Reading: Our next focus in reading is on craft and structure, which is how the author organizes his/her text to convey their message as well as the language he/she uses. Students will explore the following skills:

RL.2.4: Students will determine the meaning fo words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as similes and metaphors.

RI.2.4: Students will determine the meaning of academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

RL.2.5: Students will explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fit together to provide the overall structure of a particular story.

RI.2.5: Students will compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.

RL.2.6: Students will describe how a narrator's or speaker's points of view influences how events are described.

RI.2.6: Students will analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences between the point of view they represent.

Writing: We shift our focus in writing to opinion writing in which students will be asked to write about their opinion on a topic and will support their opinion with evidence from a text. This writing unit will focus on the following writing standard:

W.1.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Language: Students will be studying the different types of figurative language, and we will continue to focus on basic grammar, including punctuation, capitalization, and basic spelling. The students will explore the following skills:

L.1.1: Demonstrate a command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

L.1.2: Demonstrate a command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

L.3.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.

L.3.5: Demonstrate an understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.