What does a student learn in StateConnecticut,GradeGrade 5,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students point to specific lines or passages from a story or poem to back up what they think the text means, both what it says directly and what it implies.

Students find the main message of a story and trace how it builds across the text. Then they sum up the key details that support it, in their own words.

Students explain why a character acts the way they do, how a key event shapes what comes next, and how those pieces connect across a whole story.

Students figure out what words really mean in a story or poem, including when a word carries extra feeling or acts as a metaphor. Then they look at why the author chose those exact words and what mood that creates.

Students examine how a story or poem is built, looking at how individual sentences and paragraphs connect to each other and shape the piece as a whole.

Students figure out who is telling a story and how that narrator's perspective changes what gets included, left out, or emphasized. A story told by the villain reads very differently than the same story told by the hero.

Students compare what a story or article says in words with what a photo, chart, or video shows about the same topic. They think about what each format adds and whether the details match.

Students read a text and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They check if the reasons make sense and if the examples actually support the point being made.

Students read two stories or books on the same theme and compare how each author handles it. They look at what's similar, what's different, and what reading both teaches them that one alone wouldn't.

Students read full books, stories, and poems on their own at the fifth-grade level, without help to get through the words or follow what's happening.

Students back up their ideas with exact lines or details pulled directly from the passage. They also read between the lines to draw conclusions the author hints at but never states outright.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction passage and explain how the details build on it. Then they summarize what the text says without copying it word for word.

Students read a nonfiction passage and explain how a person, event, or idea changes as the text goes on. They look at what causes those changes and how one part of the text connects to another.

Students figure out what tricky words mean in a nonfiction passage, including words used as comparisons or with emotional weight. They also look at how an author's word choices make a passage feel urgent, serious, or calm.

Students look at how a nonfiction article is built: how one paragraph leads to the next, how a single sentence supports a bigger idea, and how all the parts work together to make one clear whole.

Students figure out who wrote a nonfiction piece and why, then look at how that motive shapes what the author included, left out, or emphasized. A scientist writing about climate change and an oil company writing about the same topic will tell the story differently.

Students read the same topic two ways, such as a written article and a chart or video, then explain what each one shows that the other doesn't.

Students read a nonfiction passage and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They check if the reasons make sense and if the facts given actually support the point being made.

Students read two articles or books on the same topic and compare what each author says, what each leaves out, and how their approaches differ.

Students read full-length nonfiction books, articles, and other informational texts on their own, without help. The goal is to handle grade-level reading confidently and understand what a text says without needing it explained to them.

By fifth grade, students already know how print works. This standard confirms they can read a page, a caption, or a heading and understand how text is laid out and organized.

Students listen to spoken words and identify syllables and individual sounds within them. This is the ear-level work that supports spelling and reading aloud.

Students use spelling patterns and word parts to figure out unfamiliar words while reading. This includes breaking longer words into prefixes, roots, and suffixes to get at meaning.

Students read aloud smoothly and accurately enough that the meaning of a passage comes through clearly. Speed and precision matter here, but only because they help students focus on understanding what they read.

Students write a paragraph or short essay that takes a clear position on a topic, then back it up with solid reasons and details pulled from what they read. The argument has to make sense, and the evidence has to actually support the claim.

Students write to explain a topic clearly, using facts and details to help a reader understand something they didn't before. The focus is accuracy and organization, not opinion.

Students write stories about real or imagined events, using specific details and a clear order of events to bring the experience to life on the page.

Students write pieces that fit the job: the right structure, tone, and level of detail for whether they're telling a story, making an argument, or explaining something. The writing feels organized and matches who will read it.

Students learn that writing isn't finished after the first draft. They plan, revise, edit, and sometimes start over to make a piece of writing clearer and stronger.

Students type, format, and share their writing using a computer or tablet, then give and receive feedback from classmates online. The work goes beyond paper and reaches a real audience.

Students pick a focused question and research it, then write up what they found. Short projects might take a few days; longer ones stretch over a week or more.

Students find facts from books and websites, check whether each source can be trusted, and blend what they learn into their own words without copying.

Students pull quotes or details from a story or article to back up their own ideas in writing. They explain how the evidence connects to their point, not just drop it in.

Students practice writing often, both in quick exercises and longer projects, for different reasons and different readers. The goal is to build the habit of writing for any situation school (or life) asks for.

Students come to a discussion ready to build on what classmates say, not just wait for a turn to talk. They add their own ideas clearly and try to bring others along to their point of view.

Students watch, listen to, or read something, a video, a chart, a speech, then judge whether the information holds up and explain how it connects to what they already know.

Students listen to a speaker and judge whether the argument holds up: Is the reasoning sound? Does the evidence actually support the point? Students look past confident delivery to examine what the speaker is really claiming and how well they back it up.

Students give a short talk or presentation with a clear point and details that back it up. The structure and word choice fit the topic and the people listening.

Students choose charts, images, or other visuals to make a presentation clearer. The goal is to pick displays that help the audience understand, not just decorate the slides.

Students practice switching how they talk depending on the situation, using formal language for a class presentation and a more relaxed tone with a small group. The goal is knowing which style fits.

Students apply standard grammar rules in their writing and speaking. This includes using correct verb tenses, pronouns, and sentence structure so their meaning comes through clearly.

Students apply capitalization, punctuation, and spelling rules correctly in their own writing. This means using commas, apostrophes, and capital letters in the right places without being reminded.

Students choose words and sentences that fit the moment, whether they are writing a story, an argument, or a text to a friend. Reading carefully shows them how other writers make the same choices.

When students hit an unfamiliar word, they use clues from nearby sentences, break the word into roots or prefixes, or look it up in a dictionary or glossary. The goal is to figure out what the word means well enough to keep reading and understanding.

Figurative language uses words in surprising ways to create a picture or feeling. Students learn to spot similes, metaphors, and idioms, and to notice how small differences in word choice can shift the meaning of a sentence.

Students learn words that show up across subjects, like "analyze" or "evidence," and use them correctly in writing and conversation. The goal is the kind of vocabulary that helps students read harder texts and explain their thinking clearly.