English Language Arts — Grade 5

Simplicity: A literature-based Paideia seminar

Students will apply their knowledge of how developments in the history of the United States, as well as the world, can impact the lives of people today. The lesson is based on the picture book entitled The Simple People, written by Tedd Arnold and illustrated by Andrew Shachat. (Summary: The simple people enjoy the simple life until one of the character's inventions is used to make life more complicated. As a result, everyone forgets the simple things in life.) After a Paideia seminar discussing the book, students will select a modern invention, research the history of its development and how it impacts society, and create a multi-media presentation.

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

By Krista Hannah.

North Carolina Cherokee Indians: The Trail of Tears

In this two week unit, students will study the Cherokee by participating in literature circles, learning about Native American story telling, writing a letter to Andrew Jackson to protest against the Creek War, and more.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Gina Golden.

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.

Resources on the web

What was Columbus thinking?

Students reflect on the motivations behind Columbus's explorations, his reactions to what he found and the consequences, intended and unintended, of his endeavor. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Storytelling in the social studies classroom

In this lesson, students tell stories about their personal experiences, explore the character traits that promote democratic ideals, tell stories about family members who exemplify these traits and research famous Americans. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Poetry: A feast to form fluent readers

Students examine elements of fluent reading through oral poetry performance. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Peer review: Narrative

Student response to a peer's draft during response groups is often vague and ineffective. This ReadWriteThink lesson describes the PQP technique (Praise-Question-Polish) which requires group members to take a turn reading their drafts aloud as the other... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

One if by land, and two if by sea!

This Xpeditions lesson introduces students to various places associated with the American Revolutionary War. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Geographic

Once upon a time rethought: Writing fractured fairy tales

In this lesson, students use the characteristics of a known tale and change one literary elements to create a new, fractured fairy tale, which includes a different set of characters, has a new setting, or includes a changed conflict or resolution. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

On the Oregon Trail

Students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Learning about research and writing using the American Revolution

In this lesson that combines historical research and acrostic poetry, students use prior knowledge about the American Revolution to guide their research interests. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Landmark: The United States Capitol Building

This is set of three lesson plans exploring what makes the U.S. Capitol symbolically important. Presented with a variety of archival documents, students answer that question by working in small groups to uncover and share the Capitol's story. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

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 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Great American inventors: Using nonfiction to learn about technology inventions

In this lesson, students read about American inventors and gather and present information in the form of a PowerPoint slideshow. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Elements of folktales

Students explore the common elements of folktales and tall tales while learning how these tales built the spirit of American people. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Cyberspace explorer: Getting to know Christopher Columbus

This lesson supports the exploration of multiple online sources to gather information about the life of a well-known explorer, Christopher Columbus. Extension activities promote critical literacy by exposing students to Columbus from the perspective of the... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Biographies: Creating timelines of a life

Students study biographies and create a timeline about the life of a person. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Balancing three branches at once: Our system of checks and balances

Students use primary source documents to investigate how the three branches of the American government can check each other. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Alter egos and more with Avi's "Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?"

After reading Avi's Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?, students learn about the history of radio shows, examine scripts, and write their own radio show similar to the scenarios that the characters, Frankie and Mario, perform. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Alaska Native stories: Using narrative to introduce expository text

This lesson uses traditional stories of the Native peoples (i.e., narrative text) to introduce students to the study of animals in Alaska. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE