5TH GRADE
In 5th grade, children continue building strong language, reading, writing skills to prepare for middle school. They read challenging texts and are expected to analyze what they read and provide evidence for their ideas. They continue to become more logical, organized, and detailed in their writing. The ability to work independently becomes increasingly important at this level.
Explore this page for grade-level goals, activities, and resources!
Language
Spoken language is the foundation of all literacy and is one of the easiest areas to develop at home through experiences and conversations.
END OF 5TH GRADE GOALS
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Learn and accurately use a variety of new words, including academic and topic-specific vocabulary (e.g. denominator, ecosystem).
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Engage in conversations with adults and peers about different topics and texts. Give clear explanations and evidence for their ideas and build on others’ ideas.
TOP TIPS TO HELP AT HOME
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Talk all the time! Engage in back-and-forth conversations using advanced words, sentences, and ideas to help your child learn complex language.
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Expose your child to new knowledge and vocabulary through books and other educational content.
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Make a habit of learning new vocabulary. Help your child notice words that they don’t know. Look up definitions, talk about the words, and keep a list of new words to practice.
ACTIVITIES
RESOURCES
Reading
Fifth graders are reading increasingly complex books and showing reading comprehension (understanding what is read) through discussions and writing.
END OF 5TH GRADE GOALS
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Accurately read unfamiliar multisyllabic words.
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Fluently read grade-level texts (accurately, smoothly, and with expression).
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Use evidence and quotes from a text to analyze what it says and to draw thoughtful conclusions (inferences) about ideas that are not directly stated.
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Summarize texts and explain how specific important details support the central idea.
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Bring together information from multiple texts in order to write or speak knowledgeably about a topic.
TOP TIPS TO HELP AT HOME
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Set a goal to read at least 20 minutes every day! If you don’t have a habit of reading yet, start small and build up. Having a set reading time (like before bed) can help.
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5th graders should be able to read mostly independently, but they also benefit from reading out loud, especially if they are still working on fluency. Plan time for them to read to an adult or younger family members.
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Ask questions and have conversations with your child about what they read to help develop their comprehension.
ACTIVITIES
Family Literacy Activities
Virtual Story Time on Demand
RESOURCES
Book Lists and Recommendations
Books For Families from Community Partners
Articles
Writing
Writing can be the most challenging area of literacy because it requires children to coordinate skills like spelling and forming sentences while also generating ideas and organizing information.
END OF 5TH GRADE GOALS
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Write organized essays for different purposes, including telling a story, supporting an opinion, or giving information. Include relevant details, examples, and information.
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Write complete, expanded sentences using correct spelling and grammar.
TOP TIPS TO HELP AT HOME
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Encourage your child to write for a variety of purposes. For example, they can keep a journal, research a topic of interest and write a report, or write a persuasive letter. Let your child see you use writing in different ways too.
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Talk to your child’s teacher about their writing progress. Ask to see examples of their writing and learn how you can support the skills that they are working on.
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Help your child with organizing their writing and clearly explaining their ideas. Encourage them to edit their writing to fix mistakes and improve wording.
RESOURCES
Learn More