British Columbia · Grade 5
English Language Arts 5
British Columbia’s Grade 5 English course, from Story and Text to Language Features, Structure, and Conventions.
- Units
- 3
- Lessons
- 13
- Skills
- 45
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Province of British Columbia
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 9 skills
Story and Text
Forms, Functions, and Genres of Text
Forms of text
I can identify the form a text takes.
Skill 1.1
Functions of text
I can identify the function a text is built to do.
Skill 1.2
Genres of text
I can recognize a text's genre from its features and patterns.
Skill 1.3
Text Features
Using text features
I can use text features to find and understand information quickly.
Skill 1.4
Literary Elements
Narrative structures
I can recognize how a story is structured and how that structure carries its meaning.
Skill 1.5
Characterization
I can identify how an author builds a character using clues in the text.
Skill 1.6
Literary Devices
Sensory detail
I can notice sensory details and explain how they make writing more vivid.
Skill 1.7
Figurative language
I can recognize figurative language and explain the effect it creates.
Skill 1.8
Perspective and Point of View
Whose perspective is it?
I can identify whose perspective a text is told from and explain how a different perspective would change the story.
Skill 1.9
The official wording · 9 outcomes
- 1.1
- forms of text
- 1.2
- functions of text
- 1.3
- genres of text
- 1.4
- text features
- 1.5
- narrative structures
- 1.6
- characterization
- 1.7
- sensory detail
- 1.8
- figurative language
- 1.9
- perspective/point of view
Key ideas
A narrative structure is the shape a story follows — usually a beginning that sets up a problem, a middle where it builds, and an ending that resolves it.
Perspective (point of view) is WHOSE eyes and feelings the story is filtered through — the narrator or a main character.
The way events are ordered changes how a story feels — a story that reveals a secret late feels different from one that reveals it right away.
Telling the same events from a different character's perspective can change what feels fair, exciting, or scary — the facts might stay the same, but the feeling changes.
Watch out for
- Thinking the middle of a story is just 'more stuff happening' instead of the problem building toward its peak.
- Assuming the narrator's perspective is the only 'true' one, when other characters may see events differently.
- Assuming every story must end happily — some structures resolve without a 'happy ending'.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 22 skills
Strategies and Processes
Reading Strategies
Using contextual clues
I can use the words around an unfamiliar word to figure out what it means.
Skill 2.1
Using phonics and word structure
I can break an unfamiliar word into sounds and parts to read and understand it.
Skill 2.2
Visualizing
I can build a picture in my mind of what's happening in a text.
Skill 2.3
Questioning (reading)
I can ask questions before, during, and after reading to guide my thinking.
Skill 2.4
Predicting
I can use clues to make a reasonable prediction about what happens next.
Skill 2.5
Previewing text
I can preview a text before reading closely to get a sense of what it will be about.
Skill 2.6
Summarizing
I can shrink a text down to its main idea and most important points.
Skill 2.7
Making inferences
I can combine text clues with what I already know to figure out what isn't said directly.
Skill 2.8
Oral Language Strategies
Focusing on the speaker
I can give my full attention to whoever is speaking.
Skill 2.9
Asking questions to clarify
I can ask a question when something a speaker said is unclear.
Skill 2.10
Listening for specifics
I can listen for particular details or information I need.
Skill 2.11
Expressing opinions
I can share my opinion clearly along with a reason.
Skill 2.12
Speaking with expression
I can use my voice to bring my spoken words to life.
Skill 2.13
Staying on topic
I can keep my contributions connected to what's being discussed.
Skill 2.14
Taking turns
I can wait for my turn to speak and let others finish.
Skill 2.15
Metacognitive Strategies
Reflecting
I can look back on my own learning and notice what I did and what I learned about myself.
Skill 2.16
Questioning your own thinking
I can ask myself questions to monitor my own understanding.
Skill 2.17
Goal setting
I can set a clear, specific goal for my own learning or writing.
Skill 2.18
Self-evaluating
I can judge my own work honestly against a goal or standard.
Skill 2.19
Writing Processes
Revising
I can revise a draft to improve its ideas, details, and flow.
Skill 2.20
Editing
I can edit a draft to fix its spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Skill 2.21
Considering audience
I can adjust my writing to fit who will read it.
