English Language Arts — Grade 5

Civil Rights Wax Museum Project

In this lesson plan, students will choose African Americans prominent in the Civil Rights Movement and research aspects of their lives. They will create timelines of their subjects' lives and a speech about their subjects, emphasizing why they are remembered today.

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

By Sabrina Lewandowski.

Survival/Abel's Island/Segment 1 of Novel Unit, 8 activities

This is the first segment of a literature study on the book "Abel's Island" by William Steig. This unit is centered around the concept of survival. The instruction involves the student in analysis of all that is involved in what we simply term "survival". It prepares students for situations in their real worlds that are symbolized by events in the novel as well as hopefully increasing their understanding and ability to analyze these situations, break them down and make logical decisions supported by evidence and higher level thinking skills.

This unit is especially appropriate for gifted students, using different models (Bloom, Bruner, Kohlberg) in the lesson formats. It contains intense analysis of passages from the novel and questioning strategies that pull the students into a higher realm of thinking and reasoning.

This first lesson is a combination of an introduction to natural disasters (which is the first major conflict in the book), the start of a diary and analysis of a passage.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

By Courtney Pickett.

WOLVES: Comprehending Informational Texts

This integrated plan uses non-fiction text and wolves to motivate students with language arts and science. Students will read a nonfiction text and use metacognitive skills of guided reading and KWHL chart to monitor comprehension and extend vocabulary.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts and Computer Technology Skills)

By Amy Vance.

Lesson plans on the web

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)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Behind the scenes with Cinderella

Students use literature and the Internet to research and learn about the geography, architecture, and weather that are associated with the setting of Moss Gown. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Engaging students in a collaborative exploration of the “Gettysburg Address”

This lesson invites groups of students to learn more about the historical significance of President Abraham Lincoln's famous speech, the “Gettysburg Address” as well as the time period and people involved. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Exploring world cultures through folk tales

This lesson helps foster an atmosphere of inquiry and appreciation for other cultures as students learn about and read various folk tales from around the world. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Get the reel scoop: Comparing books to movies

In this lesson, students compare and contrast books with their movie counterparts. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–8 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Go west: Imagining the Oregon Trail

Students compare imagined travel experiences of their own with the actual experiences of 19th-century pioneers. (Learn more)

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

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

Good food, good health

Students use Internet resources to explore ways in which food provides energy and materials for their bodies. (Learn more)

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

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Got Broccoli?

Students are asked to look critically at the advertising claims of foods they eat, recognizing those that ascribe unrealistic, emotional, or psychological benefits to foods, rather than nutritional benefits. (Learn more)

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

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Historical fiction: Using literature to learn about the Civil War

Students use a book from The American Girls Collection® to learn about the characteristics of historical fiction and slavery during the Civil War. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

How big are "Martin's Big Words"? Thinking big about the future

Using Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as other resources, students explore diction used by Dr. King and compose a reflective writing piece. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

It came from Greek mythology

Students study basic plots of three Greek myths and discuss three types of themes in Greek myths. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–6 Information Skills, English Language Arts, Theatre Arts Education, and Social Studies)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

Jamestown changes

Students 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. (Learn more)

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

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

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 Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Visual Arts Education)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

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

In this lesson, picture books are used to invite students to engage in critical discussion of complex issues of race, class, and gender. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Native Americans today

In this lesson, teachers use children's nonfiction books and the Internet to help their students develop accurate, substantive information about Native American people in the present day. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Not "Indians," Many Tribes: Native American Diversity

Students will heighten their awareness of Native American diversity as they learn about three vastly different Native groups in a game-like activity using archival documents such as vintage photographs, traditional stories, photos of artifacts, and recipes. (Learn more)

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

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

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)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities