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

Text Features

Literary Elements

Literary Devices

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.

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

  1. 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.

  2. Perspective (point of view) is WHOSE eyes and feelings the story is filtered through — the narrator or a main character.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

Oral Language Strategies

Metacognitive Strategies

Writing Processes

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

Paragraphing

Sentence Structure and Grammar

Conventions

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

  1. Capital letters start every sentence and every proper noun — specific names, places, and titles.

  2. Common nouns (a general 'city') stay lowercase, but a proper noun naming a specific one ('Vancouver') is capitalized.

  3. Canadian spelling has its own conventions — 'colour' not 'color', 'centre' not 'center' — that differ from American spelling.

  4. 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

The official curriculum

This page follows British Columbia’s own curriculum for English Language Arts 5.

BC's Curriculum, English Language Arts Grade 5, Content learning standardsProvince of British Columbia · curriculum.gov.bc.ca · Read July 23, 2026

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.

Chemistry 11 in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their starsChemistry 11 in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Chemistry 11, another British Columbia course, partway through Unit 1.

Practise it

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
See the Course Companion

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.

Get ready for English Language Arts 5

Practise every skill of English Language Arts 5 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.