Support your fifth-grade students in close reading discussions of nonfiction and fiction texts with practice that supports Common Core methodology. Each unit contains two related reading selections that reflect fifth-grade science and social studies topics and are focused around an essential question. For example, How did ordinary people play a part in history? (essential question) connects " Deborah Samson, Soldier of the Revolution" (a nonfiction article) and " Two Poems from the Underground Railroad" (fictional poems).The activities in each unit help students:• Learn and apply academic vocabulary in context• Participate in oral close reading discussions• Answer comprehension questions• Write to a prompt with the help of a graphic organizerThis resource includes:• Eight robust units that include a unit assessment with discussion of the topic, texts, and essential question, as well as a writing prompt.• Downloadable home–school connection activities and projects to extend learning at home.• Common Core correlations for every unit for easy reference.Plus, the suggested learning path is easy to scaffold.