English Language Arts — Grade 5

Nature's checks and balances

This unit introduces students to several essential understandings. They will learn that plants and animals depend on one another for survival and organisms interact within nature to create a balance. They will also learn that humans can influence and manipulate nature.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts and Science)

By Nicolette Heise.

Jackie Robinson taught us more than baseball

After determining student knowledge about Jackie Robinson, the teacher/counselor reads "Teammates" by Peter Golenbock to fifth graders. The teacher/counselor then divides students into four groups to work cooperatively on questions. Groups select leaders and recorders and each group leader presents answers to the whole class. The teacher/counselor ends the activity with a question that individual students will respond to in writing.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 English Language Arts, Guidance, and Social Studies)

By Jan Huggins.

Comparing/contrasting characters: A Taste of Blackberries

This lesson is designed to use with Chapter 1 of the novel A Taste of Blackberries. Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two main characters and then relate the material to their own lives.

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

By Denise Caudle.

Resources on the web

We must not be enemies: Lincoln's first inaugural address

The focus for this EDSITEment lesson plan unit is on the address given by Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration as U.S. President. His address reflected contemporary events and set the tone for his presidency. This series of lesson plans aims to help... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Using timeline games and Mexican history to improve comprehension

This lesson offers teachers a step-by-step plan for using interactive technology to explore Mexican History. Teachers model comprehension skills to help students identify major historical events and put them in a logical order. After conducting online research... (Learn more)

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

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

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

On the Oregon Trail

In this lesson, students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. The goals of this lesson are: to learn about the pioneer experience on the Oregon Trail to... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Jamestown changes

In this lesson, students will study census data showing the names and occupations of early settlers of the English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, to discern how life changed in the Jamestown settlement in the first few years after it was founded. The... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Investigating junk mail: Negotiating critical literacy at the mailbox

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students learn to think about and question texts in ways that develop their analytical capacities and critical reading practices by investigating junk mail. To become critical consumers, students must develop the ability to... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

I'm gonna sit right down and write someone a letter

Through the vast online resources available from EDSITEment, you and your students can read the correspondence of the famous, the infamous and the ordinary, some of whom lived through extraordinary times. Use these fascinating letters as a starting point... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

I do solemnly swear: Presidential inaugurations

Presidential inaugurations have been solemn ceremonies and uninhibited celebrations. They are carefully scripted and they are unpredictable. They reflect tradition and they reflect the moment. This unit from EDSITEment, consisting of five lesson plans,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

How-to writing: Motivating students to write for a real purpose

In this activity, third grade students participate in a “how-to” writing assignment and focus on the importance of audience. The teacher introduces the genre of writing by engaging students in an activity where they scan instruction manuals... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Get the reel scoop: Comparing books to movies

In this lesson, students compare and contrast books with their movie counterparts and learn to think critically about different forms of media. After the class reads a novel, the teacher activates prior knowledge about books that have been turned into movies.... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Genre study: A collaborative approach

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students experience and develop interest in literature, which includes multicultural, gender, and ethnic diversity. After identifying literary elements, students improve comprehension by interpreting, analyzing, synthesizing,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Exploring the subtext strategy: Thinking beyond the text

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students take the perspectives of various characters in a story and think beyond the written text. Students act as the assigned characters and speak aloud, expressing their interpretations of the characters' thoughts and feelings... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Elements of folktales

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students explore the common elements of folktales and tall tales while learning how these tales built the spirit of American people. Students read traditional folktales and view filmed versions of those stories. They discuss the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–8 English Language Arts and Theater Arts Education)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Creating classroom community by crafting themed poetry collections

In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students create poetry collections with a back-to-school theme of “getting to know each other.” Students write poetry with the goal of introducing themselves, helping to create a sense of classroom community,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Creating a classroom newspaper

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students write authentic newspaper stories. Various aspects of newspapers are covered, including parts of a newspaper, writing an article, online newspapers, newspaper reading habits, and layout and design techniques. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Composing cinquain poems with basic parts of speech

After learning about the parts of speech, students explore the cinquain poem, a type of poetry that uses nouns, verbs, and adjectives in a specific order. Students evaluate several sample cinquain poems for structure and similar characteristics. Using a... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink