New Jersey Standards
New Jersey 5th Grade ELA Standards
All 34 New Jersey English language arts standards for 5th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.
34 standards
Foundational Skills: Reading Language
2 standardsL.RF.5.3
Decode and spell unfamiliar multisyllable words, both in reading passages and in lists, by putting together sound patterns, syllable types and word parts like roots.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words; use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
L.RF.5.4
Read 1st-grade books aloud smoothly and accurately with expression, understand them, and reread when a word or sentence does not make sense.
Official wording
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.ARead grade-level text with purpose and understanding.BRead grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.CUse context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Foundational Skills: Writing
1 standardL.WF.5.2
Avoid run-ons and comma splices, keep tense and agreement consistent, sort out confused words like affect and effect, and use commas after openers and with names.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of writing, including those listed under grade four foundational skills.AAvoid fragments, run-ons and rambling sentences, and comma splices.BMaintain consistency in verb tense; place phrases and clauses; choose between adjectives and adverbs.CEnsure agreement between subject and verb and between pronoun and antecedent.DDistinguish between frequently confused words.EUse idiomatic language and choose words for effect; use punctuating for meaning and effect.FUse punctuation to separate items in a series; use commas in a series of phrases or clauses.GUse a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence; use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence (e.g., It’s true, isn’t it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you, Emma?).HSpell grade appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
Language Domain
3 standardsL.KL.5.1
Notice the difference between formal and casual English, like Good morning, Mrs. Lee versus Hey, and choose which fits the moment.
Official wording
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.AAcquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.BExpand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.CCompare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems.
L.VL.5.2
Work out unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words using cause and comparison clues, Greek and Latin parts like bio or meter, and print or online references.
Official wording
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning academic and domain-specific words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.AUse context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.BUse common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).CConsult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
L.VI.5.3
Explain a nonliteral phrase like take steps, name someone who is friendly to link a word to real life, and rank knew, believed and suspected by how sure they are.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.AInterpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.BRecognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.CUse the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.
Reading Domain
15 standardsRL.CR.5.1
Quote a story accurately to explain what it says directly and to support inferences, connecting ideas to back up each conclusion.
Official wording
Quote accurately from a literary text when explaining what the text says explicitly and make relevant connections when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.CR.5.1
Use exact quotes from a nonfiction text to show what it states plainly and to support conclusions drawn from it, making useful connections.
Official wording
Quote accurately from an informational text when explaining what the text says explicitly and make relevant connections when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.CI.5.2
Find the theme of a story, play or poem, explain which key details support it, and write a short summary.
Official wording
Determine the theme of a literary text (e.g., stories, plays or poetry) and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
RI.CI.5.2
Name the central idea of a nonfiction text, show how key details build it, and write a brief summary of the whole text.
Official wording
Determine the central idea of an informational text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
RL.IT.5.3
Show how several characters, places or events in a story or play affect each other and the plot, like how two characters' choices clash, using specific evidence.
Official wording
Analyze the impact of two or more individuals and events throughout the course of a text, comparing and contrasting two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific textual evidence (e.g., how characters interact).
RI.IT.5.3
Explain how people, events, ideas or concepts in a history, science or technical text relate to and affect each other, using specific evidence.
Official wording
Analyze the impact of two or more individuals and events throughout the course of a text, explaining the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific evidence in the text.
RL.TS.5.4
Explain how the chapters of a novel, the scenes of a play or the stanzas of a poem build on one another to shape the whole.
Official wording
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
RI.TS.5.4
Compare how two or more texts are organized, such as one told in time order and another built on cause and effect.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
RL.PP.5.5
Describe how the narrator's or speaker's viewpoint colors the telling of events and how it shapes what readers think.
Official wording
Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described, and how that may influence the reader’s interpretation.
RI.PP.5.5
Analyze several accounts of one event or topic, noting how their points of view agree and differ and how each could sway what readers believe.
Official wording
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent and how that may influence the reader’s interpretation.
RL.MF.5.6
Explain what the pictures in a graphic novel, or the sound and images in a filmed poem or myth, add to its meaning, mood or beauty.
Official wording
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
RI.MF.5.6
Interpret charts, graphs, timelines and interactive web features, and explain how each one adds to understanding the text around it.
Official wording
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations, or interactive elements on web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
RI.AA.5.7
Explain which reasons and evidence an author gives for each point in an informational text, matching each piece of support to its point.
Official wording
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
RL.CT.5.8
Compare how two or more authors approach stories in the same genre or on similar topics, like two mystery novels.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the authors’ approaches across two or more literary texts within the same genre or about the same or similar topics.
RI.CT.5.8
Compare how two or more authors approach nonfiction in the same genre or on similar topics, like two biographies of one inventor.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the authors’ approaches across two or more informational texts within the same genre or about texts on the same or similar topics.
Writing Domain
7 standardsW.AW.5.1
Write an opinion piece that introduces the topic, states the opinion, gives reasons backed by facts, links them with phrases like for instance, and closes.
Official wording
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.AIntroduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.BProvide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details from text(s), quote directly from text when appropriate.CLink opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).DProvide a conclusion related to the opinion presented.
W.IW.5.2
Write an informative piece that introduces a topic, groups related facts and definitions, links them with words like also, and closes with a final sentence.
Official wording
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.AIntroduce a topic clearly to provide a focus and group related information logically; include text features such as headings, illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aid in comprehension.BDevelop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.CLink ideas within paragraphs and sections of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).DUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.EProvide a conclusion related to the information or explanation presented.
W.NW.5.3
Write a story, real or made up, that sets the scene, introduces the characters, uses dialogue and time words like later, and ends with a sense of closure.
Official wording
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.AOrient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.BUse narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.CUse a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.DUse concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.EProvide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
W.WP.5.4
With feedback, plan, revise, edit and rewrite, or try a new approach, choosing topic words for the audience and reshaping sentences so the writing meets its goal.
Official wording
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.AConsider audience, purpose, and intent before writing.BPlan appropriately to use specialized, topic-specific language appropriate for the audience, purpose and subject matter.CConsider writing as a process, including self-evaluation, revision and editing.DWith adult and peer feedback, and digital or print tools such as a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or spell checker, evaluate whether the writing achieved its goal and make changes in content or form as necessary.EAfter initial drafting, expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, audience, and style.
W.WR.5.5
Settle on a central idea about a topic, issue or event being researched and support it with information from several sources.
Official wording
Establish a central idea about a topic, investigation, issue or event and use several sources to support the proposed central idea.
W.SE.5.6
Collect information from several trustworthy print and online sources, summarize or paraphrase it in notes, note where sources agree or differ, and list the sources.
Official wording
Gather relevant information from multiple valid and reliable print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, making note of any similarities and differences among ideas presented; and provide a list of sources.
W.RW.5.7
Write regularly, from quick one-sitting pieces to projects lasting days or weeks with research and revision, for different tasks, purposes and readers.
Official wording
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening Domain
6 standardsSL.PE.5.1
Join discussions on grade 5 topics prepared, follow the group’s rules and roles, build on others’ comments with questions, and sum up what was learned.
Official wording
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.AExplicitly draw on previously read text or material and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.BFollow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.CPose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.DReview the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.
SL.II.5.2
Summarize a text read aloud or information shared through charts, data, video or speech.
Official wording
Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, and orally).
SL.ES.5.3
Sum up a speaker’s main points, such as in a classmate’s persuasive talk, and tell which reasons and evidence back each claim.
Official wording
Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
SL.PI.5.4
Give a talk on a topic, a book or an opinion with ideas in a sensible order, facts and details to back them, and clear speech at a steady pace.
Official wording
Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
SL.UM.5.5
Add pictures, sound clips or a slide to a presentation when they help make the main ideas clearer.
Official wording
Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
SL.AS.5.6
Adjust the way you speak to fit different settings and tasks, using formal English when it suits the situation.
Official wording
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
The official New Jersey documents
- New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, 2023 · adopted October 2023 · since 2024-25
New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, New Jersey Department of Education.
Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.