English Language Arts — Grade 5

Civil War Tribune

This lesson focuses on student creativity along with the writing process. Art is also incorporated in a unique way. Students will use their research skills to complete a creative writing project on the Civil War.

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

By Aimee Adkins.

Clarification Writing-What Could I Add to the NC Zoo

Students will apply their knowledge of clarification writing and address "What Animal or Plant Would You Add to the NC Zoo." Students must research their plant or animal to determine if the zoo ecosystem could support the species. In addition, the student must provide reasons and explanations to support their choice. This is a follow-up activity to a unit of study on ecosystems/biomes.

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

By Connie Johnson.

Comparing Governments - International

This lesson focuses on comparing and contrasting national governments in North America and/or Central America. It is the second in a sequence, the first being "Comparing Governments - Local, State, and National" by Tami Weaver and Wendy Pineda, also on the Learn NC website.

This plan could be easily adapted for eighth grade or high school ESL students.

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

By Tami Weaver and Wendy Pineda.

Descriptive Writing Using Landscape Scenes

This lesson focuses on the descriptive writing process through the use of landscape scenes, the Paragraph Writing Strategy from the University of Kansas Institute for Research in Learning, and the 4MAT Instructional Model.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–7 English Language Arts)

By Rosemary Reichstetter.

Exploring the Everglades

After reading the book, Everglades, by Jean Craighead George, students will apply basic Internet navigation and computer skills to complete a scavenger hunt about the Everglades. As a culmination activity, students will use a word processing program to type a paragraph detailing what they have learned about the Everglades.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Information Skills, English Language Arts, Social Studies, Computer Technology Skills, and Science)

By Debbie Fox.

George Washington's Obituary

The following lesson will introduce students to the research process--formulating questions, choosing resources, fact finding, and note-taking. After completing their research, they will write a short obituary for George Washington. Activities will integrate Reading, Language, Social Studies, Writing, and Computer Skills.

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

By Kathy Blades.

Letters Home

Students will write letters "home" taking on the role of one of the sons of the "Gold Star Mothers" from Union County, NC.

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

By Meg Millard and Pamela Webb.

Narrowing the Focus: What's the Main Event?

In this lesson, students will learn how to narrow the focus of their personal narrative down to one main event by selecting a more specific title. Good stories are focused on one topic or main event. The reader should be able to tell the most important thing that the story is about. Instead of writing a story about a whole vacation that describes many events, it is a good strategy to write a story about one thing that happened on the vacation-one main event.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–5 English Language Arts)

By DPI Writing Strategies.

Simple: Now compound (post-visit)

This lesson focuses on the process of combining two or more simple machines to form a compound machine. It is the third in a sequence of lessons on machines. The others are Lesson 1: Let's make it simple (pre-visit) and Lesson 2: Make it simple: Now find it(museum visit).

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

By Becky Robinson.

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, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Krista Hannah.

Super Sportswriters' Camp

Students will identify the parts of a newspaper sports article in order to plan and write their own sports article.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

By Christina O'Connor.

Where Do I Begin?

Picking a good beginning helps you to focus your story on just one main event. In this lesson students will learn how to pick a good beginning for their personal narratives.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–5 English Language Arts)

By DPI Writing Strategies.

You Can't Tell It All!: Narrowing the Focus of Personal Narratives

Students will learn to focus their personal narratives on just one main event by listing events on a topic and identifying one main event to write about. Focusing their personal narratives on one main event helps students to write about only the important things and leave out events and details that are not related to the main event.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–5 English Language Arts)

By DPI Writing Strategies.

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

Can you convince me?: Developing persuasive writing

Students are engaged in developing their skills of persuasion in a classroom game that introduces students to the basic concepts of lobbying for something that is important to them (or that they want) and making persuasive arguments. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Color Poems--Using the Five Senses to Guide Prewriting

Students use their five senses as a prewriting tool to guide their poetry writing. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Comics in the classroom as an introduction to genre study

Students explore a variety of comic strips and discuss the different components and conventions of them. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Comics in the classroom as an introduction to narrative structure

Students examine the plot and narrative structure of a story through the use of comic strip frames. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Creating a classroom newspaper

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 4–5 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Creating classroom community by crafting themed poetry collections

Students create poetry collections with a back-to-school theme of “getting to know each other.” (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE