Virginia SOL 5.RL.2

5.RL.2 is a Standards of Learning standard. These are the knowledge and skills expectations under it.

• 5.RL.2.A

  Describe how an author develops a character through what characters say, think, do, and how other characters respond.

• 5.RL.2.B

  Analyze the author’s use of language (e.g., synonyms, figurative language, sensory words, dialogue, dialect) and their impact on understanding characters, setti...

• 5.RL.2.C

  Analyze how the characteristics of a poem and the author’s use of patterns of sound (e.g., rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, consonance) impact meaning.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students use speech, thoughts, actions, and others’ reactions to explain how an author builds a character. They analyze how word choices shape characters, settings, and events. They explain how rhyme, rhythm, and repeated sounds add meaning to poetry.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students support character descriptions with specific details and explain how a character changes. They explain how dialogue, dialect, figurative language, and sensory words shape the setting or events. They also connect rhyme, rhythm, or repeated sounds to a poem’s meaning or mood.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may name a character trait without linking it to words, thoughts, actions, or reactions. They often identify a metaphor, rhyme, or dialect but do not explain its effect. They may assume every sound pattern is included only to make a poem entertaining.

04

How to Assess It

Give students a short story excerpt and a six-line poem. Ask them to cite one character clue, explain one language choice, and describe how one sound pattern affects meaning.

1. 01

   Sort character evidence cards into Says, Thinks, Does, and Others Respond, then write one supported character inference.

2. 02

   Discuss: Which single word or line most shapes how you picture the character or setting, and why?

3. 03

   Play Craft Detective by finding examples of imagery, figurative language, dialogue, rhyme, and alliteration in short excerpts.

4. 04

   Compare dialogue from a novel with a movie scene, then explain how word choice and delivery shape the character.

• 4.RI.2

  The 4th Grade version of this standard.

• 9.RI.2

  The 9th Grade version of this standard.

• 1.RI.2

  The 1st Grade version of this standard.

• 3.RL.2

  The 3rd Grade version of this standard.