what book they are interested in reading. This is a
student-centered way for students to engage in critical thinking and construct meaning with others. There
are many ways to structure literature circles. One way is to teach the class what a literature circle is and
assign roles to the students to give them a specific purpose during reading. Some jobs are: The
Summarizer. The Question Master, The Word Wizard, The Visualizer, The Connector, and the Discussion
Leader. When new to literature circles, it is a good idea to do a whole group literature circle first, where the
teachers guides the students through the concept and each role as a group first, before breaking into smaller
groups with more independence.
Narrative Comparisons:
In a group of 2 or 3 have students plan out a narrative story together, As a group they will determine the
characters, setting, problem, and theme. They will discuss as a group the other elements they need to put
into their stories such as a solution and events in the plot. Then they will break up to write their own stories
independently. After each student writes their own version of the story, they will come together and share
their stories with their group. Each group will compare and contrast stories and analyze the stories. Groups
can present their findings.
Reader’s Theater:
Reader’s theater is a dramatic presentation of a piece of literature in a script form. Students should work on
inflection and expression while they interpret the story line and determine how to use their voices to convey
the meaning of the story and bring the story to life. Students can perform for each other, other classes, or
their family members.
Assessments:
Objective Assessments: True/False questions, Cloze questioning to determine a quick check of
understanding.
Writing Portfolio:
As students are growing as writers, keep a selection of writing samples throughout the year to
determine misconceptions, phonics that need attention, knowledge of sentence structure and
monitor growth as writers.
Writing/Drawing Assessments: With a given prompt, have students demonstrate their
understanding through writing or drawing their thoughts.
Observations: While asking students questions or while students are performing tasks, observe
them and their thought process, and enter these observations into written form for each child
observed.
Running Records: 1-on1 Students read aloud as you identify which words were read incorrectly
15
and what the miscue was. Running records let the teacher check fluency, reading strategies,
reading level, comprehension, and identify misconceptions or miscues.
Rubrics:
When designing an assessment/ activity, think about what you want to learn from the assessment/
activity about your students. Use what you want to learn about the child and what you want the
child to be able to do as guidelines to create a rubric to use as an assessing tool. Students can be
assessed anytime during any activity throughout the day to see if they are learning what you want
them to learn.
Summative Assessments:
Create a pre and post assessment that covers the literary standards covered in the unit and determine
growth and areas of weakness. This assessment can be made up of multiple choice, missing information,
and open ended questions.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS
Math:
o Calculate the distance of the Earth’s moon and Mars from earth
o Discuss the electoral college process and practice with determining who would win an
election
o Practice with the equation for determining motion and acceleration
Science and Social Studies:
o Gravity
o Components of Space, specifically comets, the Earth’s moon, and Mars
o The election process
o Motion
Music and Art:
o Create a project displaying the phases of the moon
o Create a song about comets
o Make posters for a presidential candidate running for office
INTEGRATING CHARACTER EDUCATION
Teamwork/ Safety
Throughout instruction we want our students to construct knowledge of positive character traits
that we believe are important for our students to possess. Listed are a few ideas to integrate
friendship and responsibility into literacy instruction.
o
o
o
o
o
o
Explicitly teach the meaning of teamwork and safety. Have a class discussion why these
traits are important to possess.
Read-a-loud texts or have students read independently passages and decide if characters
are being safe and if not, what is the effect of the lack of safety?
Create a teamwork promise in the classroom. Discuss the traits a good teammate has and
decide as a class that everyone will be a team player in the class. Have the whole class sign
the promise.
Use read- a-louds to show examples of both traits and have students make connections to
their own lives.
Have students talk about times they have exhibited teamwork. Write about their
experiences.
As the students work in stations or cooperative groups, remind them of the importance of
teamwork. Walk around and give the students feedback on their ability to work
cooperatively.
Resources
16
Journeys Word Study Guide
Vocabulary Context Card
Graphic Organizers
Journeys Teacher Edition: Unit 1: School Spirit
Leveled Texts:
Journeys Leveled Texts
A-Z Leveled Readers
Journeys Decodable Readers
Additional Teacher Guides/ Resources:
www.readinga-z.com
http://reading.ecb.org/
The Common Core Lesson Book: K-5 by:Gretchen Owocki
www.readworks.org
ReadWriteThink
17
Unit 2: Nature: Wild Encounters
Students love to explore and learn about the world around them and there is so much to learn about
in nature. This unit will use all of the knowledge acquired earlier in their elementary years to
analyze themes within text, use informational text analyze cause and effect relationships, and
apply their comprehension strategies to analyze fiction and nonfiction text at a higher, more
complex level. At this point the teacher should know each child’s area of weakness. Any students
who are not active, reflective, fluent readers will need extra time for remediation. They should
learn reading and comprehension strategies and assessments should be used to determine where
they are in the continuum of decoding skills.
BENCHMARKS COVERED:
Reading Standards for Literature
5.RL.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the
text.
5.RL.2 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.
5.RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of
the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Reading Standards Informational Text
5.RI.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the
text.
5.RI.3 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.
Foundational Skills
5.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
5.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Writing Standards
5.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
5.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience.
5.W.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language Standards
5.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
5.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
5.L.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
5.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Speaking and Listening Standards
5.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
5.SL.3 Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
5.SL.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to
enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
5.SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS COVERED:




Readers visualize/ make a movie in their heads to help understand a story.
Readers make connections to help them understand what they read. There are three kinds of
connections: self to text, text to text, and text to world.
Reader check for understanding throughout a reading.
Students can be students and teachers.
18
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What effects can a person have on nature?
Can nature bring out the best in a character?
What persuades us to protect the environment?
How will an expanded vocabulary enhance my reading and writing?
How do the conclusions we make from text help us make decisions in life?
ESSENTIAL CONTENT/ UNDERSTANDINGS:
The students will understand how to:
 Use visualizing and making connections to heighten comprehension.
 Determine the main idea and supporting details to create a summary of new information
 Find examples of cause in effect in the natural world
 Read with inflection and expression to heighten comprehension
 Find the theme in a poem and support the identified theme with evidence from the poem
 Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information
logically; include formatting (e.g., headings) and illustrations in a written piece.
 Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples related to the topic in a written piece.
 Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in
contrast, especially) in a written piece.
 Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented in a
written piece.
 Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in
particular sentences.
 Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses.
 Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.
 Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
 Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).
 Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
 Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence.
 Use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from
the rest of the sentence (e.g., It's true, isn't it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you,
Steve?).
 Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.
 Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
 Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
 Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or
poems.
 Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
 Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
 Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better
understand each of the words.
 Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that
preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
 Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
 Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and
elaborate on the remarks of others.
 Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained
from the discussions.
 Identify words with suffixes and prefixes and explain the meaning of the words
 Read and write all plural words correctly
THINKING QUESTIONS:
19





