ELA  /  5th Grade  /  Alternate Unit 2: Defending What Matters: Solimar

Defending What Matters: Solimar

Students explore themes of bravery, justice, and leadership through the book Solimar, observing the ways that individuals can make a significant impact on their entire community by standing up for what is right.

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ELA

Alternate Unit 2

5th Grade

Unit Summary

The unit centers on the fantasy text Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Solimar is set in the Mexican kingdom of San Gregorio, and follows the story of Solimar. The daughter of the king, Solimar is deeply connected to the land and people of San Gregorio, and she is especially devoted to the monarch butterflies that return to the forest year after year. The unit traces Solimar's quest to protect San Gregorio and the monarchs, inviting students to explore themes of bravery, leadership, and justice. In reading, students engage deeply in thinking about the characters, setting, and theme of the story. Specifically, students compare and contrast different characters, while also noticing important setting details. They identify the predictable pathway the author uses to reveal a theme of the story. All of these literary elements are impacted by the fantasy genre, and students analyze the text by identifying how the genre is highlighted throughout the story. In addition to reading Solimar, students build on the theme of environmental activism in the novel by learning about several activists in both the United States and Mexico. Students think critically about how these people impacted their communities and what strategies they used to achieve their goals. In writing, students think about different character perspectives by rewriting parts of the story from a new point of view. They also focus on a unit Essential Question in an opinion writing project that sees them highlight the strengths and impact of an activist or character they have learned about. 

It is our hope that this unit sparks joy and excitement in readers as they dive into the fantasy genre, while also seeing how themes and values from the story have been lived by real world activists. The values displayed by the various figures in the unit serve as models for how individuals can create lasting change in their communities and in the world.

Throughout the unit, students learn to prepare for class discussions, determining which evidence best supports a particular idea and how to elaborate on that evidence. By writing daily in response to the Target Task question, students build their writing fluency, seeing the power of writing as a tool for understanding what they are reading. This unit also provides opportunities for repeated narrative writing, with students following a predictable story arc in their planning and drafting. Students close the unit by writing an opinion essay, learning about how to brainstorm and analyze details, then clearly state and support their position.

Please Note: On August 20, 2026, the Fluency Assessment for this unit was updated to align with the Fluency Demands video in the Unit Launch. If you accessed the assessment before this date, please download the update. 

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Texts and Materials

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Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Rubrics

Resources for Lessons and Projects

Text Selection Rationale

Assessment

Assign

The following assessments accompany Alternate Unit 2. For more guidance, see the Summative Assessments and Assessments Accommodations & Modifications Teacher Tools.

Content Assessment

The Content Assessment measures students' understanding of the unit's content knowledge and vocabulary. It should serve as the primary assessment for the unit.

Warm Read Assessment

The Warm Read Assessment measures students' ability to apply the Reading Focus Areas of the unit to comprehend a new text, topically or thematically related to the content of the unit. It may be administered in addition to the Content Assessment.

Fluency Assessment

The Fluency Assessment measures students' oral reading fluency with a passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. See the Assessing Reading Fluency Teacher Tool for more guidance.

Unit Prep

Intellectual Prep

Unit Launch

Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.

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Essential Questions

  • How can a person's relationships influence their actions?
  • How can one person impact a community?
  • How do the elements of fantasy help tell the story in Solimar?

Reading Focus Areas

  • Comparing and contrasting characters helps readers develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the text.

  • Authors reveal the theme of a story by using predictable patterns and pathways.

  • The setting of a story influences the way characters behave, foreshadows events, and provides a window into the society where the character lives.

Writing Focus Areas

Opinion Writing

  • Write strong topic sentences that clearly state the opinion.

  • Support a point of view with strong reasons and information.

  • Elaborate on details to better support the main ideas.

  • Write concluding statements that are connected to the opinion.

Narrative Writing

  • Use relevant text details or background knowledge from the text to develop characters, ideas, or situations.

  • Brainstorm and draft a story with a logical sequence of events that unfolds naturally.

  • Use description and dialogue to develop experiences, events, and characters.

  • Use precise words and phrases to describe character actions and feelings.

Speaking and Listening Focus Areas

  • Prepare for discussion.

  • Elaborate to support ideas. Provide evidence or examples to justify and defend a point clearly.

  • Use specific vocabulary. Use vocabulary that is specific to the subject and task to clarify and share their thoughts.

Vocabulary

Text-based

activistalarmedallegianceantithesisapprehensiveconservationconspicuousdeterringdiminishingimminentingeniousinterceptintuitionlogicalobligationsprosperityreservationsresolvereveredsincere

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 5th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.

Content Knowledge and Connections

Lesson Map

26
Lesson
Writing

5 days

Overview

Write an opinion letter about how a changemaker created positive change using evidence from a unit text to support your claim.
Day 1 - Brainstorming

Brainstorm and organize ideas before establishing an opinion about a topic.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, Alt U2, L26)
  • Letter to the Editor Mentor Text (G5, Alt U2, L26)
  • Elements of a Letter Reference Sheet (G5, Alt U2, L26)
  • Two Paragraph Outline (G5, Alt U2, L26)

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.9

Day 2 - Planning

Plan before writing by outlining main ideas and supporting details.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, Alt U2, L26) — completed on Day 1
  • Two Paragraph Outline (G5, Alt U2, L26) — started on Day 1

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.dW.5.9

Day 3 - Drafting

Compose well-developed body paragraphs that expand on key ideas with detailed explanations to support the opinion.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, Alt U2, L26) — completed on Day 1
  • Two Paragraph Outline (G5, Alt U2, L26) — completed on Day 2

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.9

Day 4 - Drafting

Organize opinion writing by crafting clear introduction and conclusion sections that effectively summarize the opinion or position.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, Alt U2, L26) — completed on Day 1
  • Two Paragraph Outline (G5, Alt U2, L26) — completed on Day 2
  • Elements of a Letter Reference Sheet (G5, Alt U2, L26)

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.cW.5.1.dW.5.9

Day 5 - Revision & Editing

Delete unnecessary or repetitive language.

Materials
  • Two Paragraph Outline (G5, Alt U2, L26)
  • Elements of a Letter Reference Sheet (G5, Alt U2, L26)

Standards

L.5.1.dW.5.4W.5.5

Common Core Standards

Core Standards

RI.5.3
RI.5.9
RL.5.2
RL.5.3
RL.5.6
RL.5.9
W.5.1
W.5.1.a
W.5.1.c
W.5.1.d
W.5.3
W.5.3.a
W.5.3.b
W.5.3.d
W.5.7
W.5.8
W.5.9
L.5.1.b
L.5.1.c
L.5.1.d
SL.5.1.b
SL.5.3
SL.5.6

Supporting Standards

RI.5.2
RI.5.6
RI.5.7
RI.5.10
RL.5.1
RL.5.4
RL.5.10
RF.5.3
RF.5.4
W.5.4
W.5.5
W.5.6
W.5.10
L.5.1
L.5.2
L.5.3.a
L.5.4
L.5.4.b
L.5.5
L.5.6
SL.5.1
SL.5.1.a
SL.5.4
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