South Dakota ELA 5.W.2.c

ELA5th GradeWriting

The Standard

5.W.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Link ideas within and across categories, paragraphs or sections of information using grade level appropriate words, phrases, and clauses.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students connect facts within a paragraph and from one paragraph to the next. They choose words and phrases that show whether an idea is an example, a contrast, or a result.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can write about bees in one paragraph and fruit crops in the next, then add a sentence explaining how the topics connect. Their linking words fit the facts, so the reader can follow the shift.
Common Misconceptions: Students may use 'also' when the next fact is a contrast, or 'because' when one fact does not cause the other. Some start every paragraph with 'first' or 'next' without explaining the connection.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Write these lines as separate paragraphs: 'Bees carry pollen between apple blossoms.' and 'Some orchards have fewer bees and grow fewer apples.' Ask students to add a sentence at the start of the second paragraph that explains the connection.

Lesson moves

Give pairs fact cards about desert animals and their habitats; have them sort the cards into two groups and write a sentence linking the groups.
Show two short paragraphs about frogs and ponds, then ask: 'What does the second paragraph add, and which sentence could make that clear?'
Play a transition match game: students pair 'however,' 'for example,' and 'as a result' with fact pairs, then explain each choice.
Use a local weather forecast to write one paragraph about expected weather and another about recess plans, with a sentence linking them.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5.W.2.c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.