Pacing Guide for 5th Grade English Language Arts

Fishtank ELA lessons are designed for a 60-minute class period. During each lesson, students read and write about unit texts, building their vocabulary, language, and writing skills, as well as their speaking and listening skills. We also suggest students be given dedicated time and well-designed structures for independent reading during the school day.

Recommended daily pacing: 60 minutes of literature, 60 minutes of science or social studies, and 45 minutes of independent reading

In 5th ELA, we suggest five units to comprise a recommended scope and sequence that balances literature and informational texts across a variety of genres. Teaching the units in this order ensures that the students engage with grade-level reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards in a coherent sequence that builds appropriately over the course of the school year. 

We also offer alternate units around other core texts and topics. If you wish to incorporate one of these units into your sequence, we suggest a particular place in the sequence where it will fit best, in terms of rigor and sequencing of grade-level standards. 

We previously presented the units as two parallel sequences of units: a set of Literature units and a set of Science and Social Studies units. If you have two 60-minute blocks available daily and would like to use all of the units, you can reference this guide for a parallel sequence

For more guidance on implementing the 5th Grade ELA course, see our Preparing to Teach Fishtank ELA Teacher Tool.

Request a Demo

See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.

Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.

Contact Information

School Information

What courses are you interested in?

ELA

Math

Are you interested in onboarding professional learning for your teachers and instructional leaders?

Yes

No

Any other information you would like to provide about your school?

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We've got you covered with rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free