English Language Arts — Grade 5

Description as mind control: Using details to help readers visualize your story

Good writers help their readers visualize their stories by including vivid details. Students will listen to passages from Gary Paulsen's novel Hatchet, draw one of the images from the passage, and identify which details Paulsen uses to create these images.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

By DPI Writing Strategies.

Resources on the web

Writing Poetry Like Pros

This set of four lesson plans from EDSITEment utilizes poetry to serve as the inspiration for some terrific writing. Using poems available through EDSITEment resources, educators can make poetry an exciting teaching and learning tool in the classroom. ... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Writing ABC books to enhance reading comprehension

After reading a piece of literature, students explore the text, searching for literary elements such as characters, setting, figures of speech, and themes. They use the alphabet to organize their findings and publish their work in ABC books, using the Alphabet... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

What's in a mystery? Exploring and identifying mystery elements

This lesson teaches students about plot structure, character, and setting through an exploration of mystery books. Prior to reading a mystery book to the class, the teacher engages students in a brainstorming activity about the characteristics of the mystery... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

What makes poetry? Exploring line breaks

In this lesson, students read several poems and experiment with line breaks and how they affect rhythm, sound, meaning, appearance, and can substitute for punctuation in poetry. After students brainstorm and discuss characteristics of poetry, they look... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using picture books to teach setting development in writing workshop

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students examine the craft of developing the setting of a story through focused experiences with picture books. Students carefully analyze setting portrayal using the text and illustrations as cues, and tools including... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using picture books to teach plot development and conflict resolution

In this lesson, students examine story books as an introduction to plot and conflict. After students have a working definition of conflict in literature, they identify the conflict in several children’s books. Then, as a class, students present the conflict... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using picture books to teach characterization in writing workshop

The teacher introduces this activity with a mini-lesson on how to revise a piece of writing. Through the careful analysis of character portrayal and the use of online tools such as the ReadWriteThink Story Map, students work in collaborative groups to identify... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Words and Pictures

In this EDSITEment lesson, the second of a two-part curriculum unit on Rudyard Kipling's story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” students demonstrate comprehension of plot events and character motivations, describe the author's purpose and evaluate the techniques... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Fact and Fiction

In this EDSITEment lesson, the first of a two-part curriculum unit on Rudyard Kipling, students identify key events in Kipling's life and describe their effect on his story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” (part of The Jungle Book). Students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Question and answer books—From genre study to report writing

Students explore question and answer books in this lesson to determine how the format and content of this genre is different from narrative texts. After the teacher finishes a read-aloud of two question and answer books that are different in content, students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Poetry: A feast to form fluent readers

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students examine elements of fluent reading through oral poetry performance. They use the Internet to identify a poem to prepare and perform for the class. The main objective of this lesson concerns improving fluency. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Poetry from prose

Students compose found and parallel poems based on a descriptive passage they have chosen from a piece of literature they are reading. First, students work in small groups to brainstorm a list of words and phrases about a common object. Then students arrange... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Planning story characters using interactive trading cards

Using an online character trading cards tool, students explore the author's use of characterization. After activating students’ prior knowledge about character development, the teacher introduces students to the topic using trading cards. Following an... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Once upon a time rethought: Writing fractured fairy tales

Students listen to fairy tales, identify common characteristics, and select a fairy tale to be re-written in this lesson. After a discussion of familiar fairy tales and the elements that are required for a story to be a part of this genre, students group... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

The magical world of Russian fairy tales

This EDSITEment lesson focuses on several imaginative and exciting Russian fairy tales. Students review some of the common fairy tale elements that are present within these stories, which also may remind them of more familiar European fairy tales. Students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Literature Circles: Getting started

This lesson serves as an introduction to the use of literature circles in the elementary classroom. Readwritethink offers a workshop-style lesson and a tool-kit for teachers who are using this collaborative reading strategy for the first time. Students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Literature as a jumping off point for nonfiction inquiry

Students explore the topic of water in this lesson that is conducted after reading Tuck Everlasting. After reading the book, students discuss examples of the themes that are present in the book. Then, the teacher challenges... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Let freedom ring: The life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Students listen to a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., view photographs of the March on Washington, and study King's use of imagery and allusion in his “I Have a Dream” speech. After studying King's use of imagery and allusion, they create... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Information Skills)

Provided by: EDSITEment

It came from Greek mythology

This page contains six EDSITEment lessons based around teaching Greek mythology. Students will study basic plots of three Greek myths and discuss three types of themes in Greek myths. They will also explore contemporary uses of terms from Greek mythology... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment