Canada · Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Grade 5 Language Arts
This course focuses on developing critical literacy skills through diverse texts and collaborative communication. Students analyze author intent, refine their writing craft across genres, and build sophisticated vocabulary to express complex ideas.
The Art of the Story: Narrative Craft
Students explore how authors use character development and sensory details to build immersive worlds. This unit emphasizes the connection between reading analysis and creative writing.
Analyzing how internal desires and external conflicts drive a character to change over the course of a plot.
Using descriptive techniques to create a vivid mental picture for the reader and establish mood.
Investigating how the perspective of the storyteller shapes the information shared and the reader's bias.
Inquiry and Information: Non-Fiction Literacy
Students learn to navigate complex informational texts, identifying main ideas and evaluating the credibility of various sources.
Identifying how authors organize information using cause and effect, comparison, and chronological order.
Distinguishing between fact and opinion while identifying potential bias in informational media.
Combining details from various texts to form a comprehensive understanding of a complex subject.
The Power of Persuasion: Opinion and Argument
Focusing on the mechanics of persuasive writing and speaking, students learn to build logical arguments supported by evidence.
Developing clear thesis statements that take a definitive stand on a debatable issue.
Introduction to basic logical and emotional appeals used to influence an audience.
Practicing the verbal and non-verbal skills required to present an argument convincingly to a live audience.
Word Wealth: Vocabulary and Language
Students dive into the history and structure of the English language to expand their expressive capabilities.
Using Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes to decode the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Exploring metaphors, similes, personification, and idioms to add depth to communication.
Applying conventions of standard English to improve the clarity and flow of student writing.
Poetic Voices: Verse and Expression
An exploration of poetry and lyrical prose, focusing on sound, rhythm, and the economy of language.
Analyzing how alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhyme create musicality in text.
Identifying recurring symbols and universal themes within short poetic works.
Students apply poetic techniques to their own writing, focusing on word economy and impact.