School District of Springfield Township
Grade 5 Language Arts Overview
The Grade 5 Language Arts curriculum incorporates instruction that focuses not only on
developing readers and writers, but also on developing lifelong learners. Instruction within the
Language Arts block is also reinforced in content area instruction to provide more integration
and cross-curricular connections for the student. The curriculum itself builds and connects from
one unit to the next. While new skills are taught as each unit progresses, students continue to
apply previously taught skills to appropriate materials to deepen understanding.
The framework for presenting information to students includes:
• Read Alouds/Mentor Texts
• Shared Reading/Shared Writing
• Mini Lessons targeting specific skills
• Guided Reading/Guided Writing Activities
• Independent Reading/Independent Writing
• Centers for reinforcement and practice
• Celebration of success opportunities: Reader’s Theater, Author’s Chair, Publications
The curriculum delivery is divided into three distinct areas:
Workshop, and Word Study/Vocabulary Development.
Reader’s Workshop, Writer’s
Reader’s Workshop: Students identify and extend comprehension strategies as they
read. Through discussion and writing they interpret and analyze pieces of literature. In
addition, they understand text organization and structure in order to enhance
comprehension via a wide range of mentor texts. The whole group instructional focus is
on text organization, text structure, story elements, character development, plot
development, and the author’s use of language. Guided reading provides a means of
differentiating instruction to meet the needs of the students at their instructional levels. A
broad range of leveled texts are used to target instruction. Responding to literature,
tracking books read, and goal setting create student ownership of learning. During the
whole group read aloud, teachers model and discuss fluent reading. Fluency goals are
established, and practice is assigned based on student need.
Writer’s Workshop: As students are developing their understanding of narrative,
persuasive, and informational texts as readers, they apply this understanding in creating
various writing pieces. Students are fully immersed in mastering the various genres of
writing. Fifth grade students have the opportunity to experiment, using their knowledge
of text organization by creating a variety of writing samples. In addition, as figurative
language and the author’s use of language are studied in Reader’s Workshop, students are
expected to write and apply these techniques to their writing. Students continue to
review and enhance their understanding of the writing process and the need for correct
conventions (mechanics, usage, sentence grammar). Grammar instruction as well as
daily edits, multiple drafts, and peer review help to guide the students to more focused
and clearly written pieces.
Word Study: Students actively participate in understanding phonics for spelling as well
as vocabulary. They begin 5th grade securing the anchor word list established by the
district. Upon completion, based on readiness, students are provided with differentiated
word lists. Multisensory exploration is the basis for instruction and practice. Through
active exploration, students examine words to discover the regularities, patterns, and
conventions. There is focused study on multisyllabic words, prefixes, suffixes, and root
words. Word study helps the learner with reading fluency, vocabulary development, and
overall comprehension. Vocabulary words are studied in context and through content
area instruction.
Assessments:
Benchmarking via Fountas and Pinnell Reading Assessment
One minute reads
Running records
Anecdotal records
Reading response journals (in class journals and at home reflections)
Guided reading tasks
Class discussions
Book club and literature circle discussions
UNITS OF STUDY
Unit 1: The Narrative
Unit 2: Poetry and Fiction
Unit 3: Expository Non-Fiction
Unit 4: Synthesizing and Reflecting on Our Lives as both Readers and Writers
Unit 1: The Narrative
Duration: September – beginning of November
Unit Overview:
During the first quarter of the school year, students develop a classroom learning environment
that embraces discussion, reflection, and the critical thinking skills necessary to comprehend and
write across multiple genres. At this time in fifth grade, students are immersed in the study of
narrative text. They have the opportunity to listen to authentic literature, read text at their
reading level, reflect on their understanding and growth as a reader and writer, and create
narrative texts of their own. During this unit of study, they review important literary elements
relative to narrative text and use these structures to deepen their understanding by analyzing and
interpreting various mentor text examples.
Reading and Writing Content Vocabulary:
alliteration, antonym, cause, compare, conferring, content, conventions, craft, contrast, details,
determining importance, edits, effect, fact, fiction, figurative language, fluency, focus, genre,
inference, making connections, making inferences, mentor text, non-fiction, note-taking,
organization, personification, point of view, predictions, publishing, questioning, research,
resource, revise, rhyme, rhythm, simile, style, summarize, synonym, text features, text structure,
topic, visualizing, word choice, metaphor, onomatopoeia, mood, theme, bias, opinion
READING
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Reading Instruction:
1.1.5.A,B,C,D,E,F,G, H
1.2.5. A
1.3.5. A, B,C,D, E, F
1.6.3. A,B,C,D,E,F
Learn to Read Independently
Reading Critically in All Content Areas
Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature
Speaking and Listening
Essential Questions:
How can I contribute to creating a positive classroom environment that supports
collaboration, discussion, and reflection?
