Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Essential Question
How can literature help us understand life experiences and the world around us?
Content/Academic Vocabulary
Alliteration
Characters
Exaggeration
Foreshadowing
Imagery
Metaphor
Point of View
Stereotypes
Author’s Purpose
Climax
Fiction/Nonfiction
Graphic Novels
Infer
Onomatopoeia
Resolution
Symbolism
Cause/Effect
Conflict
First/Third Person
Hyperbole
Inference
Parody
Setting
Theme
Characterization
Events
Flashback
Idiom
Irony
Personification
Simile
Tone
Focus Questions
What can I learn from making connections to characters and their experiences?
How does this reading experience affect what I am thinking?
What is the author’s purpose in writing this novel?
How does knowledge of story structure improve my reading comprehension?
What can I discover about myself through reading realistic fiction?
How do my actions reflect the historic era in which I live?
How do different characters’ points of view affect understanding a story?
In what way do graphic novels function differently as realistic fiction/fantasy?
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Student Outcomes
Think about what you want the student to know and be able to do.
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Identify story elements and how they work together.
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Comprehend texts in guided and independent reading with increasing text complexity (e.g., identify: cause/effect,
compare/contrast, drawing conclusions, and making inferences).
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Interpret literary terms and explain how they improve the author’s writing.
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Compare and contrast texts in various forms including written, audio, staged, or multimedia versions.
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Analyze texts to determine author’s purpose and meaning.
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Comprehend texts in guided and independent reading with increasing text complexity.
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Respond to independent reading through journal writing in a Response Journal that is assessed weekly.
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Engage effectively in a range of discussions where you develop logical arguments.
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Present findings learned from various texts in the form of oral presentations.
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Evaluate how visual and multi-media elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text.
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Design and share Q-Matrix questions, focusing on stem numbers 13 – 36, that correspond to assigned texts.
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Apply grade 5 reading standards to literature. (e.g., “Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or
drama drawing on specific details in the text.”)
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Write story events choosing language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely.
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Write opinion pieces expressing viewpoints of assigned texts.
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Write constructed responses to critical thinking questions, citing evidence from the text.
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
ELA Focus Standards:
Key Ideas and Details
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.3 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).
Craft and Structure
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall
structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are
described.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.7 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).
(RL.5.8 not applicable to literature)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure
stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.10 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.
Fluency
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.4a Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.4b Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and
expression.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.4c Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding,
rereading as necessary.
Comprehension and Collaboration
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1 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.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1a 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.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1b Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1c Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to
the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1d Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information
and knowledge gained from the discussions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.3 Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by
reasons and evidence.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.4 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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in
presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate
to task and situation.
Text Types and Purposes
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and
information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9a 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]”).
Phonics and Word Recognition
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.3a 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.
Suggested Works: Fiction/Realistic Fiction Grade 5 (Instructional Levels 3-6+)
(CC)-Common Core/Highly Recommended
97 Ways to Train A Dragon, Kate McMullan
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
A Boy Called Slow, Joseph Bruchac (CC)
A Long Way From Chicago, Richard Peck (CC)
A to Z Mysteries-The New Year Dragon Dilemma, Ron Roy
A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck (CC)
Absolutely Normal Chaos, Sharon Creech (CC)
Adam Canfield of the Slash, Michael Winerip (CC)
Afternoon of the Elves, Janet Taylor Lisle
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (Graphic Novel) (CC)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (CC)
Aliens Ate My Homework, Bruce Coville (CC)
Anything But Typical, Nora Raleigh Baskin (CC)
Baseball Fever, Johanna Hurwitz (CC)
Battle for the Castle, Elizabeth Winthrope (CC)
Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (CC)
Boxcar Children-Mystery in the Cave, Gertrude Chandler Warner
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (CC)
Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (CC)
Calendar Mysteries-May Magic, Ron Roy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ronald Roald (CC)
Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliett (CC)
Comeback Kids, Mike Lupica
Crazy Lady, Jane Leslie Conly
Dead Man in Indian Creek, Mary Downing Hahn (CC)
Doing Time Online, Jan Siebold
Dovey Coe, Frances O’Roark Dowell (CC)
Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I’m on My Way, Mom, Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan (CC)
Everything on a Waffle, Polly Horvath (CC)
Firegirl, Tony Abbott
Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures Mt. Rushmore, Jeff Brown
Flying Solo, Ralph Fletcher (CC)
Football Nightmare, Matt Christopher
Frindle, Andrew Clements (CC)
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Fudge-A-Mania, Judy Blume
Ghost Buddy-Zero to Hero, Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Green Glass Sea, Ellen Klages (CC)
Hank Zipzer: Day of Iguana, Henry Winkler
Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (CC)
Holes, Louis Sachar (CC)
How to Handle a Bully, Nancy Wilcox Richards
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Betty Lord (CC)
Inkheart, Cornelia Funke (CC)
Inkspell, Cornelia Funke (CC)
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O’Dell (CC)
James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (CC)
Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher, Bruce Coville (CC)
Joey Pigza Loses Control, Jack Gantos
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Jack Gantos (CC)
Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George (CC)
Lawn Boy, Gary Paulsen
Liar, Liar, Gary Paulsen
Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder (CC)
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Gary D. Schmidt (CC)
Loser, Jerry Spinelli
Lunch Money, Andrew Clements (CC)
M.C. Higgins, the Great, Virginia Hamliton (CC)
Manic Magee, Jerry Spinelli (CC)
Mick Harte Was Here, Barbara Park
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf, Jennifer L. Holm
Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry (CC)
Moon Runner, Carolyn Marsden (CC)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert O’Brien (CC)
Music of the Dolphins, Karen Hesse
My Louisiana Sky, Kimberly Willis Holt
My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George (CC)
Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Neil Armstrong is My Uncle, Nan Marino (CC)
No More Dead Dogs, Gordon Korman (CC)
No Talking, Andrew Clements (CC)
Nothing But the Truth, Avi (CC)
Number the Stars, Lowis Lowry (CC)
On My Honor, Marion Dane Bauer (CC)
Peter and the Star Catchers, Dave Barry (CC)
Pictures of Hollis Woods, Patricia Reilly Giff (CC)
Pinballs, Betsy Byars
Ragweed, Avi (CC)
Rapunzel’s Revenge, Shannon Hale (graphic novel) (CC)
Regarding the Fountain, Kate Klise (CC)
Replay, Sharon Creech (CC)
Room One, Andrew Clements (CC)
Rules, Cynthia Lord (CC)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, Eleanor Coerr (CC)
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, Wendelin Van Draanen (CC)
Savvy, Ingrid Law (CC)
Schooled, Gordon Korman (CC)
Secret Garden, Francis Hodgson Burnett (CC)
Shakespeare’s Secret, Elise Broach
Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (CC)
Shoeshine Girl, Clyde Robert Bulla (CC)
Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare (CC)
Smile, Raina Telgemeier (graphic novel) (CC)
Sounder, William H. Armstrong (CC)
Stand Tall, Joan Bauer
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
Surviving the Applewhites, Stephanie Tolan (CC)
Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo (CC)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume (CC)
Tangerine, Edward Bloor (CC)
The Batboy, Mike Lupica
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
The Black Stallion, Walter Farley (CC)
The Book of Elsewhere: Shadows, Jacqueline West
The Book Without Words, AVI
The Borrowers, Mary Norton (CC)
The Boy Who Saved Baseball, John R. Ritter
The Chalk Box Kid, Clyde Robert Bulla (CC)
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson (CC)
The Green Glass Sea, Ellen Klages (CC)
The Higher Power of Lucky, Susan Patron (CC)
The Indian and the Cupboard, Lynne Banks (CC)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick (CC)
The Jacket, Andrew Clements
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis (CC)
The Little Prince, Antoine DeSaint-Exupery (CC)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate DiCamillo (CC)
The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Stewart (CC)
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, Eric Berlin (CC)
The Report Card, Andrew Clements (CC)
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Tom Angleberger
The Thing About Georgie, Lisa Graff
The Underneath, Kathi Appelt (CC)
The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg (CC)
The War With Grandpa, Robert Kimmel Smith
The Witches of Worm, Zilpha Snyder (CC)
The World According to Humphrey, Betty Birney
Then Again Maybe I Won’t, Judy Blume (CC)
Time Warp Trio: The Knights of the Kitchen Table, Jon Scieszka
Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen
Travel Team, Mike Lupica (CC)
Trouble-Maker, Andrew Clements
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (CC)
Turtle in Paradise, Jennifer L. Holm
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech (CC)
Weasel, Cynthia Defleice
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (CC)
Wonder, RJ Palacio (CC)
Wringer, Jerry Spinelli (CC)
Yolanda’s Genius, Carol Fenner (CC)
Possible Assessments:
Formal AssessmentsMAP w/ Descartes
Special Ed Probes
PSSA
DRA
Summative AssessmentsDiscussion/Group Participation
Self/Teacher Assessment Guided Reading Participation
Weekly Response Journals tied to Independent Reading
Focus Skills
End of Book Tests
Q-Matrix
Constructed Reponses
Story Elements
Charting Organizational Constructs
Vocabulary (Shared/Guided Reading)
Words Their Way Assessments
Making Meaning Assessments
Writing Pieces using Common Core Writing Standards
Oral/Slate Assessment
Teacher Created Rubric (Rubistar)
Culminating Book Projects
Literature Studies
Grade 5
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature