4. Vocabulary for 5th Graders
5th graders need to know the meaning of these words from the Marzano list.
And these words’ meaning is taken from WORDS TO KNOW BY GRADE LEVEL.
5. Are you looking for a tech option?
Lexia Core 5 is a well-respected app used in many schools. It is available as a home version and costs $175 for a one-year subscription. My school uses it, and I highly recommend it! It goes up to grade 5 and addresses all areas of reading.
Lexia Core 5 is a research-proven computer program that accelerates the development of literacy skills for students of all abilities, helping them make the critical shift from learning to read to reading to learn. It has 21 levels, spanning from preschool through grade 5. It is based on the science of reading. Each level has 5 areas and includes automaticity/fluency, comprehension, phonics, phonological awareness, and vocabulary. Each level should be completed within 5.5 to 9 hours.
6. Read Aloud or Listen to Online Texts – Put the Closed Captioning On
Read aloud more complex books to your child, or have your child listen to books online – not decodable texts – on topics they enjoy to instill a love of reading, improve listening comprehension, and grow vocabulary. 5th-grade reading and listening comprehension are based on:
Here are Grade 5 Common Core State Standards Question Stems to get book discussions going with your child. These are used in school.
We administer the FREE DIBELS 8 3x/year.
- 1 Minute Oral Reading Fluency ~ Can the child read x number of words in a story with at least 96% accuracy?
- 3-Minute Maze Comprehension ~ The student reads a story that is missing words. Each time a word is missing, the student selects the correct missing word from three words.
The minimum scores to pass:
The oral reading numbers are words your child needs to read correctly.
Here are other free literacy assessments if you want to assess your child!
Does your child’s school use guided reading? 🙁
Guided reading is NOT a good way to learn to read. Parents, if your school uses guided reading and your child is struggling, please scroll to the top of this page and follow my “Grade Five Expectations and Recommendations.” If your child can decode and spell, then guided reading is fine. Just be sure that when your child is stuck on a word, they sound it out—not guess!
Guided reading falls under the Fountas and Pinnell cueing system method, which is now frowned upon. Students do NOT sound out words when they are stuck; instead, as students read, you ask them to figure out unknown words by looking at the picture, looking at the beginning letter sound, thinking about what would look right/sound right/make sense or skipping the tricky word/reading on/going back. This makes reading a guessing game.