Overview

The fifth grade units assume students have been working in a reading workshop structure for a number of years. This series of units builds on the students’ knowledge of character study from previous units and increases their reading work to develop agency and independence. The work with character study deepens their inferring of characters’ motivation/s and encourages students to interpret across texts by analyzing characters. Students develop theories about characters and use the text to support their ideas. They also move from inference to interpretation and pay close attention to recurring themes in the texts. As the Common Core State Standards suggests, students need to be skilled readers of nonfiction which is also a focus of these units.

Rationale

The Common Core State Standards expect students to be able to read more deeply, with understanding, as they progress through school. Building on the teaching and learning in previous years, the fifth grade course, as indicated in the overview, helps students learn strategies for stepping inside and outside of the text to grow theories about their characters, pay attention to recurring themes in the text and see these recurring details as pivotal to understanding a text. Through reflecting on stories and their own learning, readers deepen their understanding. Readers also need stamina and the ability to monitor their reading and set individual goals so that they see themselves as competent readers. This will support their continued growth as they transition to middle school. With the increased use of informational texts, the units support students learn how to determine importance and synthesize within and across informational texts, as well as understand how informational texts are organized. Fifth grade social studies and science content is also suggested as a focus in text content for mini-lesson demonstrations.

Scope and Sequence

Careful thought has been given to the order in which the fifth grade units are presented. The units are designed to build reading skills and strategies as well as habits of mind and experiences for future success in reading. As a result, certain scaffolds have been created based on this order and schools should take care in moving units from their intended placement in the curriculum. It is always important for teachers to adapt this curriculum in ways that benefit their classroom.

Alignment

The fifth grade course is designed to meet the Common Core State Standards for Reading Literature and Informational Text. The work done in this course is primarily designed to meet the Common Core State Standards in reading however, some of the speaking and listening standards as well as the foundational skills standards are delivered in this course. The work done throughout this fifth grade course not only aligns with the CCSS but is designed to prepare fifth graders for the work ahead in sixth grade.