Chapter 14: English Language Arts/Literacy and English Language Development in Grades Four and Five
Overview of the Span
Excellent instruction in the first years of schooling is imperative, but it does not guarantee success in the years ahead. Older students—those in grade four and above—must also be provided excellent instruction.
The grades four and five span is a critically important time as students consolidate their skills and apply them across content areas, in different settings, and for different purposes. Students engage in voluminous independent reading and rich subject matter. Attention is given to keeping motivation high, especially through student choice and peer collaboration, as students are challenged with increasingly complex text and tasks.
Content and pedagogy in the grade span include the following:
Meaning Making: Meaning making is the central focus of instruction. Students read exceptional literary and informational texts and share their understandings, insights, and responses with others. They draw evidence from texts to support analysis, reflection, and research; they identify the evidence a speaker or media source provides to support particular points. They engage deeply with content in all subject matter as readers, listeners, writers, researchers, and discussants—and through hands-on investigations.
Language Development: Language development is an ongoing focus of instruction. Special attention is given in this span to learning and purposefully using general and domain-specific academic language. Students use context and morphology as clues to the meaning of words, and they consult a variety of reference materials to clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases and to identify alternate word choices. They expand, combine, and condense sentences for meaning, interest, and style. They use transitional words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion.
Effective Expression: Students produce multiple-paragraph texts in which the development and organization are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience. They plan, revise, and edit their work. They become increasingly fluent in keyboarding. Students give well-organized, detailed presentations using multimedia to enhance and enrich communication. They learn about register and adapt their speech as appropriate for the context.
Content Knowledge: All students have full access to content instruction, which is integrated with literacy and language. Students also engage in wide reading, interact with high-quality informational texts, participate in an organized independent reading program, and engage in research projects and content investigations, all of which contribute to their knowledge.
Foundational Skills: Students know and readily apply phonics and word analysis skills, including syllabication and morphological analysis, in decoding words. They read with sufficient fluency to support comprehension. Teachers provide instructional support as needed for individual learners, and they provide plentiful opportunities for students to engage in independent reading.
Students who are English learners participate in intellectually stimulating instruction as they are learning English as an additional language. Planned and “just-in-time” scaffolding ensure progress. The path EL students take as they develop academic English requires risk-taking, and students will likely make approximations with word choice, grammar, and oral discourse practices as they gain new understandings. Steady advancement is best supported in a respectful setting that focuses on meaningful and extended interactions relevant to content under study. Feedback is strategically chosen, timely, and judicious.
Synchronous and Asynchronous Instruction. Teachers should carefully consider which learning experiences are given priority during synchronous instruction. Teachers identify lessons that are best conducted synchronously when they can make “in-the-moment” decisions about next instructional moves based on children’s performance as they engage in the lesson. For example, teachers provide real-time instruction on deconstructing complex sentences in challenging texts. They teach, provide many examples from texts students are reading or will read, observe their independent attempts at sentence deconstruction, and reteach with scaffolding as needed. Teachers know that their instruction in the moment matters and that if students are left to themselves to grapple with complex texts, they may experience frustration, and little progress will be made, widening the gap between those who are successful with complex text and those who are not. Other activities can occur effectively without the teacher available in real-time. For example, teachers might provide asynchronous activities that contribute to students’ familiarity with Greek and Latin roots.
Standards for each of grades four and five are provided in this chapter.
Grade Four
Students in grade four experience the shift from primary to upper elementary school. They take on more complex texts across all subject matter. They determine themes in literary text and the main ideas presented in informational text. They attend to details and text structures and features. They interpret information presented in different forms, such as diagrams and animations. A significant milestone is that students write clear and coherent multi-paragraph texts. They keyboard a minimum of one page in a single sitting. Their writing incorporates detail, precise language, and linking words and phrases. Vocabulary instruction focuses on the use of Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word, as well as the use of context. Additionally, it is in grade four that students learn to differentiate between contexts that call for formal English and informal English.
By this grade, the foundational skills should be well developed. If not, teachers provide targeted, and likely intensive, instruction to ensure that all students can independently access and use printed language. They ensure that all students continue to develop as readers of complex text—avoiding simply reading aloud challenging grade-level text to students and summarizing the content for them. They do, however, continue to read aloud from books above the grade band to expose students to continue to broaden their language and their knowledge as well as to have a shared class experience.
Standards and instructional considerations for grade four follow. Many can be addressed across the curriculum, that is, as a part of science, social studies, arts, and other subjects. ELA/literacy and content area instruction are mutually supportive, and to treat them as distinctly separate areas of instruction is to miss opportunities to enhance progress in both ELA/literacy and other subjects. The language arts complement and contribute to content instruction; they do not replace inquiry and other content approaches.
In distance learning settings, teachers should carefully consider which learning experiences are given priority during synchronous instruction. Guidelines are presented in Chapter 10 and also addressed in the Overview of the Span in this chapter.
Some key standards are included in more than one theme, or critical area of instructional focus. For example, SL.4.1 is crucial in meaning making, language development, effective expression, and content knowledge. Thus, it is included in the first four charts that follow. In each case, the standard is displayed with a pink background to make the repetition obvious. Likewise, RL/RI.4.10 appears in several charts, and so a different color (in this case, orange) is used to highlight the repetition. Presented first is a chart depicting the standards for grade four at a glance followed by detailed charts for each theme.
Critical Areas of Instructional Focus: At a Glance
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Meaning Making
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RL/RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from text. W.4.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker or media source provides to support particular points.
ELD.PI.4.6a,11a.Ex With moderate support describe ideas, phenomena, and text elements in greater detail based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts; support opinions or persuade others by expressing appropriate/accurate reasons using some textual evidence or relevant background knowledge.
Every student regularly engages with grade-level text, with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner.
Text-dependent questions prompt students to attend closely to written texts, speakers, or media sources and refer to details or specific information in a text, sometimes paraphrasing (SL.4.2), to determine a theme or main idea (RL/RI.4.2), describe in depth characters, settings, or events in stories or explain events, procedures, and ideas in an informational text (RL/RI.4.3), and compare the treatment of a topic, theme, or pattern of events across books from different cultures or integrate the information from two texts on the same topic (RL/RI.4.9).
Students not only answer questions posed by the teacher, but they are also encouraged to ask questions about a text or information presented through other media. Comprehension monitoring is evident when they ask questions to clarify meaning; engagement is evident when they question a character’s behavior or ask about information provided in a text or media source.
All students participate in teacher read-aloud experiences with increasingly complex texts (i.e., those in the grades 6-8 complexity band). Teachers guide students to navigate the language, concepts, and organization of challenging text.
Students engage as listeners, readers, writers, and discussants with a range of text types, which contribute to literary, cultural, and domain knowledge, as well as familiarity with various genres and text structures and features (RL/RI.4.5; ELD.PII.4.1.Ex)—all of which influence meaning making. Teachers provide access to compelling works of literature that spark discussions worth having.
RL/RI.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
ELD.PI.4.6a.Ex Describe ideas, phenomena, and text elements in greater detail based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.
Students read and discuss increasingly complex texts of different types daily, with special attention given to books with appropriate complexity for grade four. Volume of reading contributes to reading development.
Teachers support students in meaning making, teaching them how to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary and complex language structures (L.4.4,5; ELD.PII.4.1,2), and interpret illustrations and information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (RL/RI.4.7). Teachers guide the deconstruction of complex sentences and paragraphs for understanding their structures and meaning making.
Teachers create opportunities for all students to select texts to read for study and enjoyment.
Teachers ensure that all students see themselves in texts.
RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Attention is given to meaning making as the reason for continuing to develop accurate word recognition and build fluency. This is also the reason that students use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
W.4.1-3 Write opinion pieces, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.
ELD.PI.4.10a.Ex Write longer literary texts and informational texts collaboratively and with an adult or peers with increasing independence.
Students write routinely about a range of topics, particularly those they care about, with some pieces developed over an extended time period as they engage in research, reflection, and revision, and others written in a short time. Students focus on conveying meaning with a purpose and audience in mind and for a range of discipline-specific tasks (W.4.10).
Teachers guide the co-construction of increasingly effective text aligned to purpose and audience.
Students write in response to texts, which supports and deepens comprehension. They also write in response to learning activities across the curriculum.
SL.4.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 4 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.4.1,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; plan and deliver brief oral presentations.
Students have daily opportunities to engage in extended conversations with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. Conversations include sharing opinions, experiences, and information; responding to texts and learning experiences; and listening to and asking questions of others. Students’ understandings of topics and texts are enhanced through engagement with others.
Students become more skilled at staying on topic, asking relevant questions, gaining or holding the floor, and providing counterarguments.
Students plan and deliver presentations with attention to conveying meaning to an audience. They consider organization, sequence, supporting details, and vocabulary to ensure clear and coherent communication. They provide a context and add audio recordings and visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of ideas or themes (SL.4.5).
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Language Development
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RL/RI.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including allusions and general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. L.4.4,5 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases; demonstrate understanding word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
ELD.PI.4.6b Use knowledge of morphology, linguistic context, and reference materials to determine the meaning of unknown words on familiar topics.
Words and phrases are drawn from texts (or subject area instruction) with which the students are engaged rather than a list divorced from any context.
Increasingly complex literary and informational text as well as rich content curriculum (e.g., science, social studies, the arts) provide opportunities to learn new words and phrases. Students demonstrate an understanding of word relationships and nuances in meaning (L.4.5).
Read-alouds especially can provide opportunities to expand students’ vocabulary and are selected, in part, on the basis of the richness of the language. Read-alouds include books in the above the grade 4-5 complexity.
Teachers model an enthusiasm for words and prompt students’ interest in new words and their use of new words in novel contexts (L.4.6; ELD.PII.4.3-5.Ex).
When addressing multiple-meaning words (L.4.4), meaning making is crucial as it is the context in which a multiple-meaning word occurs that determines its meaning (e.g., to tie a bow on a gift vs. to tie a rope to the bow of the boat).
Students learn to use different strategies to determine word meanings, including sentence-level context and word parts, such as affixes and roots, and they use resources to clarify precise meanings.
Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and EL students’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development.
RL/RI.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
ELD.PI.4.6a.Ex Describe ideas, phenomena, and text elements in greater detail based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.
Reading volume contributes to language development. Students read books of their choice independently, and they also read with others.
Teachers support students to read complex texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (L.5.5,6). Teachers also model strategies for independent word learning.
RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Text is a rich source of academic vocabulary and complex linguistic structures. Teachers should ensure that students have strong word analysis skills and sufficient fluency to support voluminous reading, which in turn contributes to students’ language development.
SL.4.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 4 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.4.1,3,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; offer opinions and negotiate with or persuade others in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases as well as open responses; plan and deliver brief oral presentations.
Opportunities to use language contribute to language development. Students engage in brief and extended conversations daily with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. Conversations include sharing opinions, experiences, and information; responding to texts and learning experiences; and listening to and asking questions of others.
Students become more skilled at staying on topic, asking relevant questions, gaining or holding the floor, and providing counterarguments.
Students plan and deliver presentations with the understanding that the context calls for more formal language use and is different from informal discourse; they choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely (SL.4.6; L.4.3).
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
L.4.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases. ELD.PI.4.12a.Ex Use a growing number of general academic and domain-specific words while speaking and writing.
Teachers provide language rich contexts to ensure students’ exposure to and opportunities to use an increasingly broad vocabulary. They read aloud books from the grades 6-8 complexity band, provide a wide choice of texts for students to read individually or in groups that will expand their language, and engage students in coherent and stimulating subject area instruction that introduces them to new concepts and accompanying language. Teachers have access to diverse types of text in their home languages.
Teachers model, scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”), and prompt the use of target words and phrases in multiple contexts. Opportunities to use language are crucial for language development.
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Effective Expression
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RL/RI.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
ELD.PI.4.7,8.Ex Describe how well writers or speakers use specific language resources to support an opinion or present an idea, with prompting and moderate support; distinguish how different words with similar means and figurative language produce shades of meaning and different effects on the audience.
Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex, considering the choice of words and grammatical elements, clarity of structure, author’s point of view or purpose, or other features (RL.4.4-7).
Starting in this grade, students explain how an author supports particular points in a text by using reasons and evidence (RI.4.8). They also examine the differences between different accounts of the same topic or events (RI.4.6), and how visual and quantitative information contributes to a text (RI.4.7). Students become increasingly aware of the author’s craft.
RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Teachers model reading aloud fluently a variety of text types. They vary their pace and use expression appropriate for the text. They also share other effective models of fluent reading using different media sources.
Students have regular opportunities to read aloud individually or chorally after rehearsal. Reading aloud is treated as a joyful process as students share their own work or engage in a performance (e.g., readers theatre) live for others in class or virtual room or recorded (SL.4.4,5).
W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. W.4.2 Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
ELD.PI.4.10.Ex Write longer literary and informational texts collaboratively and with increasing independence using appropriate text organization; write increasingly concise summaries of texts and experiences using complete sentences and key words.
Students use writing for different purposes: to convey their opinions, information, and narratives.
Students write daily and are given explicit guidance on how to effectively organize different types of texts (W.4.4; ELD.PII.4.1.Ex) and choose words and phrases for effect (L.4.3a).
New to this grade is that students produce multi-paragraph texts, sometimes using technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others. Students gain sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting (W.4.6).
Motivation is crucial; students write about what interests them, and teachers create learning contexts that expand their interests.
Opportunities for students to orally read their work—or any text—to others provide an authentic reason for rehearsal, which supports fluent presentation (RF.4.4).
W.4.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback so students become increasingly effective at producing clear and coherent writing (W.4.4; ELD.PII.4.2.Ex). Feedback focuses—as appropriate for the context and with consideration of the student’s motivation, skills, and English proficiency—on topic development, word choice and conventions (L.4.1-3; ELD.PII.4.1-7.Ex). Primary attention is given to communicating meaningfully.
Students evaluate feedback, make choices, and revise writing for coherence.
Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways to ensure motivation and enthusiasm for creating written work are maintained. Teachers engage students in self assessment and goal setting.
SL.4.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.4.1,3,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; negotiate with others in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases as well as open responses; and plan and deliver brief oral presentations. ELD.PI.4.4.Ex Adjust language choices according to the purpose, task, and audience, with moderate support.
Students have daily opportunities to engage in conversations with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. Conversations include sharing opinions, experiences, and information; responding to texts and learning experiences; and listening to and asking questions of others.
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs.
Teachers assess conversations for their structure and language use and provide specific feedback aligned to academic language objectives.
Students plan and deliver presentations with attention to communicating their ideas effectively to an audience. They are precise in language, consider appropriate pacing, and use formal English rather than informal discourse as appropriate to the task (SL.4.6; L.4.3a,c). They include audio recordings and visual displays as appropriate (SL.4.5).
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Content Knowledge
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RL/RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from text. W.4.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker or media source provides to support particular points.
ELD.PI.4.6a,11a.Ex With moderate support describe ideas, phenomena, and text elements in greater detail based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts; support opinions or persuade others by expressing appropriate/accurate reasons using some textual evidence or relevant background knowledge.
Informational texts that build students’ knowledge are a crucial component of every grade level. Students gain knowledge through reading in every content area, and they learn how text structures vary across disciplines. Book selections are based on grade-level content standards and learning experiences in different content areas (e.g., science, social studies), and students’ interests, and cultural experiences.
Students engage with multiple texts, speakers, and other media sources on a given topic, all of which contribute to building knowledge. Students look closely at sources, including information presented visually and quantitatively, to compare firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event or topic, identify the evidence authors, speakers, and other sources provide for points made, and integrate information so they can speak or write knowledgeably about the subject. (RI.4.6-9; ELD.PI.4.6,7.Ex).
RI.4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. L.4.4,5 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases; demonstrate understanding word relationships and nuances in word meanings
.ELD.PI.4.6b.Ex Use knowledge of morphology, linguistic context, and reference materials to determine the meaning of unknown words on familiar topics.
Many words in informational text, in particular, are domain-specific; as students learn this vocabulary, they build knowledge. Importantly, vocabulary is learned in a meaningful context, and students have opportunities to use newly acquired vocabulary as they engage in content-related activities and investigations (ELD.PI.4.12a.Ex).
RL/RI.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
ELD.PI.4.6.Ex Describe ideas, phenomena, and text elements in greater detail based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.
Students read and discuss texts daily, including a wide range of content-rich texts. This expands their knowledge of the natural and social world, general academic and domain-specific language, and familiarity with various text structures and features (RI.4.5; ELA.PII.4.1.Ex).
Reading volume contributes to knowledge; students read independently and in collaboration with others daily, including books of their own choosing. Importantly, independent engagement with texts is enabled by their continuing progress in foundational skills (RF.4.3,4).
Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify domain knowledge and support meaning making.
W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.7,8 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic; recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes, paraphrase, and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. ELD.PI.4.10.Ex Write longer informational texts collaboratively and with increasing independence using appropriate text organization; write concise summaries of texts and experiences.
Students have many opportunities to convey what they are learning about topics of their own choosing and topics under study in grade-level subject area investigations. As they write, students process and consolidate new content.
Students are provided guidance on gathering and organizing information on topics. Models of effective informational text are shared with students (ELD.PII.4.1.Ex).
Students pursue their interests, conducting research that builds knowledge about a topic. Instruction also piques students’ interest in new topics.
SL.4.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 4 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.4.1,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; plan and deliver brief oral presentations.
Conversations contribute to knowledge building. Students regularly share existing and new knowledge with one another in discussions before, during, and after engaging with texts and participating in investigations.
Students become more skilled at staying on topic, asking relevant questions, gaining or holding the floor, and providing counterarguments.
Students plan and deliver presentations to share their experiences or knowledge with others, sometimes after gathering relevant information or engaging in research projects (W.4.7,8). They carefully consider organization, key ideas, and relevant details.
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Foundational Skills
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RF.4.3 Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. L.4.4b Use common grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word. ELA.PI.4.6b.Ex Use knowledge of morphology to determine the meaning of unknown words on familiar topics.
Students continue to develop and apply word analysis skills to read unfamiliar words.
Instruction in English for EL students capitalizes on similarities between the native language and English and highlights differences between the languages, which supports deepening understandings of how English works.
Pronunciation differences due to native language, dialect influences, or regional accent should not be misunderstood as decoding difficulties.
RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Time to practice reading is crucial for developing automaticity with print. All students have regular opportunities to read grade-level texts; some will need more support than others (RL/RI.4.10). Teachers identify texts that students find worth reading, ones that maintain their interest and motivation to read. Volume of reading contributes significantly to progress.
Teachers need to listen to students read aloud at times, avoiding round robin and popcorn reading, in order to determine if and what support is needed.
Even when accuracy and fluency are the primary focus of a lesson or activity, teachers ensure meaning making and understanding of vocabulary.
Pronunciation differences due to native language, dialect influences, or regional accent should not be misunderstood as decoding difficulties.
W.4.1-3 Write opinion pieces, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.
ELD.PI.4.10.Ex Write longer literary and informational texts collaboratively and with increasing independence.
Students are provided ample writing opportunities to use their deepening knowledge of the code to convey their opinions, knowledge, and narratives. Writing volume contributes to skill development.
Class Spotlight
Students in Ramal Setty’s fourth-grade class are learning about California history and geography. As part of their unit on the influence of geography on the Indigenous peoples of the region, his students are learning the domain-specific vocabulary needed to understand these concepts. The students are building content knowledge and expanding their language concurrently, both of which contribute to students’ meaning making. Terms such as Coast Ranges, Central Valley, Mountains, and Desert Region are utilized to describe the characteristics of each area and how it influenced human life. Mr. Setty explains that “each of these [terms] represent a deep body of knowledge about climate and terrain.” However, he has also noted that his students are beginning to confuse the distinct characteristics of each. In order to facilitate meaning making as students are studying the different regions, he uses a list-group-label process to organize and consolidate their semantic knowledge. He uses a multimedia bulletin board tool (Padlet) so that he and his students can manipulate the information.
Mr. Setty begins by asking students to create digital cards that represent characteristics of the regions they have been studying. Students are invited to include terms in their home language as well and English. Students list terms such as “lots of rain,” “hot and dry,” “árido y seco,” “rivers and fishing,” and “redwood forests.” After listing characteristics, he invites students to group them together into related terms. Students examine the map of California they have in their textbook and begin to group them into subcategories. Some students use their linguistic resources to translate terms. Under the direction of students, he moves like terms together. Thus, hot and dry/árido y seco are grouped with arid, while mountains and volcanoes are similarly grouped.
“Now let’s add labels to these categories,” says the teacher. He adds digital cards for the four major regions they are studying and puts them horizontally at the top of the screen. “Look at the groups we made again,” says the teacher. “Which groups might belong as descriptors for each of these regions?” Now the students are becoming more animated by the task.
“Cliffs and beaches definitely go with Coastal Region,” offers Samuel. As Mr. Setty moves the two digital cards under Coastal Region, he asks, “I’d like everyone to look at the map. Who can explain what your evidence is that cliffs and beaches would be characteristics of the Coastal Region?” Mr. Setty shares three conversation expanders from which students can choose to explain evidence, agree or disagree, or challenge. Later, the teacher says, “Learning vocabulary is much more than knowing definitions. It requires ongoing review to deepen knowledge and enrich their schema.”
Prominent ELA/Literacy/ELD Themes: Content Knowledge, Language Development, Meaning Making
Students in grade five approach text with greater purpose and critical stances. They voice their views in light of multiple perspectives and textual evidence. They begin to realize that they can interact with a text in ways that allow them to understand the text’s meaning more deeply and also question its premises. Students use several sources when conducting research projects. Their language and knowledge continues to expand as they engage in voluminous reading and participate in rich content instruction and discussions. They learn about the varieties of English used in stories, dramas, or poems. They become skilled at keyboarding, typing a minimum of two pages in a single setting, and use technology and media to learn and to share their ideas.
By this grade, foundational skills are used effortlessly; reinforcement is provided as necessary to ensure fluency with print. Word analysis and vocabulary instruction overlap as students use morphology to both decode and determine the meaning of words. In cases where foundational skills are not yet well established, teachers provide targeted, and likely intensive, instruction to ensure that all students can independently access and use printed language.
Teachers support students as they continue to develop as readers of increasingly complex text; they avoid practices that separate students from challenging grade-level text, such as reading aloud or summarizing the content of a text. They do, however, continue to read aloud from books above the grade band to expose students to text that broadens their language and their knowledge, and they read aloud books for a shared class experience.
Standards and instructional considerations for grade five follow. Many can be addressed across the curriculum, that is, as a part of science, social studies, arts, and other subjects. ELA/literacy and content area instruction are mutually supportive, and to treat them as distinctly separate areas of instruction is to miss opportunities to enhance progress in both ELA/literacy and other subjects. The language arts complement and contribute to content instruction; they do not replace inquiry and other content approaches.
In distance learning settings, teachers should carefully consider which learning experiences are given priority during synchronous instruction. Guidelines are presented in Chapter 10 and also addressed in the Overview of the Span in this chapter.
Some key standards are included in more than one theme. For example, SL.5.1 is crucial in meaning making, language development, effective expression, and content knowledge. Thus, it is included in the first four charts that follow. In each case, the standard is displayed with a pink background to make the repetition obvious. Likewise, RL/RI.5.10 appears in several charts, and so a different color (in this case, orange) is used to highlight the repetition. Presented first is a chart depicting the standards for grade five at a glance followed by detailed charts for each theme.
Critical Areas of Instructional Focus: At a Glance
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Meaning Making
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RL/RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from text. W.5.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.5.3 Summarize the points a speaker or media source makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence, and identify and analyze any logical fallacies.
ELD.PI.5.6a,11a.Ex With moderate support explain ideas, phenomena, processes and text relationships based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing multimedia; support opinions or persuade others by expressing appropriate/accurate reasons using some textual evidence or relevant background knowledge.
Every student regularly engages with grade-level text, with scaffolds (planned and “just-in-time”) provided and adjusted in accordance with the strengths and needs of the learner.
Text-dependent questions prompt students to attend closely to written texts, speakers, or media sources and refer to details or specific information in a text, at times quoting directly and at times summarizing (SL.5.2), to determine a theme or main idea (RL/RI.5.2); describe characters, settings, or events in stories or explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in an informational text (RL/RI.5.3); and compare the treatment of a topic, theme, or pattern of events across books in the same genre or integrate the information from several texts on the same topic (RL/RI.5.9). Teachers analyze texts to create text-dependent questions and engage students in developing their own questions based on the text.
Students refer to the text or other sources to explain how an author, speaker, or media source uses reasons and evidence to support points (RI.5.8), and they draw evidence from different sources to support claims in their own writing.
All students participate in teacher read-aloud experiences with increasingly complex texts (i.e., those in the grades 6-8 complexity band). Teachers guide students to navigate the language, concepts, and organization of challenging text.
RL/RI.5.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELD.PI.5.6a.Ex Explain ideas, phenomena, processes, and text relationships based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.
Students read and discuss increasingly complex texts of different types daily, with special attention given to books with appropriate complexity for grade five. Volume of reading contributes to reading development.
Teachers support students in meaning making, teaching them how to navigate unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary and complex language structures (L.5.4,5;ELD.PII.5.1,2), analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to a text (RL.5.7), and draw on information from multiple print or digital sources to answer questions (RI.5.7). Teachers guide the deconstruction of complex sentences and paragraphs for understanding their structures and meaning making.
Students engage as listeners, readers, and discussants with a range of text types, which contributes to literary, cultural, and domain knowledge, as well as familiarity with various genres and text structures and features (RL/RI.5.5; ELD.PII.5.1.Ex)—all of which influence meaning making. Teachers provide access to compelling works of literature that spark discussions worth having.
Teachers create opportunities for all students to select texts to read for study and enjoyment.
Teachers ensure that all students see themselves in texts.
RF.5.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Attention is given to meaning making as the reason for continuing to develop accurate word recognition and building fluency. This is also the reason that students use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
W.5.1-3 Write opinion pieces, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.
ELD.PI.5.10a.Ex Write longer literary texts and informational texts collaboratively and with increasing independence by using appropriate text organization.
Students write routinely about a range of topics, particularly those they care about, with some pieces developed over an extended time period as they engage in research, reflection, and revision, and others written in a short time. Students focus on conveying meaning with a purpose and audience in mind and for a range of discipline-specific tasks (W.5.10).
Students write in response to texts, which supports and deepens comprehension. They also write in response to learning activities across the curriculum.
SL.5.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.5.1,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; plan and deliver longer oral presentations.
Students have multiple daily opportunities to engage in brief and extended discussions with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. They share opinions, experiences, and information; respond to texts and learning experiences; and listen to and ask questions of others. Students’ understandings of topics and texts are enhanced through engagement with others.
Students come prepared to discussions and carry out assigned roles; they elaborate on the comments of others and draw conclusions in light of what they learn by engaging with others.
Students plan and deliver presentations with attention to conveying meaning to an audience. They sequence ideas logically and use transition words to make clear links between opinions and evidence. They include multimedia components and visual displays to enhance development of main ideas and themes (SL.5.5).
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Language Development
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RI.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language and general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. L.5.4,5 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases; demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
ELD.PI.5.6b.Ex Use knowledge of morphology, linguistic context, and reference materials to determine the meaning of unknown words on familiar and new topics.
Words and phrases are drawn from texts (or subject area instruction) with which the students are engaged rather than a list divorced from any context.
Increasingly complex literary and informational text and rich content curriculum (e.g., science, social studies, the arts) provide opportunities to learn new words and phrases. Students demonstrate an understanding of word relationships and nuances in meaning (L.5.5).
Read-alouds especially provide opportunities to expand students’ vocabulary and are selected, in part, on the basis of the richness of the language. Read-alouds include books in the grades 6-8 complexity band.
Teachers model enthusiasm for words and use strategies to promote students’ interest in words and their use of new words in novel contexts (L.5.6; ELD.PII.5.3-5).
When addressing multiple-meaning words (L.5.4), meaning making is crucial as it is the context in which a multiple-meaning word occurs that determines its meaning (e.g., to tie a bow on a gift vs. to tie a rope to the bow of the boat).
Students learn to use different strategies to determine word meanings, including sentence-level context and word parts, such as affixes and roots, and they use resources to clarify precise meanings.
Teachers leverage all students’ experiences and EL students’ native language where possible (e.g., highlighting cognates) to support vocabulary development.
RL/RI.5.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELD.PI.5.6a.Ex Explain ideas, phenomena, processes, and text relationships based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.
Reading volume contributes to language development. Students independently and collaboratively read, write, and discuss increasingly challenging text.
Teachers support students to read complex texts by teaching text vocabulary explicitly, providing rich and engaging, as well as repeated, experiences with new words (L.5.5,6). They model strategies for independent word learning. Teachers also draw attention to and facilitate students’ command of increasingly complex grammatical structures found in text.
Writing about and discussing what they read provides students opportunities to use newly acquired language.
RF.5.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Text is a rich source of academic vocabulary and complex sentence structures. Teachers should ensure that students have strong word analysis skills and sufficient fluency to support voluminous reading, which in turn contributes to their language development.
SL.5.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.5.1,3,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; negotiate with others in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases as well as open responses; and plan and deliver longer oral presentations.
Opportunities to use language contribute to language development. Students engage in brief and extended discussions daily with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. They share opinions, experiences, and information; respond to texts and learning experiences; and listen to and ask questions of others.
Students come prepared to discussions and carry out assigned roles; they elaborate on the comments of others and draw conclusions in light of what they learn by engaging with others.
Students plan and deliver presentations with the understanding that the context calls for more formal language use and is different from informal discourse (ELD.PI.5.4.Ex).
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
L.5.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases. ELD.PI.5.12a.Ex Use a growing number of general academic and domain-specific words while speaking and writing.
Teachers provide language rich contexts to ensure students’ exposure to and opportunities to use an increasingly broad vocabulary. They read aloud books in the grades 6-8 complexity band, provide a wide choice of texts for students to read individually or in groups that will expand their language, and engage students in coherent and stimulating subject area instruction that introduces them to new concepts and accompanying language.
Teachers model, scaffold (planned and “just-in-time”), and prompt the use of target words and phrases in multiple contexts. Opportunities to use language are crucial for language development.
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Effective Expression
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RL/RI.5.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELD.PI.5.7,8.Ex Explain how well writers and speakers use language resources to support an opinion or present an idea, with moderate support; distinguish how different words with similar meanings produce shades of meaning and different effects on the audience.
Teachers support students to read increasingly complex text and engage students in examining passages that represent samples of effective expression. Students and their teachers work to uncover what makes passages effective or complex, considering the choice of words and grammatical elements, clarity of structure, author’s point of view or purpose, or other features (RL.5.4-7). They consider how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences descriptions of events (RL.5.6).
Students explain how an author supports particular points in a text by using reasons and evidence (RI.5.8). They also examine the differences between multiple accounts of the same topic or events (RI.5.6), and how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (RL.5.4). Students become increasingly aware of the author’s craft.
RF.5.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Teachers model reading aloud fluently a variety of text types. They vary their pace and use expression appropriate for the text. They also share other effective models of fluent reading using different media sources.
Students have regular opportunities to read aloud individually or chorally after rehearsal. Reading aloud is treated as a joyful process as students share their own work or engage in a performance (e.g., readers theatre) live for others in class or virtual room or recorded (SL.5.4,5).
W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
ELD.PI.5.10.Ex Write longer literary and informational texts collaboratively and with increasing independence and by using appropriate text organization; write increasingly concise summaries of texts and experiences using complete sentences and key words.
Students write multiple-paragraph texts, varying the organization and use of language according to the task, purpose, and audience (W.5.4). They learn to expand, combine, and condense sentences for meaning, interest, and style (L.5.3a; ELD.PII.5.6-7.Ex). Teachers share mentor texts as examples and guide students in identifying effective organization and language (e.g., figurative language) and applying what they learn to their own writing (RL.5.5; RI.5.8; L.5.5).
All students write daily in virtual and in-class settings—both independently and collaboratively (W.5.10).
All students use technology to produce and publish writing and collaborate with others. They learn how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (W.5.6; RL.5.6; ELD.PI.5.2.Ex; ELD.PII.5.1.Ex).
Motivation is crucial; students write about what interests them, and teachers create learning contexts that expand their interests.
Opportunities for students to orally read their work—or any text—to others provide an authentic reason for rehearsal, which supports fluent presentation (RF.5.4).
W.5.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Students’ writing receives regular, specific feedback so students become increasingly effective at expressing opinions, information, and narratives. Feedback focuses—as appropriate for the context and with consideration of the student’s motivation, skills, and English proficiency—on topic development, organization, word choice and conventions (L.5.1-3; ELD.P.II.5.1-7.Ex). Primary attention is given to communicating meaningfully.
Students evaluate feedback, make choices, and revise writing for effectiveness and coherence.
Feedback is expressed in positive, encouraging ways to ensure motivation and enthusiasm for creating written work are maintained. Teachers engage students in self assessment and goal setting.
SL.5.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.5.1,3,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; negotiate with others in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases as well as open responses; and plan and deliver longer oral presentations. ELD.PI.5.4.Ex Adjust language choices according to the purpose, task, and audience, with moderate support.
All students have daily opportunities to engage in discussions with a range of others in a range of contexts for a range of purposes, including sharing opinions, experiences, and information; responding to texts and learning experiences; and listening to and asking questions of others. A variety of discussion structures are used.
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
Teachers consider the purpose of the task and the EL students’ proficiency levels and group them heterogeneously with Peers at more advanced levels of English proficiency for core tasks and consider homogeneous groups for identified language needs.
Students plan and deliver presentations with attention to communicating their ideas effectively to an audience. They are precise in language use and use formal English rather than informal discourse as appropriate to the task (SL.5.6; L.5.3). They include multimedia components and visual displays as appropriate (SL.5.5).
L.5.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. ELD.PI.5.4 Adjust language choices according to purpose, task, and audience, with moderate support.
Teachers accept and value students’ language varieties and establish an environment, both online and in class, that is respectful and safe for students to experiment with language.
Teachers assess conversations for structure and language used and provide specific feedback aligned to academic language objectives.
Students learn to adapt their use of informal and formal English according to the needs of the context, task, and audience (SL.5.6).
Instruction is provided in meaningful contexts and students have authentic reasons to use what they are learning.
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Content Knowledge
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RL/RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from text. W.5.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.5.3 Summarize the points a speaker or media source makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence, and identify and analyze any logical fallacies.
ELD.PI.5.6a,11a.Ex With moderate support explain ideas, phenomena, processes and text relationships based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing multimedia; support opinions or persuade others by expressing appropriate/accurate reasons using some textual evidence or relevant background knowledge.
Informational texts that build students’ knowledge are a crucial component of every grade level. Students gain knowledge through reading in every content area, and they learn how text structures vary across disciplines. Book selections are based on grade-level content standards and learning experiences in different content areas (e.g., science, social studies), and students’ interests, and cultural experiences.
Students engage with multiple texts, speakers, and other media sources on a given topic, all of which contribute to building knowledge. They look closely at sources to analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, including noting the point of view represented; explaining how an author, speaker, or other source uses reasons and evidence to support particular points; and integrating information so they can speak or write knowledgeably about the subject. (RI.5.6-9; ELD.PI.5.6,7.Ex).
Students cite specific text evidence for conclusions and inferences they make about the content and the intentions of an author.
RI.5.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. L.5.4,5 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases; demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
ELD.PI.5.6b.Ex Use knowledge of morphology, context, reference materials, and visual cues to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words on familiar and new topics.
Many words in informational text, in particular, are domain-specific; as students learn this vocabulary, they build knowledge. Importantly, vocabulary is learned in a meaningful context, and students have opportunities to use newly acquired vocabulary as they engage in content-related activities and investigations (ELD.PI.5.12a.Ex).
RL/RI.5.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELD.PI.5.6a.Ex Explain ideas, phenomena, processes, and text relationships based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.
Students read and discuss texts daily, including a wide range of content-rich texts. This expands their knowledge of the natural and social world, language, and familiarity with various text structures and features (RI.5.5; ELD.PII.4.1.Ex).
Students increasingly become critical consumers of information and recognize different points of view represented in different texts on the same topic (RI.5.6).
Reading volume contributes to knowledge; students read independently and in collaboration with others daily, including books of their own choosing. Importantly, independent engagement with texts is enabled by their continuing progress in foundational skills (RF.5.3,4).
Students have access to informational text in their home languages to amplify domain knowledge and support meaning making.
W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.5.7,8 Conduct short research projects using several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic; recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources. ELD.PI.5.10.Ex Write longer informational texts collaboratively and independently using appropriate text organization; write increasingly concise summaries of texts and experiences using complete sentences and key words.
Students pursue their interests, conducting research that builds knowledge about a topic. Instruction also piques students’ interest in new topics.
Students have many opportunities to convey what they are learning about topics of their own choosing and topics under study in grade-level subject area investigations. As they write, students process and consolidate new knowledge.
Students use technology to collaborate and interact with others as well as to access and present information (W.5.6; SL.5.5).
Students are provided guidance on gathering and organizing information on topics. Models of effective informational text are shared with students (ELD.PII.5.1.Ex).
SL.5.1,4 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts; plan and deliver presentations.
ELD.PI.5.1,9.Ex Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions; plan and deliver longer oral presentations.
Conversations contribute to knowledge building. Students regularly share existing and new knowledge with one another in discussions before, during, and after engaging with texts and participating in investigations.
Students come prepared to discussions and carry out assigned roles; they elaborate on the comments of others and draw conclusions in light of what they learn by engaging with others.
Students plan and deliver presentations to share their experiences or knowledge with others, sometimes after gathering relevant information or engaging in research projects that use several sources (W.5.7,8). They carefully consider organization, key ideas, and relevant details.
Teachers ensure a community culture in which all students feel comfortable contributing to conversations, are encouraged to do so, and feel heard and respected by others. Agreed-upon discussion norms are established (e.g., listening with care, valuing contributions, speaking one at a time, asking questions). Teachers ensure equitable opportunities for all learners to contribute to discussions.
Critical Area of Instructional Focus: Foundational Skills
Key ELA/Literacy & ELD Standard(s)
Related Standards and Instructional Considerations
RF.5.3 Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. L.5.4b Use common grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word. ELA.PII.5.6b.Ex Use knowledge of morphology, linguistic context, and reference materials to determine the meaning of unknown words on familiar and new topics.
Students continue to develop and apply word analysis skills to read unfamiliar words.
Instruction in English for EL students capitalizes on similarities between the native language and English and highlights differences between the languages, which deepens understanding of how English works.
Pronunciation differences due to native language, dialect influences, or regional accent should not be misunderstood as decoding difficulties.
RF.5.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Time to practice reading is crucial for developing automaticity with print. All students have regular opportunities to read grade-level texts; some will need more support than others (RL/RI.5.10). Teachers identify texts that students find worth reading, ones that maintain their interest and motivation to read. Volume of reading contributes significantly to progress in reading.
Teachers need to listen to students read aloud at times, avoiding round robin and popcorn reading, in order to determine if and what support is needed.
Even when accuracy and fluency are the primary focus of a lesson or activity, teachers ensure meaning making and understanding of vocabulary.
Pronunciation differences due to native language, dialect influences, or regional accent should not be misunderstood as decoding difficulties.
Teachers provide EL students targeted instruction in foundational literacy skills based on students’ spoken English proficiency, native language proficiency, prior schooling, and assessed needs.
W.5.1-3 Write opinion pieces, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.
ELD.PI.5.10.Ex Write longer literary and informational texts collaboratively and with increasing independence.
Students are provided ample writing opportunities to use their deepening knowledge of the code to convey their opinions, knowledge, and narratives. Writing volume contributes to skill development.
Class Spotlight
Angee Jimenez has her students engaged in a project that focuses on several of the ELA/literacy/ELD themes, but most especially on content knowledge and effective expression. Her fifth graders are working on research projects in synchronous and asynchronous online learning. As a class, they have been learning about Westward expansion and the migration of Mexican settlers. She is working to build their content knowledge. She knows it is important for students to learn about our past so they can be wise participants in our democracy, and she recognizes the powerful role that students’ knowledge plays in their literacy development. Her students have read history e-textbooks, viewed videos with interactive quiz questions, and engaged in a number of close readings of primary source documents during synchronous instruction. Now, their teacher has them conducting research on a question that they generated. Each student proposed a question and had it approved by their family and the teacher. For example, Martha wanted to know what California was like before it was a state, whereas Angel wanted to discover influential Mexican settlers. The students have virtual consultation periods with the school librarian and access to a collection of videos developed by their teacher that describes each step in the process. They can watch these videos asynchronously when they are ready for the information, and they can watch them over again as needed.
Ms. Jimenez has checkpoints for her students so that they keep pace with their projects, and she can support them in expressing their new knowledge effectively. She invites students into virtual breakout rooms for peer response during which time a specific student shares their draft on a digital document and the peers provide targeted feedback. For example, one session focused on the introductions. To strengthen the peer response reviews, she deconstructed a powerful introductory paragraph at the sentence and phrase level to point out the language used to state topics and the vocabulary choices and phrasing used to entice the reader. The teacher selected key words and phrases and asked students to recommend changes and then facilitated discussion related to the impact of each change. Later, during the peer response session, students were asked to consider if the peer-author clearly stated the topic and made the topic interesting. Each listener was asked to identify key topics that they expected would be included in the paper based on the introduction and to include those in a shared document for the author to consider, and they recorded these using a collaborative note application for the peer-writer. The students worked on their short research projects asynchronously over the course of the week, and held synchronous daily check-ins with the teacher or peers. As they finished, they also created videos to explain their learnings to others.