Grade 5 ELA B.E.S.T. Standards

Communicating Through Writing

Communicating Through Writing

Demonstrate fluent and legible cursive writing skills.

Handwriting: Demonstrate fluent and legible cursive writing skills.

Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical sequence of events and demonstrating an effective use of techniques such as dialogue, description, and transitional words and phrases.

Narrative Writing: Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical sequence of events and demonstrating an effective use of techniques such as dialogue, description, and transitional words and phrases.

Write to make a claim supporting a perspective with logical reasons, relevant evidence from sources, elaboration, and an organizational structure with varied transitions.

Argumentative Writing: Write to make a claim supporting a perspective with logical reasons, relevant evidence from sources, elaboration, and an organizational structure with varied transitions.

Write expository texts about a topic using multiple sources and including an organizational structure, relevant elaboration, and varied transitions.

Expository Writing: Write expository texts about a topic using multiple sources and including an organizational structure, relevant elaboration, and varied transitions.

Improve writing by planning, revising, and editing, with guidance and support from adults and feedback from peers.

Improving Writing: Improve writing by planning, revising, and editing, with guidance and support from adults and feedback from peers.

Communicating Orally

Communicating Orally

Present information orally, in a logical sequence, using nonverbal cues, appropriate volume, clear pronunciation, and appropriate pacing.

Oral Presentation: Present information orally, in a logical sequence, using nonverbal cues, appropriate volume, clear pronunciation, and appropriate pacing.

Following Conventions

Following Conventions

Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.

Conventions: Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.

Researching

Researching

Conduct research to answer a question, organizing information about the topic and using multiple reliable and valid sources.

Researching and Using Information: Conduct research to answer a question, organizing information about the topic and using multiple reliable and valid sources.

Creating and Collaborating

Creating and Collaborating

Arrange multimedia elements to create emphasis in oral or written tasks.

Multimedia: Arrange multimedia elements to create emphasis and/or clarity in oral or written tasks.

Use digital writing tools individually or collaboratively to plan, draft, and revise writing.

Technology in Communication: Use digital writing tools individually or collaboratively to plan, draft, and revise writing.

Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills

Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills

Use knowledge of grade-appropriate phonics and word-analysis skills to decode words.

Phonics and Word Analysis: Use knowledge of grade-appropriate phonics and word-analysis skills to decode words.

Apply knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read and write unfamiliar single-syllable and multisyllabic words in and out of context.

Apply knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read and write unfamiliar single-syllable and multisyllabic words in and out of context.

Read grade-level texts with accuracy, automaticity, and appropriate prosody or expression.

Fluency: Read grade-level texts with accuracy, automaticity, and appropriate prosody or expression.

Reading Prose and Poetry

Reading Prose and Poetry

Analyze how setting, events, conflict, and characterization contribute to the plot in a literary text.

Literary Elements: Analyze how setting, events, conflict, and characterization contribute to the plot in a literary text.

Explain the development of stated or implied theme(s) throughout a literary text.

Theme: Explain the development of stated or implied theme(s) throughout a literary text.

Describe how an author develops a character's perspective in a literary text.

Perspective and Point of View: Describe how an author develops a character’s perspective in a literary text.

Explain how figurative language and other poetic elements work together in a poem.

Poetry: Explain how figurative language and other poetic elements work together in a poem.

Reading Informational Text

Reading Informational Text

Explain how text structures and/or features contribute to the overall meaning of texts.

Structure: Explain how text structures and/or features contribute to the overall meaning of texts.

Explain how relevant details support the central idea(s), implied or explicit.

Central Idea: Explain how relevant details support the central idea(s), implied or explicit.

Analyze an author's purpose and/or perspective in an informational text.

Purpose and Perspective: Analyze an author’s purpose and/or perspective in an informational text.

Track the development of an argument, identifying the specific claim(s), evidence, and reasoning.

Argument: Track the development of an argument, identifying the specific claim(s), evidence, and reasoning.

Reading Across Genres Interpreting Figurative Language

Reading Across Genres

Analyze how figurative language contributes to meaning in text(s).

Interpreting Figurative Language: Analyze how figurative language contributes to meaning in text(s).

Summarize a text to enhance comprehension.

Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Summarize a text to enhance comprehension.

Include plot and theme for a literary text.

Include plot and theme for a literary text.

Include the central idea and relevant details for an informational text.

Include the central idea and relevant details for an informational text.

Compare and contrast primary and secondary sources related to the same topic.

Comparative Reading: Compare and contrast primary and secondary sources related to the same topic.

Finding Meaning

Finding Meaning

Recognize and appropriately use grade-level academic vocabulary in speaking and writing.

Academic Vocabulary: Use grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately in speaking and writing.

Apply knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and affixes, recognizing the connection between affixes and parts of speech, to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in grade-level content.

Morphology: Apply knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and affixes, recognizing the connection between affixes and parts of speech, to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in grade-level content.

Use context clues, figurative language, word relationships, reference materials, and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of multiple-meaning and unknown words and phrases, appropriate to grade level.

Context and Connotation: Use context clues, figurative language, word relationships, reference materials, and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of multiple-meaning and unknown words and phrases, appropriate to grade level.

Cite evidence to explain and justify reasoning.

Read and comprehend grade-level complex texts proficiently.

Make inferences to support comprehension.

Use appropriate collaborative techniques and active listening skills when engaging in discussions in a variety of situations.

Use the accepted rules governing a specific format to create quality work.

Use appropriate voice and tone when speaking or writing.

Use appositives, main clauses, and subordinate clauses.

See Writing Types.

See Writing Types and Elaborative Techniques.

Use pronouns correctly with regard to case, number, and person, correcting for vague pronoun reference.

Communication

Nonverbal cues appropriate to this grade level are posture, tone, expressive delivery, focus on the audience, and facial expression. Clear pronunciation should be interpreted to mean an understanding and application of phonics rules and sight words as well as care taken in delivery. A student’s speech impediment should not be considered as impeding clear pronunciation. This is the initial grade level that introduces appropriate pacing. Appropriate pacing is adhering to the pauses dictated by punctuation and speaking at a rate that best facilitates comprehension by the audience. Too fast a pace will lose listeners and too slow can become monotonous. This element will also help students address the nervousness that may make them speak too fast during presentations.

See 5.R.3.1 and Elementary Figurative Language.

See Common Greek and Latin Roots 3-5.

Figurative language for the purposes of this benchmark refers to metaphor, simile, alliteration, personification, hyperbole, imagery, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction.

A claim is a statement that asserts something is true. A claim can either be fact or opinion. Claims can be used alone or with other claims to form a larger argument.

For more information, see Text Structures and Text Features.

Vary sentence structure.

Reading

Use principal modals to indicate the mood of a verb.

Grade-level academic vocabulary consists of words that are likely to appear across subject areas for the current grade level and beyond, vital to comprehension, critical for academic discussions and writing, and usually require explicit instruction.

Grade-level texts, for the purposes of fluency, are those within the grade band on quantitative text complexity measures and appropriate in content and qualitative measures.

For further guidance, see the Elementary Oral Communication Rubric.

Appropriate prosody refers to pausing patterns during oral reading that reflectthe punctuation and meaning of a text. See Sample Oral Reading Fluency Rubrics for prosody.

Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.

Students will use cursive writing to produce legible works within the same timeframe as they would use for writing in print.

Where the development of multiple themes is being explained, the themes may come from the same or multiple literary texts.

See Writing Types and Elaborative Techniques.

Instruction for this benchmark should include text read-alouds and think-alouds aimed at building and activating background knowledge. Review of words learned in this way is critical to building background knowledge and related vocabulary. Texts read aloud can be two grade levels higher than student reading level.

Use conjunctions correctly to join words and phrases in a sentence.

Vocabulary

Use verbals including gerunds, infinitives, and participial phrases.

The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.”

Skills to be implemented but not yet mastered are as follows:

Foundational Skills

Multimedia elements may include, but are not limited to, drawings, pictures, artifacts, and audio or digital representation. At this grade level, students are using more than one element. The elements may be of the same type (for example, two pictures or a picture and an audio recording). The elements should relate directly to the task and emphasize or clarify a point made within the task, perhaps by showing examples to clarify a claim or data to emphasize a point. The elements should be smoothly integrated.

Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in tense and number.

Vocabulary

Communication

See Fluency Norms for grade-level norms. Norms are expressed as words correct per minute (WCPM), a measure that combines accuracy with rate.

See Context Clues and Word Relationships.

The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.”

Reading

Foundational Skills

Use comparative and superlative forms of adjectives.

Skills to be mastered at this grade level are as follows:

Poetic elements to be used for the purposes of this benchmark are form, rhyme, meter, line breaks, and imagery.

See Conventions Progression by Grade Level for more information.

While the benchmark does require that students consult multiple sources, there is no requirement that they use every source they consult. Part of the skill in researching is discernment—being able to tell which information is relevant and which sources are trustworthy enough to include.

K-12 ELA Expectations

Communicating Through Writing

Write cursive letters with adequate spacing.

Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical sequence of events, relevant details, transitional words, dialogue and an ending.

Make a claim about a topic using evidence from sources and an organizational structure with transitions.

Write an expository text about a topic, using multiple sources and an organizational structure with transitions.

Improve writing as needed by planning, revising and editing, with guidance, support and modeling from adults and feedback from peers.

Communicating Orally

Express information in a logical sequence, using nonverbal cues and awareness of pacing, using the student’s mode of communication.

Following Conventions

Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling. • Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons. • Identify main and subordinate clauses.

Researching

Participate in research to answer a question, organizing information about the topic, using provided reliable and valid sources.

Creating and Collaborating

Use one or more multimedia elements to create emphasis in oral or written tasks.

Use digital writing tools individually or collaboratively to plan, draft and revise writing with support from adults.

Apply knowledge of letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns and morphology to read and form familiar single-syllable and multisyllabic words in context.

Read grade-level texts, at the student’s ability level, with accuracy and expression using the student’s mode of communication.

Explain how setting, events, conflict and characterization contribute to the plot in a literary text.

Show the development of a stated or implied theme in a literary text.

Identify a character's perspective at different points in a literary text.

Explain how figurative language and imagery work together in a poem.

Show how text structures and/or features contribute to the overall meaning of texts.

Identify relevant details that support a central idea, implied or explicit.

Identify an author's purpose and perspective in an informational text.

Sequence the development of an argument.

Identify examples of when figurative language is used to contribute to meaning in text(s).

Identify the plot and theme for a literary text using the student's mode of communication.

Identify the central idea and relevant details for an informational text using the student's mode of communication.

Compare and contrast important details from primary and secondary sources on the same topic.

Identify and use grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately in communication, using the student's mode of communication.

Apply knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, base words, and affixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in grade-level content at the student’s ability level with guidance and support.

Identify and use picture clues, context clues, figurative language, word relationships, reference materials and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of multiple-meaning and unknown words and phrases appropriate to grade-level content at the student’s ability level with guidance and support.

Finding Meaning

Foundational Skills

Reading Prose and Poetry

Communication

Reading Across Genres

Reading Informational Text

Vocabulary

Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills

Reading

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Language Arts.

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Mathematics.

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Science.

English language learners communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting.

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Social Studies.

Cite evidence to explain and justify reasoning.

Read and comprehend grade-level complex texts proficiently.

Make inferences to support comprehension.

Use appropriate collaborative techniques and active listening skills when engaging in discussions in a variety of situations.

Use the accepted rules governing a specific format to create quality work.

Use appropriate voice and tone when speaking or writing.