How can you improve this story?
What connections can you make to informational texts about nature?
What facts would you select to show that the animal read about is a tolerant animal?
What different ways can you classify the elements of nature we learned about?
Can you propose an alternative way to help the planet than the ones we learned about in our
text?
TERMINOLOGY
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Word origin
Simile
Metaphor
Homograph
Imagery
Symbolism
Literary technique
Word choice
Onomatopoeia
Personification
Figurative language
Visualizing
Main Idea
Context Clues
Audience
Tone
Fluency/ inflection
Determine/ defend
Summarize/ Summary
Characteristics
Deconstruct
Inform/ persuade/ entertain
Drama
Persuasion
Generalization
Application
Accuracy
Evidence
Expository
Informational
TARGETED OUTCOMES:
At the end of this unit students should have the ability to:








Use verbs correctly in all tenses in all written pieces.
Use correlative conjunctions correctly in all written pieces and when speaking (either/ or,
neither nor)
Apply commas correctly in all areas of writing
Effectively use dialogue in written pieces using the correct punctuation
Cite books correctly
Identify interjections while reading and apply this knowledge to include interjections in a
written piece
Be able to use prior knowledge, making connections and visualizing to clarify what is read
Identify a simile and metaphor and distinguish between the two
20


Explain why authors use figurative language
Read and write all plural words correctly
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS
Sample ActivitiesAnimal Similes and Metaphors
Within nature there are any animals that fascinate us. Use these interesting animals to create similes and
metaphors with. Start by discussion why author’s use figurative language within their books. Find some
examples of similes and metaphors within literature and read the examples out loud. Discuss the impact
these literary device had on the story. Next, determine which animals could be used to create a simile or
metaphor such as a cheetah, sheep, or a mosquito. Comparing something to a cheetah would show how
fast something is. A comparison to sheep can be how shy or soft something is and comparing something to
a mosquito can be used to show how annoying and ‘blood-sucking’ something or someone is. Once the
class has brainstormed a variety of animals that would naturally lend themselves to simile and metaphor
have each child create an example of both types of literary device and illustrate.
Note Taking:
Taking notes is an important skill for students to use. Taking notes is not copying, but writing information
through one’s own words, pictures, and graphs. Model good note taking and have students take notes while
reading informational texts along with fictional text. There are many types of note taking and forms that can
be used. One effective format is to divide a page in half and using one half for written notes and the other for
nonlinguistic note taking (using pictures, charts, and diagrams). .
Making Words:
Give students letters to manipulate to make words by manipulating the letters as needed to create new
words. Once a series of words have been created, write them on note cards and have students sort in
multiple ways. A great resource for this activity is Making Big Words, Grades 3-6:Multilevel, Hands-On
Phonics and Spelling Activities by Patricia M. Cunningham.
Preposition Song:
Sing a song sung to Yankee Doodle to help students remember what a preposition is
“Aboard, about, above, across
Against, along, around
Amid, among, after, at
Except, for, during, down
Behind, beneath, below, beside
Between, before, beyond
By, in, from, off, on, over, of
Until, unto, upon
Under, underneath, since, up
Like, near, past, throughout, through
With, within, without, instead
Towards, inside, into, to”
Assessments:
Objective Assessments True/False questions, Cloze questioning to determine a quick check of
understanding.
Writing Portfolio:
As students are growing as writers, keep a selection of writing samples throughout the year to
determine misconceptions, phonics that need attention, knowledge of sentence structure and
monitor growth as writers.
21
Writing/Drawing Assessments With a given prompt, have students demonstrate understanding
through writing or drawing their thoughts.
Observations: While asking students questions or while students are performing tasks, observe
them and their thought process and enter these observations into written form for each child
observed.
Running Records: 1-on-1Students read and identify which words were read incorrectly and what
the miscue was. Running record let you check fluency, reading strategies, reading level,
comprehension and identify misconceptions or miscues.
Rubrics:
When designing an assessment/ activity, think about what you want to learn from the assessment/
activity about your students. Use what you want to learn to create a rubric to use as an assessing
tool. Students can be assessed anytime during any activity throughout the day to see if they can
learn what you want them to learn.
Summative Assessments:
Create a pre and post assessment that covers the literary standards covered in the unit and determine
growth and areas of weakness. This assessment can be made up of multiple choice, missing information,
and open ended questions.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS
Math:
o Calculate the distance it would take to travel from Mt. Pleasant to Yellowstone National Park
o Calculate how far men would drive cattle
o Calculate the distance between the islands off the coast of North Carolina
Social Studies and Science:
o Biomes
o Habitats
o Endangered animals
o Weather
o National parks and wildlife,
o Cattle drives
o Geography of islands off the east coast of the United States.
Art and Music:
o Create advertisements to help save endangered animals
o Pantomime different endangered animals
o Draw different types of weather
INTEGRATING CHARACTER EDUCATION
Tolerance
Throughout instruction we want our students to construct knowledge of positive character traits
that we believe are important for our students to possess. Listed are a few ideas to integrate
respect into literacy instruction.
o
o
o
Explicitly teach the meaning of tolerance. Have a class discussion about why the trait is
important to possess.
Use books read aloud, in small groups or independently to decide if characters are tolerant
for one another and their differences.
In literature analyze if a character in the book is being tolerant and if not, how tolerance
could help the character.
22
o
o
o
o
When examining animals and plants in nature, discuss how they need to be tolerant and how
tolerance can help them live.
Use literature to show examples of this trait and have students make connections to their
own lives.
Have students identify which character from a variety of text is the most tolerant and give
evidence from the text to back their opinions.
Use as many teachable moments as possible throughout the day to complement students
for showing tolerance and use their real life examples as a learning experience.
RESOURCES:
Journeys Word Study Guide
Vocabulary Context Cards
Graphic Organizers
Journeys Teacher Edition: Unit 2:Wild Encounters
Leveled Texts:
Journeys Leveled Texts
A-Z Leveled Readers
Local and national newspapers and magazine
Additional Teacher Guides/ Resources:
www.readinga-z.com
http://reading.ecb.org/
The Common Core Lesson Book: K-5 by:Gretchen Owocki
www.readworks.org
ReadWriteThin
23
Unit 3: My Surrounding: Revolution!
A child should be aware of the world around him/her and the history of it. Use their interest in the
their history and surroundings to tie in science and social studies standards while strengthening
their reading and comprehension strategies and abilities. At this point there is an even focus on
fiction and informational text. Students comprehend at a higher level when they have background
knowledge on what is read. Help students develop their background knowledge on historical
events through reading and analyzing historical fiction and nonfiction texts.
BENCHMARKS COVERED:
Reading Standards for Literature
5.RL.3 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).
5.RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as
metaphors and similes.
5.RL.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to
similar themes and topics.
5.RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of
the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Reading Standards Informational Text
5.RI.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the
text.
5.RI.3 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.
5.RI.5 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.
5.RI.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of
view they represent.
Foundational Skills
5.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
5.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Writing Standards
5.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
5.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience.
5.W.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
5.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language Standards
5.L.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
5.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading
and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Speaking and Listening Standards
5.SL.3 Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS COVERED:





Readers ask themselves questions before, during, and after reading.
Readers read for a purpose/ set a purpose for reading.
Conflict Resolution Strategies
Everyone can learn.
We all learn in our own special way and each student needs to support each other as they figure out
how they learn best
.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
24
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What effects can one person have on history?
How did people’s opinions lead to a revolution?
How do individual acts of bravery shape history?
How do two acts of bravery differ?
How and why should writers use evidence to support their ideas?
ESSENTIAL CONTENT/ UNDERSTANDINGS:
The students will understand how to:
 Compare and contrast stories, characters, actions, events, and ideas through Venn Diagrams,
conversation and written statements.
 Explain the importance finding relationships between ideas through comparisons
 Identify why author’s use figurative language
 Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition
 Understanding, rereading as necessary.
 Ask themselves questions as they read
 Actively read fiction and nonfiction and analyze text throughout the reading
 Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information
logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension within a written piece.
 Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples related to the topic in a written piece.
 Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in
contrast, especially).
 Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
 Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented within
a written piece.
 Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more
 characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g. how
characters interact].").
 Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons
and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support
which point[s].").
 Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
 Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or
poems.
 Identify words with suffixes and prefixes and explain the meaning of the words
 Identify and analyze idioms
THINKING QUESTIONS:






How can you determine the author’s point of view on a historical figure?
How can you prioritize the importance of various historical figures?
How can we learn from the past to help us in the future?
What questions would you ask if you could interview______? Justify your questions.
What relationships can you find throughout history?
What motives are explicitly discussed and what are some possible other motives not so obvious?
TERMINOLOGY:
o
o
o
o
o
Word origin
Simile
Metaphor
Homograph
Imagery
25
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Symbolism
Literary technique
Word choice
Figurative language
Conjunctions
Questioning
Context Clues
Conflict
Plot
Motive
Fiction/ non-fiction
Point of view
Author’s purpose
Compare/ contrast
Determine/ defend
Summarize/ Summary
Characteristics
Analyze
Protagonist
Suspense
Implied
Sequential/ chronological
Inform/ persuade/ entertain
Drama
Persuasion
Generalization
Application
Proofread
Edit
Accuracy
Thesaurus
Compose
Graphic
Diagram
Illustration
Chart
Map
Organization
Title/ subtitle
Caption
Symbol
Endnote
Bibliography
Reference
Research
Resource
Multi-media
TARGETED OUTCOMES:
At the end of this unit students should have the ability to:

Compare and contrast stories in the same genre on their approaches to similar themes and topics by
26









explaining similarities and differences through interpretations and analysis.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly
using the writing process from start to finish
Consistently write with the intended audience and purpose evident within each piece.
Effectively use facts and definitions within a written piece.
Explain the difference between an opinion and fact.
Understand the need to plan, edit, revise, and rewrite pieces to strengthen ones writing.
Analyze dialects in written pieces and interpret the meaning of the dialogue and determine why the
author used such dialect and variations of the English language in a text.
Edit all sentences to clarify meaning.
Read and write all plural words correctly.
Identify and interpret idioms.
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS:
Sample Activities:
Venn Diagrams:
Place students into groups of 2 or 3. Give them three books about the same event in history, but from
different authors. Have the students read each book together and take notes. Once they have read and
discussed each book have them use a Venn Diagram to compare the three books to one another. Give
each group 5 minutes to present their findings on their topic.
Jigsaw:
Students are assigned to groups of four. The whole class will be learning about the same nonfiction topic.
Within each group each child is assigned a different subtopic to become an ‘expert’ on. The students will
read about their assigned topic and then go discuss what they have read and learned with members of the
other groups assigned to the same topic. The experts from each group will share their ideas and then go
back to their original group and teach the others about the subtopic he or she is now an expert on..
Nonlinguistic Representation:
Have students use information they have learned from reading to create a graphic representation, physical
model or drawing to convey what is learned.
Assessments:
Objective Assessments True/False questions, Cloze questioning to determine a quick check of
understanding.
Writing/Drawing Assessments With a given prompt, have students demonstrate understanding
through writing or drawing their thoughts.
Observations: While asking students questions or while students are performing tasks, observe
them and their thought process, and enter these observations into written form for each child
observed.
Writing Portfolio:
As students are growing as writers, keep a selection of writing samples throughout the year to
determine misconceptions, phonics that need attention, knowledge of sentence structure and
monitor growth as writers.
Running Records: 1-on-1 Students read and the teacher indicates which words were read
incorrectly and what the miscue was. Running record let you check fluency, reading strategies,
reading level, comprehension, and identify misconceptions or miscues.
Rubrics:
When designing an assessment/ activity, think about what you want to learn from the assessment/
27
activity about your students. Use what you want to learn to create a rubric to use as an assessing
tool. Students can be assessed during anytime during any activity throughout the day to see if they
can learn what you want them to learn.
Summative Assessments:
Create a pre and post assessment that covers the literary standards covered in the unit and determine
growth and areas of weakness. This assessment can be made up of multiple choice, missing information,
and open ended questions.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Math:
o Create a timeline of the events that led to the Revolutionary War
o Tie in key people of the Revolutionary War into mathematical story problems
o Determine how fast hurricanes travel
Social Studies and Science:
o Revolutionary War and the events that led to it
o Key people in the Revolutionary War, such as King George, Paul Revere, minutemen, and
African American soldiers
o Hurricanes
Art and Music:
o Listen to songs about the Revolutionary War
o Observe and discuss art that depicts the Revolutionary War
o Create illustrations showing the same battle during the Revolutionary War but from
opposing viewpoints
INTEGRATING CHARACTER EDUCATION:
Compassion/ Feelings
Throughout instruction we want our students to construct knowledge of positive character traits
that we believe are important for our students to possess. Listed are a few ideas to integrate
caring and self control into literacy instruction. Teach the terms separately.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Explicitly teach the meaning of compassion and how compassion relates to a person’s
feelings. Have a class discussion why these traits are important to possess.
Use read- a-louds and independently read passages to decide if characters are acting with
compassion and talk about why it is important to have.
Have students make connections to their own lives.
Have students talk about times they exhibited these traits. Write about it.
Write friendly letters to someone the class feels is very compassionate.
Determine how a story would change if a character showed more or less compassion.
Use as many teachable moments as possible throughout the day to complement students
for showing good character traits.
Have class discussions about feelings.
RESOURCES:
Journeys Word Study Guide
Vocabulary Context Cards
Graphic Organizers
Journeys Teacher Edition: Unit 3:Revolution
28
Leveled Texts:
Journeys Leveled Texts
A-Z Leveled Readers
Local and national newspapers and magazine
Additional Teacher Guides/ Resources:
www.readinga-z.com
http://reading.ecb.org/
The Common Core Lesson Book: K-5 by:Gretchen Owocki
www.readworks.org
ReadWriteThin
29
Unit 4: Literacy: What’s Your Story?
During this unit students are going to analyze multiple genres of texts at a deeper level. Students
should work in cooperative groups, in pairs, independently and in a whole group with guidance and
support from the teacher. At this point a number of reading standards should be mastered and
students can show mastery through performance assessments along with paper pencil
assessments.
BENCHMARKS COVERED:
Reading Standards for Literature
5.RL.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the
text.
5.RL.3 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).
5.RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as
metaphors and similes.
5.RL.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular
story, drama, or poem.
5.RL.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
Reading Standards Informational Text
5.RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade
5 topic or subject area.
5.RI.5 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.
5.RI.7 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.
5.RI.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons
and evidence support which point(s).
5.RI.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.
5.RI.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Foundational Skills
5.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Writing Standards
5.W.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
5.W.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish
writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a
minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
5.W.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different
aspects of a topic.
5.W.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources;
summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
.Language Standards
5.L.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including
those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly,
moreover, in addition).
Speaking and Listening Standards
5.SL.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and
relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS COVERED:




Readers evaluate what they read by making judgments and providing evidence for them text.
Cooperative learning skills
All people have opinions and many times those opinions differ.
There is no purpose to reading if you don’t understand what you have read.
30



Readers actively participate in the act of reading.
To persuade, one needs to feel strongly about an issue.
Use technology to aid in gaining information
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Why does an author want to tell a story?
What problems do characters face?
What parts do facts and opinions play in a story?
How do you persuade people to support your ideas?
How do the beliefs of a character affect a story?
How do we engage our audience using clear writing and speaking strategies?
What does it mean to be an active reader?
ESSENTIAL CONTENT/ UNDERSTANDINGS:
The students will understand how to:
 Analyze and interpret words, phrases, and sentences while reading.
 Interpret what message the author is trying to convey when using figurative language.
 Compare and contrast any idea, concept, objects, or stories at a deep level.
 Find answers and information in a text and determine the information’s relevance
 Identify the narrator of a story and explain how they story may differ with a different narrator
 Use the structure of informational and fictional text to locate information needed
 Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which
ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose within a written piece.
 Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details within a written piece..
 Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
 Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented within a written piece.
 Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a
word or phrase.
 Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a
word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
 Determine the meaning of words by identifying the root or base word and determining how the prefix
or suffix changes the original meaning.
 Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find
the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
 Consult reference materials while conducting research.
 Gather information through note taking to conduct research and create a written report.
 Identify words with suffixes and prefixes and explain the meaning of the words
THINKING QUESTIONS:




What effects on research do you think there would be if informational text no longer had glossaries,
indexes, table of contexts, or headings?
Why does a person conducting research chose one source over another? Justify your answer.
Do you believe, at some point, we will run out of things to research? Explain your answer.
What would happen to a poem if a stanza was cut out?
TERMINOLOGY
o
o
o
o
o
o
Root/ base
Complex
Word origin
Simple sentence
Compound sentence
Pronoun
31
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Semicolon
Main clause
Subordinate clause
Multi-step
Synthesizing
Evaluating
Conflict
Plot
Motive
Fiction/ non-fiction
Point of view
Author’s purpose
Fluency/ inflection
Infer
Myth/ Tradition
Compare/ contrast
Determine/ defend
Analyze
Protagonist
Suspense
Implied
Sequential/ chronological
Drama
Interpretation
Generalization
Proofread
Edit
Phrasing
Accuracy
Evidence
Thesaurus
Compose
Genre
Graphic
Diagram
Illustration
Chart
Map
Organization
Title/ subtitle
Caption
Era/Culture
Citation
Endnote
Reference
Research
Resource
TARGETED OUTCOMES:
At the end of this unit students should have the ability to:
32









Use accurate quotes from a text to justify an inference or answer a question.
Compare and contrast two or more story elements through analyzing, interpreting, and inferring.
th
Identify and explain the meanings of all similes and metaphors in 5 grade leveled literature
Use context clues and other word strategies to determine the meaning of a new word
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a
particular story, drama, or poem.
Compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more
texts.
Gather information for a selection of books and media sources on the same topic
Take notes
Write adjectives with correct endings
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS
Sample ActivitiesEvidence is Needed:
Create opportunities for students to develop their own opinions about content and reading passages. Have
them back up their opinions using evidence from the texts.
Historical Fiction Vs. Historical Non-Fiction
Have the class read partner texts, one that focuses on a period in history that is all factually, the other,
focused on the same time period, but is fiction. Compare and contrast the texts. Analyze the purpose for
each text and how it increases ones’ knowledge of the time period.
Cooperative Group Presentations: (Author studies)
Place students in groups of 3 or 4. Assign each group an author that works with a specific genre. Each
group will read multiple texts by their author and analyze the characteristics of the author’s work. They will
look at his or her writing style, similarity and differences between pieces and any overarching themes
throughout the literature. The groups will then plan a presentation to educate their peers on the author they
studies and create visual aides to assist in the presentation.
Visual Aids:
When creating a piece of informative writing, challenge the students to identify a type of visual aid that would
help convey the information with is being delivered. Have the students create a graph, chart, or caption that
will enhance their writing.
Assessments:
Objective Assessments True/False questions, Cloze questioning to determine a quick check of
understanding.
Writing/Drawing Assessments With a given prompt, have students demonstrate understanding
through writing or drawing their thoughts.
Observations: While asking students questions or while students are performing tasks, observe
them and their thought process and enter these observations into written form for each child
observed.
Checklists: 1-on-1 Students identify multiple spelling patterns and 2nd grade sight words.
Writing Portfolio:
As students are growing as writers, keep a selection of writing samples throughout the year to
determine misconceptions, phonics that need attention, knowledge of sentence structure and
monitor growth as writers.
Running Records: 1-on-1 Students read and the teacher indicates which words were read
incorrectly and what the miscue was. Running record let you check fluency, reading strategies,
reading level, comprehension and identify misconceptions or miscues.
33
Rubrics:
When designing an assessment/ activity, think about what you want to learn from the assessment/
activity about your students. Use what you want to learn to create a rubric to use as an assessing
tool. Students can be assessed during anytime during any activity throughout the day to see if they
can learn what you want them to learn.
Summative Assessments:
Create a pre and post assessment that covers the literary standards covered in the unit and determine
growth and areas of weakness. This assessment can be made up of multiple choice, missing information,
and open ended questions.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS
Math:
o Determine how much trash is saved from landfills each year by recycling
o Determine the area of Texas and compare its size to other states
o Discuss majority and minority and other terms that compare or contrast
Social Studies and Science:
o Recycling
o Preserving nature
o Debates
o Texas separating from Mexico
Art and Music:
o Create advertisements to persuade others to recycle
o Create a jingle about preserving nature
o Make posters to persuade others to agree with a particular issue for a debate
INTEGRATING CHARACTER EDUCATION
Bully Awareness and Prevention
Throughout instruction we want our students to construct knowledge of positive character traits
that we believe are important for our students to possess. When looking at who bullies are, discuss
the importance of justice and showing integrity to prevent bullying and help others who are bullied.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Explicitly teach the meaning of integrity and justice.
Use texts that are about bullies. Talk about what makes a person a bully and how to be the
best person you can be.
Discuss historical American figures and discuss what character traits they possess of the
ones already covered in the school year.
Use read- a-louds to analyze if a character in the book is showing justice to others and
integrity to ones’ self. If not, talk about the effect of the character’s behavior.
Use read- a-louds to show examples of both traits and have students make connections to
their own lives. Discuss how bullying has affected their lives. Talk about how we can stop
bullying.
Have students talk about times they exhibited justice and responsibility. Make a class book.
Brainstorm as a class why justice is important.
Use as many teachable moments as possible throughout the day to complement students
for showing integrity and demonstrating justice and use their real life examples as a
learning experience.
Talk about how justice is an important part of being an American.
Examine how justice and responsibility have placed a key role in our past.
Make an anti-bullying chain. Every time a student helps instead of hurts, have them write
out what they did that made a difference and add it to a paper chain in the classroom.
RESOURCES:
34
Journeys Word Study Guide
Vocabulary Context Cards
Graphic Organizers
Journeys Teacher Edition: Unit 4: What’s Your Story?
Leveled Texts:
Journeys Leveled Texts
A-Z Leveled Readers
Local and national newspapers and magazine
Additional Teacher Guides/ Resources:
www.readinga-z.com
http://reading.ecb.org/
The Common Core Lesson Book: K-5 by:Gretchen Owocki
www.readworks.org
ReadWriteThink
35
Unit 5: Growing and Changing: Under the Western Skies
At this point there is a strong focus on informational text. With the new Common Core Standards,
students are expected to comprehend at a higher level than before. To accomplish this goal we
need to give students the tools and strategies to work through progressively more challenging
levels. Students need to be active readers, thinkers, analyzers and reflectors. Informational text
can be more difficult to comprehend than fiction, so the mastery of information text is key.
BENCHMARKS COVERED:
Reading Standards for Literature
5.RL.2 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.
5.RL.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
Reading Standards Informational Text
5.RI.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the
text.
5.RI.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the
text.
5.RI.3 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.
5.RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade
5 topic or subject area.
5.RI.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of
view they represent.
5.RI.7 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.
5.RI.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons
and evidence support which point(s).
5.RI.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.
5.RI.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Foundational Skills
5.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Writing Standards
5.W.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
5.W.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish
writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a
minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
5.W.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different
aspects of a topic.
5.W.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources;
summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening Standards
5.SL.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
5.SL.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and
relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS COVERED:


Readers evaluate what they are reading.
Readers use multiple reading strategies to figure out a word. Different strategies help with different
words.
36



Independence in reading and writing comes from having many strategies and resources to use and
work with as well as knowing how to use them.
Cooperative learning skills- Everyone’s opinion is valid and needs to be respected.
An open mind is the best mind to have.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How does knowing the right actions change events?
How has America changed? What evidence is there?
How have people communicated throughout history?
How do you determine what a author feels about historical events?
What role does the media play in how we gain information?
ESSENTIAL CONTENT/ UNDERSTANDINGS:
The students will understand how to:
 Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which
ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose in a written piece.
 Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details in a written piece.
 Identify the theme within a text and summarize the text with all important details included.
 Identify multiple main ideas within a text and match the supporting details to each main idea
 Identify and explain cause and effect relationships found in historical, scientific or technical text.
 Identify and explain factual information and the evidence that supports it found in historical, scientific
or technical text.
 Identify and describe important interactions between individuals within an informational text.

Compare multiple accounts of the same event by analyzing the narrator’s point of view.
 Determine the point of view of narrators.
 Use texts and digital resources to find explicit answers to specific question and to research topics.
 Inter using evidence from what is read.
 Describe how authors use evidence within their writing, to support their point of view and find
multiple examples of such.
 Research a topic thoroughly to become an expert on the topic.
 Use the internet and other technology to research information, find graphic representations, and
interact with others in a school appropriate manner to gather knowledge on a topic.
 Use technology and publish a written piece.
 Demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single
sitting.
 Use personal experiences and knowledge within a written piece.
 Summarize, paraphrase, and take notes
 Cite resources used for research purposes.
 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
 Lead a presentation in a logical sequence, presenting pertinent information while speak clearly at an
understandable pace.

THINKING QUESTIONS:



Today we use the internet to research many topics. How do you think research was conducted
before the internet?
There are many benefits that come along with the internet, but there are also many negative aspects
of the internet also. What are some pros and cons of the internet? Do you believe the pros
outweigh the cons? If you could create rules for the internet, what would they be and why?
If you could live in the past, what time period would you live in? Why? What would be the pros and
cons of this time period?
TERMINOLOGY
37
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Prefix
Suffix
Prepositional phrase
Appositive
Main clause
Subordinate clause
Modifier
Prior knowledge
Visualizing
Synthesizing
Questioning
Evaluating
Main Idea
Point of view
Author’s purpose
Fluency/ inflection
Infer
Vivid
Logical
Compare/ contrast
Determine/ defend
Summarize/ Summary
Distinguish
Analyze
Sequential/ chronological
Inform/ persuade/ entertain
Generalization
Application
Proofread
Edit
Evidence
Compose
Genre
Chart
Map
Organization
Title/ subtitle
Caption
Conclusions
Era/Culture
Symbol
Citation
Endnote
Bibliography
Reference
Research
Resource
Print
Multi-media
TARGETED OUTCOMES:
38
At the end of this unit students should have the ability to:



















Identify and explain cause and effect relationships found in historical, scientific, or technical text.
Identify and explain factual information and the evidence that supports it found in historical, scientific,
or technical text.
Identify and describe important interactions between individuals within an informational text.
Compare multiple accounts of the same event by analyzing the narrator’s point of view.
Determine the point of view of narrators.
Use texts and digital resources to find explicit answers to specific question and to research topics.
Inter using evidence from what is read.
Describe how authors use evidence within their writing, to support their point of view, and find
multiple examples of such.
Research a topic thoroughly to become an expert on the topic.
Use the internet and other technology to research information, find graphic representations, and
interact with others in a school appropriate manner to gather knowledge on a topic.
Use technology and publish a written piece.
Demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single
sitting.
Use personal experiences and knowledge within a written piece.
Summarize, paraphrase, and take notes
Cite resources used for research purposes.
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Lead a presentation in a logical sequence, presenting pertinent information while speak clearly at an
understandable pace.
Identify words with suffixes and prefixes and explain the meaning of the words
Analyze words and discuss their origin
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS
Sample ActivitiesFat Question Writing:
A person really understands a skill, concept or idea if they can create higher level questions about the topic
learned. Teach the students the difference between thin and fat questions (also called ‘right there’ and “think
and search’ or teach them the four types of questions within QRA. Once the students understand the
different types of questions and answers, have them generate examples of the different types of questions
and create a class quiz.
Research Paper:
With the new Common Core Standards, students will start being exposed to research as early as
th
kindergarten and first grade. By the time they reach 5 grade they should have a strong grasp of what
research is and is not. Give students the opportunity to research a topic that truly interests them. They will
use their computer skills, knowledge of informational text structures and note taking skills to create a report
with visual aids that is written, edited, revised, and published.
Poetry Unit:
April is poetry month and how better to celebrate then to read, write and interpret poetry from our past and
present. Have students work together to determine what poetry is and isn’t. Give them choice in the type of
poetry they write and on what topic. Poetry is from the heart and students need to write their own poetry in
the fashion that best represents them as a person. A classroom poetry magazine can be compiled of each
students’ best 2 or three pieces and a poetry reading can be conducted with family or buddy classrooms as
the audience.
Assessments:
Objective Assessments True/False questions, Cloze questioning to determine a quick check of
39
understanding.
Writing/Drawing Assessments With a given prompt, have students demonstrate understanding
through writing or drawing their thoughts.
Observations: While asking students questions or while students are performing tasks, observe
them and their thought process and enter these observations into written form for each child
observed.
Writing Portfolio:
As students are growing as writers, keep a selection of writing samples throughout the year to
determine misconceptions, phonics that need attention, knowledge of sentence structure and
monitor growth as writers.
Running Records: 1-on-1 Students read and the teacher indicates which words were read
incorrectly and what the miscue was. Running record let you check fluency, reading strategies,
reading level, comprehension, and identify misconceptions or miscues.
Rubrics:
When designing an assessment/ activity, think about what you want to learn from the assessment/
activity about your students. Use what you want to learn to create a rubric to use as an assessing
tool. Students can be assessed during anytime during any activity throughout the day to see if they
can learn what you want them to learn.
Summative Assessments:
Create a pre and post assessment that covers the literary standards covered in the unit and determine
growth and areas of weakness. This assessment can be made up of multiple choice, missing information,
and open ended questions.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS
Math:
o Determine how long the Santa Fe Trail was in different units of measurement
o Map Lewis and Clark’s journey and create an accurate scale to find the distance in miles
o Create mathematical story problems incorporating Native Americans and their use of
natural resources
Social Studies and Science:
o Survival and adaptation
o Native Americans and natural resources
o Lewis and Clark
o Westward expansion
o Santa Fe Trail
o Pony Express
o Pioneers
Art and Music:
o Listen to music from the time period of westward expansion
o Create advertisements to persuade others to travel west
o Create a 3-dimentional model of Native Americans using natural resources
INTEGRATING CHARACTER EDUCATION
Service/ Integrity
Throughout instruction we want our students to construct knowledge of positive character traits
40
that we believe are important for our students to possess. Listed are a few ideas to integrate
citizenship and trustworthiness into literacy instruction.
o
o
o
o
o
Explicitly teach the meanings. Have a class discussion why these traits are important to
possess.
Use read –a-louds or individually read passages to analyze if a character in a text is showing
integrity and if not, how could possessing this traits help the character.
Have students talk about times they exhibited these traits. Make a class book.
Brainstorm as a class why serving others is important.
Use as many teachable moments as possible throughout the day to compliment students
exhibiting integrity and serving others and use their real life examples as a learning
experience.
RESOURCES:
Journeys Word Study Guide
Vocabulary Context Cards
Graphic Organizers
Journeys Teacher Edition: Unit 5: Under the Western Skies
Leveled Texts:
Journeys Leveled Texts
A-Z Leveled Readers
Local and national newspapers and magazine
Additional Teacher Guides/ Resources:
www.readinga-z.com
http://reading.ecb.org/
The Common Core Lesson Book: K-5 by:Gretchen Owocki
www.readworks.org
ReadWriteThink
41
Unit 6: Discovery: Journey to Discovery
Students learn through discovery. As the year comes to an end, the students should have time to
reflect on the discoveries they have made in regards to reading, writing and thinking. Students
should be aware of the purpose of learning and reading to learn. They should understand the
writing process, how to use multiple strategies to accomplish their goals independently, and what
characteristics caring citizens possess. Connections to science and social studies standards
throughout the year help students see that all topics are relative to one another.
BENCHMARKS COVERED:
Reading Standards for Literature
5.RL.2 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.
5.RL.7 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).
Reading Standards Informational Text
5.RI.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the
text.
5.RI.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the
text.
5.RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade
5 topic or subject area.
5.RI.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Writing Standards
5.W.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
5.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details,
and clear event sequences.
5.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language Standards
5.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading
and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
5.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
5.L.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including
those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly,
moreover, in addition).
Speaking and Listening Standards
5.SL.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
5.SL.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to
enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS COVERED:



Students make generalizations
Education is about learning to apply what we learn to new situations.
People set person goals
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
How do graphics and captions help readers?
What lessons can be learned from other cultures?
How do people sort through information to reach conclusions?
Why do authors use symbolism in literature?
42
ESSENTIAL CONTENT/ UNDERSTANDING:
The students will understand how to:
 Determine the theme of any fiction text from details in the text
 Analyze characters in a story or drama by their respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem
reflects upon a topic
 Summarize any text including all pertinent details.

Explain the need and advantage of having visual and multimedia elements within texts and
presentations.
 Find explicit evidence in a text to justify an inference
th
 Identify any main idea and supporting details in any 5 grade text
 Have a strong academic vocabulary and be able to determine meaning of words and phrases in a
text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
 Comprehend all text, informational, or fictional towards the high end of the 4-5 text complexity band
(Lexile 770-980)
 Read at a Fountas and Pinnell Level of X-Y
 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons, and information.
 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using the 6 traits of writing and
the writing process.
th
 Write in any fashion, on any topic at any length, spelling all 5 grade spelling patterns correctly.
 Use a variety of strategy to read and comprehend unknown and multi meaning words
 Identify figurative language within a read text and use it within written pieces.
 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when
appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
 Evaluate and analyze what is read
 Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
 Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
 Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
 Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize
an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
 Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and
events or show the responses of characters to situations.
 Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
 Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
 Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
 Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more
 characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how
characters interact].").
 Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons
and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support
which point[s].").
 Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a
word or phrase.
 Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a
word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
 Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find
the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
 Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
 Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
 Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better
understand each of the words.
THINKING QUESTIONS:


Explain why you think an author used a specific word within a sentence?
Create a set of steps for someone to use to identify the main idea and supporting details/
43

summarize a passage or identify a theme.
What would result if a supporting character was deleted from a story?
TERMINOLOGY
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Word origin
Simile
Metaphor
Homograph
Figurative language
Conjunctions
Tenses-present/ past
Present participle/ past participle
Modifier
Prior knowledge
Visualizing
Synthesizing
Questioning
Evaluating
Main Idea
Context Clues
Author’s purpose
Audience
Fluency/ inflection
Vivid
Logical
Identify/ interpret
Compare/ contrast
Determine/ defend
Summarize/ Summary
Inform/ persuade/ entertain
Generalization
Application
Narrative
Proofread
Edit
Accuracy
Evidence
Genre
Multi-media
TARGETED OUTCOMES:
At the end of this unit students should have the ability to:






Determine the theme of any fiction text from details in the text
Analyze characters in a story or drama by their respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem
reflects upon a topic
Summarize any text including all pertinent details.
Explain the need and advantage of having visual and multimedia elements within texts and
presentations.
Find explicit evidence in a text to justify an inference
th
Identify any main idea and supporting details in any 5 grade text
44




