What do good readers do?
What reading strategies should I use when reading narrative text?
What are the specific characteristics of narrative text structure that I should recognize and
understand?
How can understanding text structure help me deepen my comprehension of narrative
text?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o The guidelines and expectations for the Reading Workshop provide a structured
means for them to track, evaluate, and respond to what they are reading on a daily
basis.
o Choosing “just right” books allows them to apply new reading strategies to their
independent reading level.
o Goal setting should be an ongoing process.
o Authors have different purposes for writing text. Identifying the author’s purpose
helps the reader understand the types of comprehension strategies to employ and
text structures to identify. Different purposes include to:
entertain
persuade
inform
o Readers should read from many different genres including:
fantasy
historical fiction
realistic fiction
science fiction
traditional literature (fable, folktales, myth, legends, fairy tales)
poetry
non-fiction
o Reading is a process that includes: applying a variety of strategies to comprehend,
interpret and evaluate texts; presenting evidence of appropriate interpretations of
texts; and examining texts critically.
o Good readers collaborate, reflect, discuss, and write about their reading.
o Fluent reading includes appropriate reading rate, expression, accuracy, and
attentiveness to volume. Fluent reading aids in comprehension of text.
o Good readers are always thinking about their reading. When reading, they
provide evidence from the text that demonstrates their ability to apply ideas and
make connections between text and self, text and other texts, and texts and the
real world.
o There are important narrative text structures that help the reader understand the
text. These include:
setting
conflict/problem
resolution
events
characters
themes
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Develop daily reading routines that allow them to work collaboratively with
others or independently
o Listen to and/or read text, then discuss thinking with peers or in a partnership
o Set reading goals and develop a plan with teacher
o Establish fluency and word study goals to enhance reading comprehension
o Select “just right” books for daily independent reading
o Determine author’s purpose and how it relates to genre
o Make predictions after citing important information in text, adjust those
predictions if necessary, and draw conclusions
o Use questioning to make sense of text
o Visualize text by creating mental images
o Make connections
o Summarize a story or excerpt of text orally or in written format
o Identify narrative text structures within texts
WRITING
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Writing Instruction:
1.4.5. A,B,C
Types of Writing
1.5.5. A, B,C,D,E,F,G
Quality of Writing
Essential Questions:
How does using a dedicated Writer’s Notebook to collect and draft ideas help me
improve my writing?
How can I use the writing process to express my ideas, develop them, and create a well
organized narrative piece?
What are the elements of narrative writing, and how do I include these elements in my
own stories?
As an author, how can I create a wide range of narrative stories that hook and engage the
reader?
How can I use language to paint a picture in the minds of the reader?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Good writers are reflective. They identify strengths and areas of improvement to
work on as they craft a piece.
o The personal narrative has particular elements that make it different from a story
or informational essay. These elements include:
introduction—provides focus
• sets the scene
• identifies memory and describes feelings
middle--events
• develops supporting details
• includes thoughts and feelings
conclusion
• identifies the impact of the event, memory and its significance
o Descriptive language helps to paint a vivid picture in the mind of the reader.
o Practicing our writing is important in improving our writing skills.
o Using correct conventions improves the readability of our writing.
o It is important to edit and revise our work multiple times based on peer input;
careful crafting helps to create best final published piece.
o Writing about our reading also develops us as writers.
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Write a well organized paragraph on a single topic
o Create a strong summary paragraph in response to daily reading, citing important
information from the text
o Expand writing to develop a five paragraph personal narrative about the Outdoor
School Experience
o Use a Writer’s Notebook to respond to journal prompts, store future writing ideas,
and create writing drafts
o Develop a variety of short stories
o Use mentor texts to guide their writing and stimulate creative ideas to write about
independently
o Generate a variety of leads that hook the reader to begin a writing assignment
o Utilize proper transitions to create clear organization in writing
o Develop descriptive language to describe a setting, character, or object
o Create clear dialogue among characters in correct format
o Edit and revise work
Unit 2: Poetry and Fiction
Duration: November - December
Unit Overview:
During this unit, students continue to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to
comprehend more complex texts. Skills include making inferences and cause/effect. From this
understanding they continue to apply their knowledge to poems and eventually across multiple
genres. At this time in fifth grade, students are immersed in the study of poetry and fiction.
