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, and Write to a prompt with the help of a graphic organizer. This 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 homeschool connection activities and projects to extend learning at home, and Common Core correlations for every unit for easy reference. Plus, the suggested learning path is easy to scaffold!