English Language Arts — Grade 5

Resources on the web

A world of myths

In this lesson from ARTSEDGE, students explore how myths help to explain nature and science. Students read, discuss, and respond in writing to a variety of myths. They then create a graphic representation of one of those myths. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Shaquille O'Neal: Using a basketball star to motivate readers

Using a book written by a celebrity like Shaquille O'Neal can help motivate reluctant readers and spark their interest in reading. In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students read Shaq and the Beanstalk and compare and contrast it with the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

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

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

Looking for the history in historical fiction: An epidemic for reading

This lesson from ReadWriteThink helps students better understand the genre of historical fiction and its uses in understanding history. Students read historical fiction on a particular topic, and then research nonfiction information on the same topic. They... (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

Literature as a catalyst for social action: Breaking barriers, building bridges

In this lesson, picture books challenge students to confront the injustice of social barriers that separate human beings from one another and to examine the role of prejudice and stereotypes in sustaining these barriers. During this lesson, students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Leading to great places in the elementary classroom

The lead of a story is the beginning, and yet it can be the end if the reader is not entranced immediately. This lesson from ReadWriteThink examines types of leads in promininent children's literature and asks students to try their own hand at writing leads.... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

Guided comprehension: Making connections using a double-entry journal

Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of making connections. Students learn the three types of connections (text-to-text,... (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

Flying to freedom: "Tar Beach and the People Could Fly"

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students explore themes of liberation and racism as they examine the connections, as well as the disjunctions, between two award-winning multicultural children's books. By examining the relationship between two different... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Fables and trickster tales around the world

This lesson plan from EDSITEment introduces students to folktales, such as fables and trickster tales, from around the world. Students become familiar with different folklore traditions and genres, as well as the process of the oral transmission of culture... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Cinderella folk tales: Variations in plot and setting

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students compare and contrast several versions of Cinderella stories told around the world to find differences and similarities in plot and setting. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Cinderella folk tales: Variations in character

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students compare and contrast several versions of Cinderella stories told around the world to find differences and similarities in character traits. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Children of war

This ARTSEDGE lesson explores the realities and effects of war on children by examining diaries, journals, and letters written by children during times of war. Through class discussion and studying various texts of actual events, students examine the similarities... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Theater Arts Education)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Bridging literature and mathematics by visualizing mathematical concepts

During interactive read-aloud sessions that explore Actual Size and If You Hopped Like a Frog, students identify and analyze elements of author’s craft in conveying mathematical information... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Biographies: Creating timelines of a life

Studying biographies is of interest and value to young learners. This lesson from ReadWriteThink supports students' exploration of sources to create a timeline about the life of a person. The experience requires students work together and research and resolve... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Behind the scenes with Cinderella

This lesson from ReadWriteThink begins by having students compare a version of the Cinderella folk tale from France with a version from the United States to help students make connections between the characters, setting, and plot. The lesson then focuses... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink