5th Grade English Language Arts Learning Goals for the 2nd 9 weeks Skills students should demonstrate at the end of the 2nd 9 weeks of school: Unit 2A Power of Persuasion * Learning Goal: The student will, after reading an editorial, identify the author s purpose. In an oral presentation, evaluate how the author achieved his/her purpose through their presentation of ideas in the argument (e.g., parallelism, comparison, causality). In addition, identify exaggerated, contradictory, or misleading statements the author used to support their position. ü Use the following link to The Killeen Daily Herald for community editorials: http://kdhnews.com/opinion/editorials/ ü You and your student choose an editorial that you find interesting. ü Use your at- home reading journal to write down and answer the following questions about the editorial o Why did the author write the article? o Did the author do a good job of expressing their opinion and give examples from the text. o Identify any over the top statements, comparative statements, or misleading statements in their text they used to support their position. * Learning Goal: The student will use the writing process to write a persuasive essay for an appropriate audience. Choose your position and support it with persuasive techniques. ü Use the following prompt: Students should have to wear uniforms to school no matter their age or grade. ü Help your student brainstorm their argument/position for the above prompt. ü Ask your student to create a rough draft of their essay in their at- home reading journal and then ask them to read it to you. ü Assist your student in editing and revising their essay, have your child write the final version of their essay in their at- home reading journal.
* Learning Goal: The student will write multiple entries including thoughts, connections, and/or strategies that deepen understanding of literary and persuasive texts. Provide evidence from the text to support ideas. ü You and your student create an at home reading journal. ü Read persuasive texts like editorials or nonfiction articles that are leaning toward a single view point. After reading the text with your student, ask them to write in their journal words that help them understand the text, main ideas, summaries, and illustrations about the content of the text. ü Ask your student questions about the text and have them find evidence in the story that supports their answers. * Learning Goal: The Student will: Record multiple entries in a Word Study Notebook demonstrating word knowledge. Use the notebook to support writing. How to help your student: ü You and your student create an at home interesting words journal. ü As you have conversations with your child and reading books, stories, or nonfiction with your child, have them identify interesting words in their books, stories, or nonfiction. After your child has identified words, assist them in defining those words, using the words in sentences, and drawing pictures that represent those words. Unit 3 Reading to Understand Informational Text * Learning Goal: The student will, after reading an expository text, determine the organizational pattern the author used to present their ideas. Create a graphic organizer that represents the relationships among the ideas in the text and best reflects the organizational pattern. ü Read the following article about how boys and girl learning differently in school: http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin573.shtml ü Examine the article and discuss with each other how it is organized, do they have a table of contents, topic headings, vocabulary bolded, or pictures, how does the author present their information, does the author use notable people to prove their point? ü Determine how the author feels about how boys learn and being taught just through lectures. ü Use your at- home reading journal to create a web where the central point of view is in the middle of the page, circled, and connect supporting details to that idea by writing around the main idea.
* Learning Goal: The student will use multiple sources to gather information on a topic of choice. Using effective text features and graphics; create an informational brochure that compiles facts from the sources. ü Ask your student to read about a nonfiction topic they enjoy and have them check out books from the library at school to bring home, if possible use the internet to research the student's topic. ü Examine the books and discuss with each other how they are organized, do they have a table of contents, topic headings, vocabulary bolded, or pictures? ü Use your at- home reading journal and divide a page into three sections horizontally or vertically. Write down one text feature in each box: Pictures Used, Bolded topic headings, and Bolded Vocabulary. ü In each one of the boxes, have your student give specific examples from the two books they have brought home to read. * Learning Goal: The student will use the writing process and appropriate written conventions; compose a multi- paragraph essay about a memorable tradition in your family. Choose an appropriate organizational structure and include an effective introduction, specific facts/details, a variety of sentence structures, and a concluding paragraph. ü Use the following prompt: Traditions are passed down through families and generations what is one tradition your family has. ü Help your student brainstorm your types of family traditions for the above prompt. ü Ask your student to create a rough draft of their composition in their at- home reading journal and then ask them to read it to you. ü Assist your student in editing and revising their composition, have your child write the final version of their essay in their at- home reading journal.
* Learning Goal: The student will participate in small groups to complete at least two of the following procedural stations: 1) Interpret instructions to set up a complex board game. 2) Follow a manual to play a computer or board game. 3) Follow directions to complete a science experiment using the scientific method. 4) Follow a four- step recipe to make something to eat. 5) Follow a four- step set of directions to complete an art project. ü Choose two of the above options to complete with your child. ü Below are some websites to help you complete some of these tasks: o http://boardgames.about.com/od/rules/ o http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/kid- friendly/get- going- breakfasts.aspx?cm_mmc=search- _- crm- _- Bing- _- cons_kids_kids_kidsrecipes_exact&gclid=ckn7hbgo3cecfqudkwodn0ga zg&gclsrc=ds o http://www.education.com/activity/fifth- grade/science/ * Learning Goal: The Student will use appropriate language and written conventions, write a formal letter to the principal and an informal letter to a friend to explain the same main idea. ü Assist your student in writing a letter to both their principal and a friend about their favorite subject in school. ü Explain the difference in writing a formal letter and an informal letter o Formal: use formal- standard sized paper, write your return address on the top right hand corner and the recipients on the top left hand corner, skip two lines and write the date without abbreviations, address the letter "To Whom it may concern", do not use slang, end the letter with Sincerely, skip 4 lines and write your title and sign above your title. o Informal: Write your address on the top right hand corner, skip a line and write the date, address the letter "Dear...", end your letter "With love" or something similar, skip four lines and sign your name. ü Help your student in editing and revising their letter, have your child write the final version of their letter on a piece of paper and give/mail that letter to their recipients.
* Learning Goal: The student will write multiple entries including thoughts, connections, and/or strategies that deepen understanding of literary and informational texts. Provide evidence from the text to support ideas. ü Help your child find a book, poem, nonfiction texts, plays, or magazine articles, or ask your child to bring home their library books from school. ü Ask your child to use their at home reading journal to write down different ways they have connected with their various types of stories, this could be through their own life experiences or things they have seen on TV or even stories you have told them. ü You and your child can find evidence from the story you have read together to support the connections you have made in your lives. * Learning Goal: The Student will: Record multiple entries in a Word Study Notebook demonstrating word knowledge. Use the notebook to support writing. How to help your student: ü You and your student create an at home interesting words journal. ü As you have conversations with your child and reading books, stories, or nonfiction with your child, have them identify interesting words in their books, stories, or nonfiction. After your child has identified words, assist them in defining those words, using the words in sentences, and drawing pictures that represent those words.