Reading and Writing with Science Texts

CCSS ELA / NGSS  Alignment

5th Grade

A Note to Teachers Regarding this Alignment:

Our alignment focuses on the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP), in order to allow you and your students to engage with our articles in a variety of ways. Although many of our articles may align with your grade level’s Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) and standards, by aligning our activities to the SEP you have the flexibility to enjoy any of DOGOnews’ articles while meeting your classrooms’ need for interdisciplinary science connections.

The Next Generation Science Standards are three-dimensional. They include the Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI), Cross-cutting Concepts (CCC) and Science and Engineering Practices (SEP). The DCI are taught in a spiral fashion, with concepts growing in complexity over the course of students’ school career. In addition, students use the SEP in increasingly difficult contexts in order to grow their abilities and behaviors as scientists and engineers. All three dimensions are assessed in conjunction with one another. For more information regarding the SEP and the NGSS Science Framework, click here.

NGSS Practices

CCSS ELA

1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • :
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Read the questions in the , then reread/ the article.
  • Note which paragraph contains each answer.
  • Take the .
  • Check your answers. Go back and reread the paragraphs you noted.
  • Retake the quiz to correct any mistakes you made.

  • Three Types of Questions with Evidence:
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • What do you wonder about the article? Write 2-3 questions about what you read.
  • Reread the text and check for answers.
  • “Right there” questions: Some of your questions may be able to be answered by rereading, you may have just missed it the first time. This means the answer is written in the article. Try reading the  version if you are having trouble.
  • Include a quote as evidence of your answer.
  • These questions could also be related to the . Try playing the  and then use a “Right There” question with one of the words.
  • “Think and Search” questions: Some of your questions may require you to interpret and think more deeply about what the article is saying, then you can make a logical guess, based on the information that is available. This is called an inference.
  • Use a quote to supply evidence of the facts your inference was based in.
  • “On your own” questions: Some of your questions may require further research or for you to think about your feelings and thoughts. (For an example of this type of question, read the .) Use the text as evidence when you share your answer.
  • Even though your answer may not come from the text, refer to a sentence that led you to your thinking.
  • Post one of your ‘Think and Search’ or ‘On your Own’ questions in the comments of the article.
  • Check back a few days later to see if any fellow DOGO-ers have answered! If so, respond to them with your own ideas and evidence from the text.

  • :
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Read the .
  • Think about what the question is asking. Look up any unknown words. (Practice unknown words in the .)
  • Reread/listen to the article.
  • Use the text as evidence when you share your answer. Even though your answer may not come from the text, refer to a sentence that led you to your thinking.
  • According to the text, “...”
  • The author said, “...”
  • Record your answer to the question in complete sentences.
  • Use the question stem to write an introductory sentence.
  • Add 2-3 details and facts, remember to refer to the article.
  • Try to use a quote.
  • Try to use some of the words from the  .
  • Add a sketch to enhance your writing.
  • Leave the reader with something to consider as a conclusion.

NGSS Practices

CCSS ELA

3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • Evaluate Scientific Practices
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Think about the scientists or engineers in the article. What did they do or what are they doing?
  • Remember that there are many different names for scientists and engineers; biologist, researcher, inventor, geologist, zoologist. Look for nouns that end in affixes -er or -ist to help you find them.
  • Take notes about what you remember using words or phrases, not complete sentences.
  • Reread or  the article.
  • As you read again, stop and take notes about the scientist or engineer’s actions and findings. Pay close attention to their methods for collecting data and/or what tools they used.
  • Circle any methods or tools you have used in class or on your own.
  • Did they use a model? Draw a table? Have you done that before?
  • Did they take pictures or measurements? Have you used these tools?
  • Sort your notes into two groups; what they scientists/engineers did and what they discovered.
  • Next, think about what else you think they could do to find out more.
  • How could they study this topic?
  • What might their investigatory question be?
  • What tools would they need?
  • Compile your notes into a paragraph. Write about what the scientists/engineers did and what they discovered. Share information about your experiences, as well. Then, give your opinion on what they could do next. Tell why you think these would be good next steps.
  • Record the name of the article with your writing. In addition, write down the information about the experiment or instance when you used these same methods or tools. These are your sources.
  • Testing for Meaning
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Scientists don’t always know the right answer right away, you can practice being a scientist when thinking about vocabulary.
  • Read the  question.
  • Try both options in the sentence.
  • Consider which option matches the part of speech and makes the most sense in the sentence.
  • Choose your answer and provide reasoning to support it.
  • Check with a partner. If they don’t agree, listen to their reasoning, then look up the definition together.

NGSS Practices

CCSS ELA

6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Watch the accompanying video.
  • Read the , think about the question words. What information and language will your answer include? For example, to answer a ‘why’ question, your answer will include a conjunction, like  ‘because’ or ‘so’ to explain the cause and effect.
  • Then, reread/listen to the article.
  • Stop and answer each question. Note which source you used to locate the information, the article or the video, or both! Cite your evidence to its source.
  • In the video, I saw/heard…
  • The article states, “...”
  • Check your answers with a partner. If you disagree, go back and reread or  listen to the article or rewatch the video. Work together to find the right answer, using your sources.
  • Sometimes a disagreement may be based around an unknown word. Use the  or the  to help you better understand the scientific language.

  • Using Vocabulary to Explain
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Take the
  • Choose 1-2 of the words from the quiz that you think are interesting or scientific.
  • Click on the word in the text and read the definition.
  • Scroll down to read the “Related Forms”.
  • This part will tell you how to make other parts of speech with the same base word.
  • Pay attention to the affixes that change the word. Adding or subtracting an affix can alter its meaning.
  • Think about the word you chose. Think about how to add or subtract affixes. What is the new word’s part of speech? How will you use it in a sentence?
  • Think about the main idea of the paragraph where the word is used. How could you rewrite the idea using your new word? What other words in the sentence would have to change order?
  • Reread your new sentence. Does it make sense?
  • Check your work with a partner.

NGSS Practices

CCSS ELA

8. Obtaining Evaluating and Communicating Information

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • Finding the Main Ideas
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • If you chose the original version, next read the  version of the article. This version will also include the main ideas and key details of the text. Pay attention to what is included, this will help you find the main ideas.
  • Read the article paragraph by paragraph.
  • After each paragraph, pause and consider what you learned.
  • Who or what is the paragraph about? What is the subject? (Your answer should be a noun: a person, place or thing.)
  • Did it tell you when or where an event happened?
  • Think, how or why is it happening? Understanding these answers is important.
  • Put all your answers together to find the main idea of the paragraph.
  • Who did what? Why or how did they do it?
  • Repeat with the next paragraph. Does the information you learned add to your current main idea, or did it introduce something new?
  • Continue reading and recording for each paragraph. You may add to a previous main idea, or start a new one.
  • After finishing the article, reread what you wrote.
  • Combine your main ideas into a big idea. Your big idea may put the sentences together or combine ideas. You may choose to leave out some of the details from the main ideas in your big idea summary.
  • Share your summary with your partner.

  • Partner Retell
  • Read or  the original or  article while your partner reads or listens to a different article.
  • FInd the main ideas of your article, while they find the main ideas of theirs.
  • Read the article paragraph by paragraph.
  • After each paragraph, pause and consider what you learned.
  • Who or what is the paragraph about? What is the subject? (Your answer should be a noun: a person, place or thing.)
  • Did it tell you when or where an event happened?
  • Think, how or why is it happening? Understanding these answers is important.
  • Put all your answers together to find the main idea of the paragraph.
  • Who did what? Why or how did they do it?
  • Repeat with the next paragraph. Does the information you learned add to your current main idea, or did it introduce something new?
  • Continue reading and recording for each paragraph. You may add to a previous main idea, or start a new one.
  • After finishing the article, reread what you wrote.
  • Combine your main ideas into a big idea. Your big idea may put the sentences together or combine ideas. You may choose to leave out some of the details from the main ideas in your big idea summary.
  • Share your summary with your partner.
  • Ask your partner the  question.
  • Be sure your summary has given them enough information to answer the question.
  • Listen to your partner’s answer and share your own answer to the  question.
  • Next, your partner shares their summary of the article they read. They ask you their  question.
  • Use your partner’s summary to answer. They share their answer with you, too!