Fifth grade students will be working towards quoting directly from a text when speaking or writing about it. For example, write: When the author says the land is “like a pancake,” she means that it is flat. Understand the concept of genre (type of text). Recognize and write texts in different genres, such as myths, mysteries, and historical fiction. Compare various types of English used in texts: for example, think about why two characters in the same story might speak very differently. Choose verbs carefully when speaking or writing. For example, think about whether to say I ate it, I had eaten it, it was eaten, or it had been eaten.

By The End of Fifth Grade, Students Can:

• Explain how specific claims and pieces of evidence in a text are connected. 
• Explain how an author’s or narrator’s point of view affects how a story is told. 
• Compare and contrast different versions of the same story or information. 
• Describe different ways in which authors organize information. 
• For example, books on the history of sports might be organized by time period or by sport. 
• Use paragraphs to organize writing clearly and logically. 
• Type at least two pages at a time on a computer. 
• Use commas in sentences like Yes, thank you and It’s Monday, isn’t it? 
• Combine and break up sentences to make writing clearer or more interesting.