Coming of Age

Mixed Up Files By E. L. Konigsburg

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

The Cay by Theodore Taylor

Girl Who Owned the City by O.T Nelson

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Love Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff

A View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg

The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson

The Jacket by Andrew Clements

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Holes by Louis Sachar

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie Lamana

Island by Gordon Korman

Everest by Gordon Korman

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Buddy by M.H. Herlong

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Faith Hope and Ivy June by Philips Naylor

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Savvy by Ingrid Law

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

How can literature help us understand what it means to “grow up”?

In this unit, students choose one of many exemplar novels to study, using all the strategies and skills learned throughout the year. Coming of age is the recurring theme in the texts for this unit. Students compare and contrast characters’ experiences in novels to develop their own written memoir.

Common Core Standards

RL.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

RL.5.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

RL.5.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text

RL.5.6: Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

RL. (MA.8.A) Locate and analyze examples of foreshadowing in stories, poems, folktales, and plays.

RL.5.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend increasingly more complex text, included stories, dramas, poetry.

RI.5.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

RI.5.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend increasingly complex informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts.

RF.5.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

W.5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

W.MA.3.A. Write stories, poems, and scripts that draw on characteristics of tall tales or myths, or of modern genres such as mysteries, fantasies, and historical fiction.

W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.5.5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

W.5.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

SL.5.3: Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.

L.5.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

e. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).

L.5.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

e. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

L.5.3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

a. Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.

b. Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems.

L.5.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.5.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).