Skill 2.22
The official wording · 22 outcomes
- 2.1
- using contextual clues
- 2.2
- using phonics and word structure
- 2.3
- visualizing
- 2.4
- questioning
- 2.5
- predicting
- 2.6
- previewing text
- 2.7
- summarizing
- 2.8
- making inferences
- 2.9
- focusing on the speaker
- 2.10
- asking questions to clarify
- 2.11
- listening for specifics
- 2.12
- expressing opinions
- 2.13
- speaking with expression
- 2.14
- staying on topic
- 2.15
- taking turns
- 2.16
- reflecting
- 2.17
- questioning
- 2.18
- goal setting
- 2.19
- self-evaluating
- 2.20
- revising
- 2.21
- editing
- 2.22
- considering audience
Unit 3 · 14 skills
Language Features, Structure, and Conventions
Features of Oral Language
Tone
I can notice how tone of voice changes how words should be understood.
Skill 3.1
Volume
I can notice how volume affects a spoken message.
Skill 3.2
Inflection
I can notice how inflection (pitch rising and falling) changes meaning.
Skill 3.3
Pace
I can notice how pace affects a spoken message.
Skill 3.4
Gestures
I can notice how gestures support and add meaning to spoken words.
Skill 3.5
Paragraphing
Topic sentence
I can write a topic sentence that states a paragraph's one main idea.
Skill 3.6
Supporting details
I can add details to a paragraph that all support its topic sentence.
Skill 3.7
Sentence Structure and Grammar
Sentence structure
I can build complete sentences and combine choppy ones into smoother ones.
Skill 3.8
Parts of speech
I can identify the job a word is doing in a sentence.
Skill 3.9
Past, present, and future tenses
I can use verb tense correctly and keep it consistent.
Skill 3.10
Subject-verb agreement
I can match a verb correctly to its subject.
Skill 3.11
Conventions
Punctuation
I can use punctuation correctly so my writing is clear.
Skill 3.12
Capitalization
I can capitalize sentence starts and proper nouns correctly.
Skill 3.13
Canadian spelling
I can spell words using Canadian conventions.
Skill 3.14
The official wording · 14 outcomes
- 3.1
- tone
- 3.2
- volume
- 3.3
- inflection
- 3.4
- pace
- 3.5
- gestures
- 3.6
- topic sentence
- 3.7
- supporting details
- 3.8
- sentence structure
- 3.9
- parts of speech
- 3.10
- past, present, and future tenses
- 3.11
- subject-verb agreement
- 3.12
- punctuation
- 3.13
- capitalization
- 3.14
- Canadian spelling
Key ideas
Capital letters start every sentence and every proper noun — specific names, places, and titles.
Common nouns (a general 'city') stay lowercase, but a proper noun naming a specific one ('Vancouver') is capitalized.
Canadian spelling has its own conventions — 'colour' not 'color', 'centre' not 'center' — that differ from American spelling.
Using Canadian spelling consistently in your own writing shows attention to the conventions you've been taught.
Watch out for
- Capitalizing random words in a sentence instead of just the ones that need it.
- Forgetting to capitalize a proper noun because it doesn't 'feel' like a name (like a specific street or holiday).
- Assuming there's only one correct English spelling worldwide, not realizing Canadian and American conventions differ.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows British Columbia’s own curriculum for English Language Arts 5.
Textbooks
In British Columbia, each school district chooses its own textbooks: the ministry no longer recommends them. The ministry’s page
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches English Language Arts 5 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.


Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep English Language Arts 5 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 27
- Fillable fields
- 1,597
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about English Language Arts 5
What is English Language Arts 5?
British Columbia’s Grade 5 English course: 3 units and 45 skills, from Story and Text to Language Features, Structure, and Conventions.
What units are in English Language Arts 5?
1. Story and Text, 2. Strategies and Processes and 3. Language Features, Structure, and Conventions.
Is there a provincial exam for English Language Arts 5?
No. British Columbia gives no provincial exam for English Language Arts 5.
What textbook does English Language Arts 5 use?
Each school district in British Columbia chooses its own textbooks, so ask your teacher which one your class uses.
What comes after English Language Arts 5?
English Language Arts 6.
Can MapleMind help with English Language Arts 5?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of English Language Arts 5, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.