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RI.5.1 Worksheet: ELA Performance Task - Grade 5 Aligned
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This Grade 5 Language Arts Performance Task focuses on informational text comprehension and explanatory writing. Students analyze articles about Jackfruit and Ackee to extract key details and vocabulary. The task culminates in a structured essay where students synthesize source information and personal experience to recommend food items for a festival.
At a Glance
- Grade: 5 · Subject: ELA
- Standard:
RI.5.1— Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly.- Skill Focus: Informational Text Analysis & Explanatory Writing
- Format: 7 pages · 10 problems · Answer key not included · PDF
- Best For: End-of-unit assessment or test preparation
- Time: 45–60 minutes
What's Inside
This 7-page performance task includes two informational articles and multiple assessment sections. Part 1 features vocabulary questions, a matching table for facts, and short-answer prompts requiring textual evidence. Part 2 provides an essay prompt with clear criteria to guide students through the explanatory writing process.
Mastery Evidence
This assessment provides clear evidence of student mastery across ELA strands. Each task maps to sub-skills, such as identifying explicit information and domain-specific vocabulary. The multi-part structure allows teachers to assess reading comprehension and writing mechanics in a single session, making it easy to enter scores into gradebooks or progress reports.
Standards Alignment
The primary standard addressed is RI.5.1: "Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly." This task also aligns with W.5.2, focusing on informative writing to convey ideas. Both standard codes can be copied directly into lesson plans, IEP goals, or district curriculum mapping tools.
How to Use It
Use this as a formative or summative assessment after a unit on informational texts. Assign the reading portion first, allowing 20 minutes for Part 1. The Part 2 essay can serve as a standalone writing assessment to observe evidence integration. Expected completion time is 45 to 60 minutes.
Who It's For
This resource is designed for Grade 5 but fits Grade 4 or Grade 6 learners needing scaffolded performance tasks. It is ideal for general education, ESL students, and small-group intervention. The focus on Jamaican cuisine pairs naturally with social studies units on Caribbean geography or cultural traditions.
Effective performance tasks must bridge the gap between reading comprehension and academic writing. According to Fisher & Frey (2014), the gradual release of responsibility model is most effective when students are required to synthesize multiple informational sources into a single coherent output. This Grade 5 ELA task rigorously enforces RI.5.1 by requiring students to cite specific details from articles on Jackfruit and Ackee before drafting a complete explanatory essay. By moving from discrete multiple-choice vocabulary items to open-ended writing prompts, learners demonstrate higher-order thinking skills essential for middle-school readiness. This structured approach ensures that evidence-based writing is not just a classroom requirement, but a practiced skill that aligns with NAEP expectations for fifth-grade literacy and informational text processing. Furthermore, the inclusion of cultural context through Jamaican cuisine provides a relevant backdrop for students to apply their analytical skills to real-world informational texts.
