The mysterious comma is arguably the trickiest form of punctuation, which is why assigned it it’s own unit in 5th grade. As students become more sophisticated writers they craft more complex sentences. They incorporate independent phrases and clauses, generate compound sentences, and utilize transition words to combine ideas - and the exercises in this unit will teach them how to use commas correctly in each scenario.

A sentence stands alone to express a complete thought. Surprisingly, most 5th graders still need to revisit the concepts of complete sentences and fragments and how to punctuate the four different kinds of sentences. Combining shorter sentences into longer, more complex sentences is another skill that requires practice. Students get all of that needed review in this unit, in addition to learning how to identify and fix run-on sentences.

Sentences are the building blocks of paragraphs. A sentence is a complete thought that can stand alone and in this unit students will learn what comprises a complete sentence and how to identify a fragment, or incomplete sentence. They will explore different kinds of sentences and how to punctuate them. And, to sharpen their craft, students will learn how to spice up their own writing by adding sentence pattern variety.

This unit not only builds students' vocabulary, it also enables students to explore how words are related, in meaning, sound and construction. Learners will also discover some of the ways words are constructed using derivational root words, prefixes, suffixes, and compound words. Students will also learn strategies we use to shorten words and phrases like acronyms and abbreviations.

Mastering pronouns enables students' writing to be more sophisticated. They are able to construct more complex sentences and express ideas more original ways. This short unit focuses on possessive, indefinite and reflexive pronouns, in addition to pronoun and antecedent agreement.