Literacy 

In the Grade 5 Literacy Program, students deepen their understanding of literature and informational texts by applying strategies aligned with the Science of Reading. They build strong background knowledge and vocabulary across diverse topics, develop comprehension skills through close reading, and learn to think critically about complex texts. The program emphasizes active reading behaviors, such as rereading, questioning, and summarizing, while also strengthening fluency, morphological analysis (prefixes, suffixes, root words), and syntax awareness to help students navigate increasingly complex sentence structures. Vocabulary instruction is woven into every unit, with explicit teaching of academic and domain-specific words and strategies like using context clues and morphology to determine word meaning.

Additionally, students develop their craft as authors across narrative, informational, and argument genres. They learn to write with clarity, purpose, and voice, using strategies that support planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing—the complete writing process. Aligned with the Science of Writing, the program emphasizes explicit instruction in sentence construction, grammar, paragraphing, and word choice, as well as morphological awareness to strengthen vocabulary and spelling. Students also learn to write with an audience in mind, making intentional decisions about tone, text structure, and language to achieve their goals. Throughout the year, students draw on mentor texts to study the craft moves of published authors, building a toolkit of strategies they can apply across genres. Oral rehearsal and collaborative writing help students clarify their ideas, while teacher modeling and guided practice ensure students understand how to apply writing strategies independently.

The year is organized into five engaging units:

Unit 1: Young Heroes

In this unit, students study the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of the youth who contributed to its success firsthand and their commitment to making positive change. Students read multiple accounts of the same topic or event and are challenged to notice the similarities and differences in the points of view they represent and how the author uses evidence and reasons to support a particular point of view. They also practice determining one or more main ideas of a text and explaining how they are supported by key details, summarizing a text, and explaining the relationship between one or more events or individuals in a historical text. Students also continue to work on informational writing, using what they know about writing strong paragraphs to write multi-paragraph essays. The unit culminates with a short research project, in which students write a brochure about a lesser-known young person in the Civil Rights Movement.

Unit 2: Fantasy Books, Fantasy Writing

In this unit, students delve into fantasy literature, learning to unearth hidden layers in texts and apply their knowledge of elements to make predictions, inferences, and interpretations. They explore themes in fantasy books, connecting these life lessons to their own experiences. Concurrently, students enhance their narrative writing skills by crafting original fantasy stories, incorporating unique genre elements to create captivating and memorable tales. This unit aims to expand their understanding of fantasy while fostering a growth mindset towards writing challenges and embracing imagination.

Unit 3: Tackling Complexity - Reading and Writing about Earth Systems

In this unit, students develop strategies for reading and synthesizing information from a range of nonfiction texts. They use their knowledge and experiences to write and revise informative pieces that teach others about important topics. Using these literacy skills, students investigate the Earth’s four spheres—hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere—and how they interact. Through this integrated approach, students will strengthen both their communication abilities and their understanding of complex Earth systems.

Unit 4: Friendship Across Boundaries

In this unit, students begin to explore the complexity of immigration and immigrant rights. Students notice how comparing and contrasting characters' perspectives helps the reader to build a deeper, more well-rounded understanding of who a character is, seeing firsthand how characters can change and grow based on their relationships with others.  Students also build on their classmates' ideas, seeking to genuinely understand what their peers are saying by asking questions, adding on, or engaging in multiple exchanges. As a writer, students build their writing fluency by writing daily and by crafting opinion and literary analysis essays, using what they know about writing strong paragraphs to write multi-paragraph essays. 

Unit 5: Argument and Advocacy

In this unit, students develop crucial research skills to investigate debatable issues, critically analyzing various texts and media messages to understand diverse perspectives. They acquire argument-based writing skills, learning to craft informed, well-reasoned arguments to advocate for a chosen cause. This unit empowers students to think critically, communicate persuasively, and understand the nuances of complex situations, preparing them to champion issues they believe in. Furthermore, this unit partners with the Grade 5 personal projects, providing essential support for students as they develop their capstone exhibition pieces.

Across all units, students practice word solving strategies, learn how text structure impacts meaning, and write about their reading to solidify understanding. This program builds the skills and habits of critical readers, ready to tackle the complexity of upper-grade and real-world texts.

Additionally, students develop as independent writers, using feedback, self-assessment, and revision strategies to strengthen their work. They learn that writing is a powerful tool for expression, communication, and change, and that their voices matter.

Inquiry

Inquiry units are designed to offer students authentic experiences where they generate questions and tackle complex issues, as individuals and teams.  Social Studies based units are aligned to the American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards, and they build understanding of concepts across the domains of the discipline - civics, economics, geography, and history.  Science phenomena-based units are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), weaving together core disciplinary ideas, cross-cutting concepts and practices of the discipline.

In Grade 5 Inquiry, students will begin with a study of adaptability as they investigate the factors that influence locations of human populations and human migration.   They will continue to dig deeper into geography and economics, in an exploration of different trade markets as they consider whether global trade is helpful or hurtful to societies.  Students will also investigate activists, from the past and in the present day, to begin to understand how one person’s passion, ideas, advocacy, and actions can change the law, people’s perspectives and impact society and even the world.  Through scientific inquiry, students will dive deeply into the concept of systems, observing and analyzing systems in space, the atmosphere, and in ecosystems we observe in the environments around us.  

In all units, active questioning drives learning and concepts help us to organize our ideas.  Through concept-based inquiry, students develop transferable understanding around core ideas and practice the skills of the disciplines, including:

AERO Social Studies Practices

1. Develop Questions and Plan Inquiries

2. Evaluate the Credibility of the Sources and Relevance of the Information to the Inquiry

3. Construct Coherent, Reasoned Arguments and Explanations

4. Communicate Conclusions From an Inquiry

5. Take Informed Action for the Common Good

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems

2. Developing and Using Models

3. Planning and Carrying out Investigations

4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data

5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence

8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information