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

Students find the exact words or sentences in a story that back up their thinking. When they share an opinion or answer a question about what they read, they point to the specific passage that supports it.

Students find the main message of a story and trace how it builds across the plot. They also write a short summary of the key details that support it.

Students explain how a character's choices or a story's key events shape what happens next. They look at cause and effect across the whole story, not just in one scene.

Students figure out what words mean in context, including why a word feels hopeful, ominous, or sarcastic. They also look at how an author's specific word choices shift the mood of a passage.

Students look at how a story or poem is built, noticing how one paragraph sets up the next and how individual sentences connect to the bigger idea the whole piece is trying to get across.

Students figure out who is telling the story and how that choice affects what gets included, what gets left out, and how the writing sounds. A narrator who hates the villain describes things differently than one who admires them.

Students compare what a story or passage says in words with how the same idea appears in a picture, video, map, or chart. They explain what each format adds or leaves out.

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

Students read two or more stories or poems on the same topic, then explain how each author handled it differently. The goal is to notice what changes when a different writer tells a similar story.

Students read grade-level stories and longer texts on their own, without help decoding words or following the plot. The goal is reading complex material independently by the end of fifth grade.

Students find the exact words in a nonfiction passage that back up their answer, then quote or point to those words when explaining what the text means.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction passage and explain how the details build it up. Then they write a short summary that captures the key ideas without copying the text word for word.

Students read a nonfiction passage and explain how a person, event, or idea changes as the text moves forward. They also explain why those changes happen and how one thing influences another.

Students figure out what tricky words mean in a nonfiction passage, including words used figuratively or with a specific emotional weight. They also look at why an author chose those words and how that choice changes the feeling or meaning of the writing.

Students look at how a nonfiction article or book is built: how one paragraph sets up the next, how a section connects to the main idea, and how those pieces fit the whole piece together.

Students figure out who wrote a text and why, then explain how that shapes what details the author included and how the writing sounds.

Students look at how the same topic is presented in different formats, such as a written article, a chart, or a video, and explain what each format shows that the others don'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 and details actually support the point being made.

Students read two articles or books on the same topic and compare what each author focuses on, leaves out, or explains differently. That comparison helps students build a fuller picture than either source gives alone.

Students read grade-level nonfiction on their own, without help, and understand what they've read. This includes articles, textbooks, and other real-world writing at the complexity expected in fifth grade.

By fifth grade, students are expected to know how printed text is organized and how books, pages, and sentences are set up to be read.

Students listen to spoken words and identify how they break into syllables and individual sounds. This is the building block for reading words they haven't seen before.

Students use phonics patterns and word parts to read unfamiliar words on their own. This includes breaking words into syllables, spotting prefixes and suffixes, and connecting spelling to sound.

Students read grade-level text smoothly and accurately enough that understanding the meaning comes naturally. Fluency at this level means fewer stumbles over words and more mental space left over for making sense of what the text says.

Students write a paragraph or essay that takes a clear position on a topic, then back it up with strong reasons and evidence from a text or source. The argument needs to hold up, not just sound good.

Students write explanatory pieces that lay out complex ideas in plain, accurate language. Think of it as a how-it-works or here's-the-truth piece, not an opinion or a story.

Students write a story, either from real life or made up, with a clear sequence of events and details that make the scene feel real. The writing uses technique to keep the reader following what happens.

Students write a full piece, whether a story, an argument, or a report, that fits the assignment. The writing stays organized, uses the right tone for the reader, and gets the point across clearly.

Students learn that a first draft is just the start. They plan, rework, and edit their writing until it says what they mean, choosing a completely new approach when that's what the piece needs.

Students use computers and the Internet to write, publish, and share their work with others. This includes typing up assignments, posting them online, and giving or receiving feedback from classmates.

Students pick a focused question, research it, and write up what they found. Projects can be quick or span several days, but either way students show they actually understood the topic, not just copied facts.

Students find facts from books and websites, check whether each source can be trusted, and blend the information into their own writing without copying someone else's words.

Students find specific lines or details from a story or article that back up a point they're making in their writing. The evidence has to come directly from the text, not from what students already think or know.

Students practice writing often, both in quick exercises and longer projects, for different reasons and different readers. Over the year, they build the habit of adjusting their writing to fit the task.

Students come to a discussion ready to listen and respond. They build on what others say and explain their own ideas clearly enough to bring classmates along.

Students listen to a speech, study a chart, or watch a video and then piece together what each source is saying. They judge whether the information holds up and explain how the different formats connect.

Students listen to a speaker and decide whether the argument holds up: Is the reasoning sound? Does the evidence actually support the point? Students look past confident delivery to judge whether the thinking behind it is solid.

Students organize a presentation so listeners can follow the main idea and supporting details from start to finish. The structure, word choice, and level of detail fit the topic and the audience.

Students choose charts, images, or short video clips to make a presentation clearer. The visuals aren't decoration; they help the audience understand the main point faster.

Students practice shifting how they talk depending on the situation. Presenting to the class calls for more formal language than chatting with a partner, and students learn to read the room and adjust.

Students apply the rules of standard English grammar when they write sentences or speak in class. That means using correct verb tenses, pronouns, and sentence structure so their meaning comes through clearly.

Students write with correct capitals, commas, apostrophes, and spelling. This standard covers the punctuation and spelling rules that make writing clear and easy to read.

Students learn to notice how word choice and sentence structure shift depending on the context, a story versus a speech, a text to a friend versus a letter to a principal. That awareness helps them write more clearly and catch meaning they might otherwise miss when reading.

When students hit an unfamiliar word, they figure out its meaning by reading the surrounding sentences, breaking the word into roots or prefixes, or looking it up in a dictionary or glossary.

Figurative language covers phrases like "it's raining cats and dogs" that mean something different from the literal words. Students learn to recognize those phrases, spot how words relate to each other, and notice the small shades of meaning between similar words.

Students build a working vocabulary of words that show up across subjects and in serious reading. They use those words correctly when they write, talk, and read at a level that prepares them for middle school and beyond.