English Language Arts & Literacy
In ELA (English Language Arts), we study and learn to use the English Language skillfully, both orally and in writing. We target all strands of skilled reading, ensuring that students have developed strong, automatic word recognition skills while working to build increasingly strategic language comprehension skills. Our areas of focus are vocabulary, language structures such as syntax and semantics, verbal reasoning such as inferencing and making sense of figurative language, text structure and genre knowledge, and general knowledge of the world. In writing, we write about the content we study while developing our critical thinking and writer's craft. We ensure that foundational skills of handwriting, spelling, and basic sentence construction are in place and build from there. We learn to use complex sentences, paragraphs, and text structures, precise and descriptive vocabulary, and effective linking and transition words. Students learn to tailor their writing for the task, audience, and purpose.
We infuse the Language Arts standards below into all content areas, even math!
We infuse the Language Arts standards below into all content areas, even math!
5th Grade English Language Arts Frameworks
Below are the Massachusetts English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks for fifth grade. You can download the full English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks here.
Reading Literature: Fiction, Poetry, Drama (RL)
Key Ideas and Details
1. Quote or paraphrase a text accurately when explaining what the text states explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
3. Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text; identify and explain the effects of figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
5. Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described in a story, myth, poem, or drama.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
8. Not applicable for Literature (only Informational).
9. Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Independently and proficiently read and comprehend literary texts representing a variety of genres, cultures, and perspectives and exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 5.
1. Quote or paraphrase a text accurately when explaining what the text states explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
3. Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text; identify and explain the effects of figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
5. Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described in a story, myth, poem, or drama.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
8. Not applicable for Literature (only Informational).
9. Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Independently and proficiently read and comprehend literary texts representing a variety of genres, cultures, and perspectives and exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 5.
Reading Informational Texts (RI)
Key Ideas and Details
1. Quote or paraphrase a text accurately when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
2. Determine one or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize a text.
3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, mathematical, or technical texts based on specific information in the text.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
5. Describe how an author uses one or more structures (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) to present information in a text.
6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Independently and proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, mathematical, and technical texts, exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 5.
1. Quote or paraphrase a text accurately when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
2. Determine one or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize a text.
3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, mathematical, or technical texts based on specific information in the text.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
5. Describe how an author uses one or more structures (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) to present information in a text.
6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Independently and proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, mathematical, and technical texts, exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 5.
Foundational Reading Skills (RF)
Phonics and Word Recognition*
3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
- Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
- Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Writing (W)
Text Types and Purposes
1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support written analysis, reflection, and research, applying one or more grade 5 standards for Reading Literature or Reading Informational Text as needed.
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline- specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
- Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped in paragraphs and sections to support the writer’s purpose.
- Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
- Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
- Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
- Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically in paragraphs and sections; include text features (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
- Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
- Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).
- Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
- Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
- Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a speaker, narrator, and/or characters; organize an appropriate narrative sequence.
- Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, and pacing to develop experiences or events or show responses to situations.
- Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage sequence.
- Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences or events precisely.
- Provide a sense of closure appropriate to the narrated experiences or events.
- For prose narratives, draw on characteristics of traditional or modern genres (e.g., tall tales, myths, mysteries, fantasies, historical fiction) from diverse cultures as models for writing. (See grade 5 Reading Literature standard 9.)
- For poems, draw on characteristics of traditional poetic forms (e.g., ballads, couplets) or modern free verse from diverse cultures as models for writing.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
- Demonstrate command of standard English conventions (as described in Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 5).
- Demonstrate the ability to use general academic and domain-specific vocabulary appropriately (as described in Language standards 4–6 up to and including grade 5).
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support written analysis, reflection, and research, applying one or more grade 5 standards for Reading Literature or Reading Informational Text as needed.
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline- specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language (L)
Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; retain and further develop language skills learned in previous grades. (See grade 5 Writing standard 5 and Speaking and Listening standard 6 on strengthening writing and presentations by applying knowledge of conventions.)
Sentence Structure and Meaning
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; retain and further develop language skills learned in previous grades. (See grade 5 Writing standard 5 and Speaking and Listening standard 6 on strengthening writing and presentations by applying knowledge of conventions.)
Sentence Structure and Meaning
- Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions, choosing among verb tenses depending on the overall meaning of the sentence.
- Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
- Use active and passive verbs, choosing between them depending on the overall meaning of the sentence.
- Form and use perfect verb tenses.
- Write legibly and fluently by hand, using either print or cursive handwriting; write their given and family name signature in cursive.
- Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
- Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence.
- Use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence (e.g., It’s true, isn’t it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you, Steve?).
- Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.
- Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
- Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
- Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
- Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
- Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
- Recognize and use appropriately abbreviations related to grade-level content or common in everyday life, including abbreviations derived from words or phrases in other languages (e.g., lb., oz., etc.).
- Recognize and use appropriately symbols related to grade-level content or common in everyday life, including symbols with multiple meanings (e.g., parentheses in mathematics and in writing, ° to measure angles and temperature).
- Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
- Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
- Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.
Discussion: Speaking and Listening Skills (SL)
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
3. Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Report on a topic, text, procedure, or solution to a mathematical problem, or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace and use appropriate vocabulary.
5. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
- Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
- Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
- Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.
3. Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Report on a topic, text, procedure, or solution to a mathematical problem, or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace and use appropriate vocabulary.
5. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
Students who meet the standards readily undertake the close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying complex works of literature. They habitually perform the critical reading necessary to navigate the staggering amount of information available today both in print and digitally. They actively seek the wide, deep, and thoughtful engagement with high-quality literary and informational texts that builds knowledge, enlarges experience, and broadens worldviews. They reflexively demonstrate the cogent reasoning and use of evidence that is essential to both private deliberation and responsible citizenship in a democratic republic. Students who meet the standards develop the skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any creative and purposeful expression in language. |
-from the Massachusetts English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks
