South Dakota ELA 5.RI.10.b

ELA5th GradeReading Informational Text

The Standard

5.RI.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend a variety of informational text.

Self-select text for personal enjoyment, interest, and academic tasks.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students choose nonfiction books or articles for a question they need to answer or a topic they want to read about. They check titles, descriptions, and headings before deciding.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student picks an article about pollination for a plant report and a volcano book for fun. They can explain why each text fits and choose another if the first does not.
Common Misconceptions: Some students choose by the cover alone and miss that the text does not answer their question. Others think the hardest book is always best or that they cannot change books after starting.
How to Assess It: Put out three nonfiction articles: one about bees and flowers, one about beehives, and one about butterflies. Ask students to choose one for fun and one to answer, 'How do bees help flowers?' Have them write why each fits.

Lesson moves

Set out a frog life cycle book and two other nonfiction books; students check headings, then mark the best source for 'How do tadpoles change?'
Read blurbs for 'Why Turtles Migrate' and 'How Storms Form'; tell a partner which you would choose for fun and why.
Play Book Match with cards reading 'Find what frogs eat' and 'Read for fun' plus six nonfiction blurbs; teams pair cards with titles.
Post a flyer for a pretend class pet vote; students choose a hamster or fish care article to help decide their vote.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5.RI.10.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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