They have the opportunity to listen to authentic literature, read text at their reading level, reflect
on their understanding and growth as a reader and writer, and create poetry of their own. During
this unit, they review important literary elements relative to poems and fiction and use these
structures to deepen their understanding by analyzing and interpreting various mentor text
examples. Figurative language is studied in depth. Through discussion and writing students
interpret and analyze pieces of literature. As students are developing their understanding of
poetry and figurative language as readers, they apply this understanding to creating various
poems of their own. Fifth grade students have the opportunity to experiment with rhythm,
rhyme, mood, and figurative language as they write.
READING
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Reading Instruction:
1.1.3.A,B,C,D,E,F,G, H
Learn to Read Independently
1.2.3. A,B,C
Reading Critically in All Content Areas
1.3.3. A, B,C,D, E, F
Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature
1.6.3. A,B,C,D,E,F
Speaking and Listening
Essential Questions:
What do good readers do?
What comprehension strategies should I use when reading poetry and more complicated
narrative text?
What are the specific characteristics of poetic structure that I should recognize and
understand?
How can understanding and identifying figurative language help me deepen my
comprehension of both poetry and narrative text?
How is fluency connected to comprehension?
Reading and Writing Content Vocabulary:
alliteration, antonym, cause, compare, conferring, content, conventions, craft, contrast, details,
determining importance, edits, effect, fact, fiction, figurative language, fluency, focus, genre,
inference, making connections, making inferences, mentor text, non-fiction, note-taking,
organization, personification, point of view, predictions, publishing, questioning, research,
resource, revise, rhyme, rhythm, simile, style, summarize, synonym, text features, text structure,
topic, visualizing, word choice, metaphor, onomatopoeia, mood, theme, bias, opinion
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Good readers are always thinking about their reading.
o Readers collaborate, reflect, discuss, and write about their reading in order to
deepen their understanding of the text.
o Choosing “just right” books allows them to apply new reading strategies to their
independent reading level.
o Goal setting should be an ongoing process.
o There are many strategies that one can use to comprehend poetry and narrative
text.
o Making inferences is reading the text and interpreting it on a deeper level. It
requires specific reference to the text coupled with schema that the reader knows.
o Authors make intentional word choices that are designed to produce a desired
effect on the reader.
o Readers identify and analyze the figurative language used by authors to paint a
picture in the minds of readers.
similes
metaphors
personification
onomatopoeia
alliteration
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Work collaboratively with others or independently to read text at their level
o Continue to work in partnership with teacher to set and monitor reading and
fluency goals based on assessment evidence
o Define poetic terminology
o Recognize examples and non-examples of poetic terminology
o Identify figurative language in their reading and understand its meaning in context
o Visualize the text by creating mental pictures while reading
o Use questioning strategies to gather information from text
o Move beyond literal meaning of text to make inferences by combining prior
knowledge with information noted in text
o Prepare a critical reflection on a piece of poetry
WRITING
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Writing Instruction:
1.4.5. A,B,C
1.5.5. A, B,C,D,E,F,G
Types of Writing
Quality of Writing
Essential Questions:
How does using a dedicated Writer’s Notebook to collect and draft ideas help me
improve my writing?
How can I use the writing process to express my ideas and create poems?
What are the elements of poetry and how do I include these elements when I write?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Good writers are reflective. They identify strengths and areas of improvement to
work on as they craft a piece.
o Poets present ideas that allow the reader to paint a picture in their minds and have
a sensory experience.
o Using figurative language and poetic devices provide an opportunity for the
reader to infer meaning from the text.
o There are many different types of poems which have specific structures to present
ideas. For example:
Haiku
Cinquain
Biopoem
o
o
o
o
Free verse
Concrete/shape
Lyric
Narrative
Practicing our writing is important in improving our writing skills.
Using proper conventions improves the readability of our writing.
It is important to edit and revise our work multiple times based on peer input; this
careful crafting helps to create our best, final, published piece.
Writing about our reading also develops us as writers.
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Write a variety of poems to demonstrate understanding of poetic structure and
poetic devices.
o Write examples of different types of figurative language.
o Use carefully selected language to create emotions, visual images, and mood.
o Publish poetry.
o Use a Writer’s Notebook to respond to journal prompts, store future writing ideas,
and create writing drafts.
o Continue to write and publish stories based on topics that interest them.
o Use mentor texts to guide their writing and stimulate creative ideas to write about
independently.
o Edit and revise work
Unit 3: Expository Non-Fiction
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Reading Instruction:
1.1.5.A,B,C,D,E,F,G, H
1.2.5. A,B,C
1.3.5. A, B,C,D, E, F
1.6.5. A,B,C,D,E,F
Learn to Read Independently
Reading Critically in All Content Areas
Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature
Speaking and Listening
Duration: January - March
Unit Overview:
The central focus of this unit is on the exploration of informational text. During Reader’s
Workshop, students are exposed to a wide range of expository text to allow them to listen,
discuss with peers, and also write about the important facts gathered on the subject at hand.
Instruction focuses on drawing the reader’s attention to text features, text structures, text
organization, the use of language, and how the information was presented. In Writer’s
Workshop, students write a variety of informational pieces including a persuasive essay,
compare and contrast essay, and a research report. As they investigate each specific
informational piece, they understand that the structure of each essay is the same, but each has
specific traits according to its purpose.
Reading and Writing Content Vocabulary:
alliteration, antonym, cause, compare, conferring, content, conventions, craft, contrast, details,
determining importance, edits, effect, fact, fiction, figurative language, fluency, focus, genre,
inference, making connections, making inferences, mentor text, non-fiction, note-taking,
organization, personification, point of view, predictions, publishing, questioning, research,
resource, revise, rhyme, rhythm, simile, style, summarize, synonym, text features, text structure,
topic, visualizing, word choice, metaphor, onomatopoeia, mood, theme, bias, opinion
READING
Essential Questions:
What do good readers do?
What comprehension strategies should I use when reading informational text?
What are the specific characteristics of informational texts that I should recognize and
understand?
How can understanding specific text structures help me gain deeper comprehension in my
reading of informational text?
How can I gather information from informational text that I can analyze and evaluate for
research?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Good readers are always thinking about their reading, identifying what they
understand, and noting how it makes them feel.
o Readers discuss and write about their reading to deepen understanding.
o There is a difference between fiction and non-fiction text.
o Texts often present the point of view of the author to the reader.
o Informational texts have specific text features that have the purpose of organizing
and explaining information.
Table of contents
Glossary
Index
Diagrams, charts, graphs, and timelines,
Illustrations, photographs, and graphics
Labels
Captions
Text boxes
Insets
o
o
o
o
Fonts and effects (i.e., boldface words, use of italics)
Informational texts have various ways to present information to the reader
depending on the purpose. Understanding these text structures help readers to
deepen their understanding of text. Text structures include:
Concept definition
Chronological sequence
Comparison
Cause and effect
Problem/solution
Readers can locate the main idea and find supporting details within text.
News articles are a type of informational writing that can present factual
information and/or opinions.
Bias is a person or group’s preference that favors one position and does not look
at all sides or points of view of an issue.
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Respond to texts in writing
o Listen to a shared text, read a text, employ discussion practices to share thoughts
with partner, small group, or class.
o Utilize a wide range of self-monitoring strategies while reading
o Make connections to self, world, and to other texts
o Visualize the text by creating mental pictures while reading
o Identify essential and non-essential ideas of text to summarize information
o Read and identify important information within a body of text to make or adjust
predictions and draw conclusions
o Move beyond literal meaning of text to make inferences by combining prior
knowledge with information noted in text
o Use questioning strategies to gather information from text
o Evaluate text structures and text features within a variety of informational texts to
understand the author’s perspective on topic
o Employ strategies (such as context clues) to understand unfamiliar words in text
o Identify cause and effect
o Compare and contrast topics, books, characters, etc.
o Synthesize information
o Write a summary of important ideas
o Identify text features
o Utilize text features to gather information
o Summarize a current event using Who, What, Where, When, Why and How
o Continue to work in partnership with teacher to set and monitor reading and
fluency goals based on assessment evidence
WRITING-Part 1: Informational
Duration: January
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Writing Instruction:
1.4.5. A,B,C
1.5.5. A, B,C,D,E,F,G
Types of Writing
Quality of Writing
Essential Questions:
How does using a dedicated Writer’s Notebook to collect and draft ideas help me
improve my writing?
How can I use the writing process to express my ideas and create a well-organized
informational writing piece?
What are the elements of informational writing, and how do I include these elements
when I write?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Writers gather topics of interest for research
o The perfect paragraph has a topic sentence, key ideas, details, and a conclusion. A
paragraph can be expanded as necessary with additional key ideas and details.
o Informational essays require research as part of the prewriting phase.
o The informational essay has particular elements to consider when writing that
make it different from a story or personal narrative. These elements include:
Introduction
• focusing sentence
Body paragraphs(at least 3)
• supporting details
• transitions
Conclusion
• refers back to introduction
o Research requires gathering information from a variety of sources that should be
cited properly.
o There is a difference between facts and opinions.
o There are many different types of informational essays such as letters, how-to,
research reports, descriptions, compare and contrast essays, problem/solution
essay, etc.
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Write and publish a variety of informational essays including a How to report,
compare and contrast essay, problem/solution essay, and a research report on a
famous historical figure
o Follow step by step process for successful completion of Wax Museum tasks
o Research to answer an essential question on a topic
o Identify key ideas from reading and take appropriate notes
o Cite sources as needed to give proper credit to author
o Use graphic organizers to organize thoughts and ideas
o Create 5 paragraph essay with proper transitions and well developed word choice
o Receive a variety of prompts, identify a type of informational essay, plan and
write according
o Show cause and effect within writing
o Use expository text structures in writing
o Summarize a current event
o Create a reaction and response to current events
o Use a Writer’s Notebook to respond to journal prompts, store future writing ideas,
and create writing drafts
o Use mentor texts to guide their writing and stimulate creative ideas to write about
independently
o Continue to write and publish stories based on topics that interest them
o Edit and revise work
WRITING- Part 2: Persuasive
Duration: February-March
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Writing Instruction:
1.4.5. A,B,C
1.5.5. A, B,C,D,E,F,G
Types of Writing
Quality of Writing
Essential Questions:
How does using a dedicated Writer’s Notebook to collect and draft ideas help me
improve my writing?
How can I use the writing process to express my ideas and create a well organized
persuasive writing piece?
What are the elements of persuasive writing, and how do I include these elements when I
write in order to persuade the reader?
How can I present a position for debate in my writing?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Good writers are reflective. They identify strengths and areas of improvement to
work on as they craft a piece.
o Persuasive essays require research as part of the prewriting phase.
o Persuasive writing tries to convince or persuade the reader of the author’s point of
view.
o The persuasive essay has similar features to the informational essay. However,
there are some differences that make this mode different. These elements include:
Introduction
• focusing statement that states opinion
Body paragraphs(at least 3)
• opinion is supported by three reasons and supporting details
• transitions
Conclusion
• refers back to introduction and restates opinion or proposes action
o In addition, there are other elements in persuasive writing:
Often uses repetition
Emphasis on key words by underlining or using “!”
Asks the reader a question within text
Appeals to emotions
Bandwagon technique
Testimonials
Research statistic
o There is a difference between facts and opinions.
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Read a prompt, identify it as a persuasive essay; plan, write, and revise
accordingly
o State opinion and support the opinion with three detailed reasons
o Experiment with the type of specific language and style specific to persuasion to
make their writing more powerful
o Use graphic organizers to organize writing
o Participate in a debate that will give them the opportunity to practice the power of
persuasion on a single topic
o Provide accurate information to support opinion
o Use a Writer’s Notebook to respond to journal prompts, store future writing ideas,
and create writing drafts
o Use mentor texts to guide their writing and stimulate creative ideas to write about
independently
o Continue to write and publish stories based on topics that interest them
o Edit and revise work
Unit 4: Synthesizing and Reflecting On Our Lives as Readers and Writers
Duration: April - June
Unit Overview:
The central focus of this unit is on informational writing as well as reading a variety of
informational texts. During Reader’s Workshop, students are exposed to a wide range of
expository text that allows them to listen, discuss with peers and also write about the important
facts gathered on the subject at hand. Instruction focuses on drawing the reader’s attention to
text features, text structures, text organization, use of language and how the information is
presented. Students have an opportunity to reflect on their lives as readers. A wide range of
text are reintroduced so that students can synthesize reading strategies. In Writer’s Workshop
students continue to write informational text and have time to complete works from other genres.
Students present a famous American in the Wax Museum to both parents and fellow students.
The year culminates with students reflecting on their journey as both writers and readers before
they depart for the middle school.
Reading and Writing Content Vocabulary:
alliteration, antonym, cause, compare, conferring, content, conventions, craft, contrast, details,
determining importance, edits, effect, fact, fiction, figurative language, fluency, focus, genre,
inference, making connections, making inferences, mentor text, non-fiction, note-taking,
organization, personification, point of view, predictions, publishing, questioning, research,
resource, revise, rhyme, rhythm, simile, style, summarize, synonym, text features, text structure,
topic, visualizing, word choice, metaphor, onomatopoeia, mood, theme, bias, opinion
READING
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Reading Instruction:
1.1.3.A,B,C,D,E,F,G, H
1.2.3. A,B,C
1.3.3. A, B,C,D, E, F
1.6.3. A,B,C,D,E,F
Essential Questions:
What do good readers do?
Learn to Read Independently
Reading Critically in All Content Areas
Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature
Speaking and Listening
What comprehension strategies should I use when reading fiction or nonfiction text?
What are the specific characteristics of fiction or nonfiction texts that I should recognize
and understand?
How have I improved as a reader?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Good readers are able to read text and distinguish between main ideas and
supporting information.
o Understanding how to locate main ideas can help a reader summarize text.
o As a critical reader one can form opinions and make judgments based on the
information presented by the author.
o Making inferences is reading the text and interpreting it on a deeper level. It
requires specific reference to the text coupled with schema that the reader knows.
o Informational texts not only have specific text features that have the purpose of
organizing and explaining information, but also has specific text structures.
Problem/ solution
Sequence
Cause and effect
Compare and contrast
Concept definition
Chronological
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Respond to texts in writing
o Listen to a shared text, read a text, and employ discussion practices to share
thoughts with partner, small group, or class.
o Utilize a wide range of self-monitoring strategies while reading
o Make connections to self, world, and to other texts
o Visualize the text by creating mental pictures while reading
o Identify essential ideas of text to summarize information
o Read and identify important information within a body of text to make or adjust
predictions and draw conclusions
o Move beyond literal meaning of text to make inferences by combining prior
knowledge with information noted in text
o Use questioning strategies to gather information from text
o Employ strategies (such as context clues) to understand unfamiliar words in text
o Identify cause and effect
o Compare and contrast topics, books, characters, etc.
o
o
o
o
o
Synthesize information
Write a summary of important ideas
Identify text features
Utilize text features to gather information
Read text and understand author’s purpose
WRITING
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Guiding Writing Instruction:
1.4.5. A,B,C
1.5.5. A, B,C,D,E,F,G
Types of Writing
Quality of Writing
Essential Questions:
How does using a dedicated Writer’s Notebook to collect and draft ideas help me
improve my writing?
How can I use the writing process to express my ideas and create a well-organized
writing piece in any genre?
What are the elements of the different writing genres, and how do I include these
elements when I write in each genre?
How does reflection help me understand myself as a learner and improve as a writer?
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
o Good writers are reflective. They identify strengths and areas of improvement to
work on as they craft a piece.
o We can use our knowledge of the different types of writing to explain creatively n
what we know about our content area learning.
o Informational writing focuses on a topic. Research and/or factual information is
presented to the reader to inform.
o Persuasive writing states an opinion on an issue and supports the opinion with
facts or an argument. It has specific language that persuades the reader to take the
same side of an issue.
o Narrative writing can either be a story or a personal narrative. It has a clear
beginning, middle, and end.
o The more we write, the better we become at writing.
Skills/Processes:
Students will be able to:
o Use a Writer’s Notebook to respond to journal prompts, store future writing ideas,
and create writing drafts
o Present a first person account of a famous American in Wax Museum
o Develop a 5 paragraph essay on a famous American and symbolically represent
this person’s life via a time capsule answering a research question
o Create a Pizza Box Portfolio of their best elementary school writing along with
reflections
o Use graphic organizers to organize writing
o Continue to write and publish stories based on topics that interest them
o Use mentor texts to guide their writing and stimulate creative ideas to write about
independently
Resources:
Making Meaning, Heinemann, 2008.
Step Up to Writing, Sopris West, 2003.
Guiding Readers and Writers, Fountas and Pinnell, 2011.
Grammar Workshop, Sadlier, Oxford, 2007.
Prepared September 2011-GC
Approved-chr