Grade 5 Lesson plan
Three Sources on the Birchmill Pump House: A Grade 5 Research Lesson
Students take notes from three short sources about a fictional town's pump house, then write a brief report on how water is lifted from the wells to the tank.
Common Core ELA · Grade 5
W.5.7 Short research projects
Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Why water teaches this standard well
Fifth graders use several sources to investigate aspects of a water topic, such as comparing how different communities respond to drought. Drawing on more than one source about the same river or reservoir builds the habit of corroboration early.
Materials tagged with this code are written to the full standard , and each carries a written note explaining the alignment. See how we review materials.
6 materials aligned to W.5.7
Lesson plans
Classroom activities
Grade 5 Classroom activity
The Arrowood Water Works Press Conference: A Grade 5 Activity
Four students hold source cards about a fictional utility's planned six-hour shutdown while the rest of the class interviews them and writes a short news brief.
Grade 5 Classroom activity
Comparing Furrow and Drip Irrigation: A Grade 5 Research Activity
Grade 5 groups combine three short source cards about two fictional farms and a global water-use fact to compare furrow and drip irrigation and answer research questions.
Projects
Grade 5 Project
The Moorvale River Park Dam: A Water Safety Sign and Family Guide
A grade 5 health project in which teams study the hidden current below a small river dam and design a warning sign and family safety guide for a fictional park.
Grade 5 Project
The Slate Harbor Water Museum: Grade 5 Exhibit Panels
A five-session grade 5 ELA project where teams research one part of a town water system and write a hallway exhibit panel for fourth-grade visitors.
Graphic organizers
Grade 5 Graphic organizer
Two Reports on the Hollowbeck Reservoir Drawdown
A grade 5 source-comparison organizer that sets a water district notice beside a newspaper story on the same reservoir drawdown, with a completed exemplar.