Have a strong academic vocabulary and be able to determine meaning of words and phrases in a
text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
Comprehend all text, informational or fictional towards the high end of the 4-5 text complexity band
(Lexile 770-980)
Read at a Fountas and Pinnell Level of X-Y
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using the 6 traits of writing and
the writing process.
th
Write in any fashion, on any topic at any length, spelling all 5 grade spelling patterns correctly.
Use a variety of strategy to read and comprehend unknown and multi meaning words
Identify figurative language within a read text and use it within written pieces.
Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when
appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
Evaluate and analyze what is read
Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize
an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and
events or show the responses of characters to situations.
Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more
characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how
characters interact].").
Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons
and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support
which point[s].").
Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a
word or phrase.
Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a
word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find
the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better
understand each of the words.
Identify words with suffixes and prefixes and explain the meaning of the words
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS
Sample ActivitiesCreate Reader’s Theaters:
Put the students into pairs. Have them chose a theme they learned about earlier in the year and create a
simple reader’s theater using the theme as the framework. Ask them to limit the number of characters to 3.
The teacher can be a part of each reader’s theater presentation. A twist on this activity is to have each child
create reader’s theater from a narrative they wrote earlier in the school year. Students then could star and
‘direct’ in the own Reader’s Theater.
Analogies:
Discuss what analogies are and the common form of: A is to B as C is to D. Present an analogy to the
45
students with one or two pieces of missing information. Use dry erase boards or other response techniques
for responses from the children on the missing information. Challenge them to create their own analogies
pertinent to what has been learned throughout the year. Some examples for the whole group activity are:
Bone is to Skeleton and word is to _________________
Inch is to foot as millimeter is to __________________
Martin Luther King Jr is to civil rights as _________________ is to _____________
Name that Category:
This game is modeled after the game show $100,000 Pyramid. This game focuses students on the
attributes of concepts they have learned throughout the unit, quarter or year. A pyramid is draw and
segmented into three levels. The bottom level is then divided into three sections, the second level in divided
into two and the top level stays as is. The teacher now has 6 sections within this triangle. In each section a
different category is written and covered (ex. Types of figurative language devices, Poets, People who
impacted the American Revolution). The class is divided into two teams. The teams take turns sending one
clue giver up to the board to look secretly at a category and list words that fit under that category until their
team mates guess the category being described or time runs out. If it is not guessed, the opposing team has
a chance to steal. Each section has a number of points attached to the category. At the end, whichever
team has the most points wins!
Assessments:
Objective Assessments True/False questions, Cloze questioning to determine a quick check of
understanding.
Writing/Drawing Assessments With a given prompt, have students demonstrate understanding
through writing or drawing their thoughts.
Observations: While asking students questions or while students are performing tasks, observe
them and their thought process and enter these observations into written form for each child
observed.
Writing Portfolio:
As students are growing as writers, keep a selection of writing samples throughout the year to
determine misconceptions, phonics that need attention, knowledge of sentence structure and
monitor growth as writers.
Running Records: 1-on-1 Students read and the teacher indicates which words were read
incorrectly and what the miscue was. Running record let you check fluency, reading strategies,
reading level, comprehension and identify misconceptions or miscues.
Rubrics:
When designing an assessment/ activity, think about what you want to learn from the assessment/
activity about your students. Use what you want to learn to create a rubric to use as an assessing
tool. Students can be assessed during anytime during any activity throughout the day to see if they
can learn what you want them to learn.
Summative Assessments:
Create a pre and post assessment that covers the literary standards covered in the unit and determine
growth and areas of weakness. This assessment can be made up of multiple choice, missing information,
and open ended questions.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS
Math:
o Map different animal migrations and compare distances traveled
o Determine the volume of a specific cave
o Determine how old specific fossils are and compare and contrast with other fossil dates
46
Social Studies and Science:
o Animal migration
o Caves around the world
o Fossils
o Cuzco
Art and Music:
o Create fossils
o Make a model of an animal’s migration pattern
o Create a song for a commercial advertising a specific cave
INTEGRATING CHARACTER EDUCATION
Justice and Fun
Throughout instruction we want our students to construct knowledge of positive character traits
that we believe are important for our students to possess. Listed are a few ideas to integrate
fairness and fun.
o
o
o
o
o
Explicitly teach the meaning of justice and fun. Have a class discussion why these traits are
important to possess.
Use read-a-louds or independently read passages to show examples of both traits and have
students make connections to their own lives.
Have students talk about times they exhibited these traits. Make a class book.
Brainstorm as a class how justice and fairness are alike and different.
Use as many teachable moments as possible throughout the day to complement students
for being upstanding citizens and use their real life examples as a learning experience.
RESOURCES:
Journeys Word Study Guide
Vocabulary Context Cards
Graphic Organizers
Journeys Teacher Edition: Unit 6: Journey to Discovery
Leveled Texts:
Journeys Leveled Texts
A-Z Leveled Readers
Local and national newspapers and magazine
Additional Teacher Guides/ Resources:
www.readinga-z.com
http://reading.ecb.org/
The Common Core Lesson Book: K-5 by:Gretchen Owocki
www.readworks.org
ReadWriteThink
47
Reading Standards for Literature: Stories, Novels, Dramas and Poetry
Unit 1
Standard
5.RL.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what
the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from
the text.
5.RL.2 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.
5.RL.3 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).
5.RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative language such
as metaphors and similes.
5.RL.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or
stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a
particular story, drama, or poem.
5.RL.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view
influences how events are described.
5.RL.7 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).
5.RL.8 (This College and Career Readiness Standard does
not have a literature component)
5.RL.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre
(e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches
to similar themes and topics.
5.RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend
literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high
end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently
and proficiently.
48
X
Unit 2
Unit 3
X
X
Unit 4
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Unit 5
Unit 6
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
////
X
////
X
X
////
X
X
X
////
////
////
Reading Standards Informational Text: Literary Nonfiction and Historical,
Scientific, and Technical Texts
Standard
Unit 1
5.RI.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what
the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from
the text.
5.RI.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and
explain how they are supported by key details; summarize
the text.
5.RI.3 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.
5.RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a
grade 5 topic or subject area.
5.RI.5 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.
5.RI.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or
topic, noting important similarities and differences in the
point of view they represent.
5.RI.7 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.
5.RI.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence
to support particular points in a text, identifying which
reasons and evidence support which point(s).
5.RI.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same
topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.
5.RI.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social studies, science,
and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
Unit 2
Unit 3
X
Unit 4
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Unit 6
X
X
X
X
X
X
Unit 5
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Foundational Skills
Standard
5.RF.1 (There is not a grade 5 standard for this concept.
Please see preceding grades for more information).
5.RF.2 (There is not a grade 5 standard for this concept.
Please see preceding grades for more information).
5.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
5.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support
comprehension.
49
Unit 1
///
Unit 2
///
Unit 3
///
Unit 4
///
Unit 5
///
Unit 6
///
///
///
///
///
///
///
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Writing Standards
Standard
Unit 1
5.W.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a
point of view with reasons and information.
5.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
5.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
5.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development and organization are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
5.W.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
5.W.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use
technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish
writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others;
demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to
type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
5.W.7 Conduct short research projects that use several
sources to build knowledge through investigation of
different aspects of a topic.
5.W.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or
gather relevant information from print and digital sources;
summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished
work, and provide a list of sources.
5.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
5.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames
(a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of disciplinespecific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Unit 2
X
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
Language Standards
Standard
5.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of
Standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
5.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of
Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
5.L.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
5.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and
multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5
reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
5.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language,
word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
5.L.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate
general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,
including those that signal contrast, addition, and other
logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless,
similarly, moreover, in addition).
50
Unit 1
Unit 2
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Speaking and Listening Standards
Standard
5.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on
others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
5.SL.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information
presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
5.SL.3 Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain
how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
5.SL.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion,
sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and
relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or
themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
5.SL.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics,
sound) and visual displays in presentations when
appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or
themes.
5.SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks,
using formal English when appropriate to task and
situation.
TOTAL
51
Unit 1
X
Unit 2
X
X
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
20
19
X
19
17
20
15