North Carolina 5th Grade Standards

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English Language Arts 63 standards

Reading Foundational Skills

Reading Foundational Skills
RF.5.2Create readable documents through legible handwriting (cursive).
RF.5.4 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.5.4aUse combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context."
RF.5.5 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RF.5.5aRead on-level text with purpose and understanding.
RF.5.5bRead on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
RF.5.5cUse context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Reading Literature

Reading Literature
RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.5.2Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
RL.5.3Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.
RL.5.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, recognizing specific word choices that contribute to meaning and tone.
RL.5.5Explain how chapters, scenes, or stanzas provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
RL.5.6Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
RL.5.7Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or aesthetics of a text.
RL.5.9Compare and contrast stories in the same genre on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
RL.5.10By the end of grade 5, read and understand literature at the high end of the 4-5 text complexity band proficiently and independently for sustained periods of time. Connect prior knowledge and experiences to text.

Reading Informational Text

Reading Informational Text
RI.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.5.2Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
RI.5.3Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
RI.5.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
RI.5.5Compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
RI.5.6Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
RI.5.7Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question or to solve a problem efficiently.
RI.5.8Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
RI.5.9Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
RI.5.10By the end of grade 5, read and understand informational texts at the high end of the 4-5 text complexity band proficiently and independently for sustained periods of time. Connect prior knowledge and experiences to text.

Writing

Writing
W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
W.5.1aOrganize information and ideas around a topic to plan and prepare to write.
W.5.1bIntroduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are
W.5.1cProvide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
W.5.1dLink opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses.
W.5.1eProvide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
W.5.1fWith guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, with consideration to task, purpose, and audience.
W.5.2 Write informative /explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.5.2aOrganize information and ideas around a topic to plan and prepare to write.
W.5.2bIntroduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically;
W.5.2cDevelop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples
W.5.2dLink ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses.
W.5.2eUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
W.5.2fProvide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
W.5.2gWith guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, with consideration to task, purpose, and audience.
W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
W.5.3aOrganize information and ideas around a topic to plan and prepare to write.
W.5.3bOrient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
W.5.3cUse narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
W.5.3dUse a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
W.5.3eUse concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
W.5.3fProvide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
W.5.3gWith guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, with consideration to task, purpose, and audience.
W.5.4With some guidance and support from adults, use digital tools and resources to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of word processing skills.
W.5.5Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
W.5.6Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Speaking and Listening

Speaking and Listening
SL.5.1 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.
SL.5.1aCome to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation
SL.5.1bFollow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
SL.5.1cPose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
SL.5.1dReview the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.
SL.5.2Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.5.3Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
SL.5.4Report 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; adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks.
SL.5.5Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Language

Language
L.5.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; demonstrate proficiency within the 4-5 grammar continuum.
L.5.2Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the 4-5 conventions continuum.
L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
L.5.3aExpand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
L.5.3bCompare and contrast the varieties of English used in stories, dramas, or poems.
L.5.4Determine and/or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies: context clues, word parts, word relationships, and reference materials.
L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language and nuances in word meanings.
L.5.5aInterpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
L.5.5bRecognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
L.5.6Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships.

Mathematics 34 standards

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Write and interpret numerical expressions.
NC.5.OA.2 Write, explain, and evaluate numerical expressions involving the four operations to solve up to two-step problems. Include expressions involving:
Parentheses, using the order of operations
Commutative, associative and distributive properties

Commutative, associative and distributive properties

Analyze patterns and relationships.
NC.5.OA.3 Generate two numerical patterns using two given rules.
Identify apparent relationships between corresponding terms.
Form ordered pairs consisting of corresponding terms from the two patterns.
Graph the ordered pairs on a coordinate plane.

Number and Operations in Base Ten

Understand the place value system.
NC.5.NBT.1 Explain the patterns in the place value system from one million to the thousandths place.
Explain that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
Explain patterns in products and quotients when numbers are multiplied by 1,000, 100, 10, 0.1, and 0.01 and/or divided by 10 and 100.
NC.5.NBT.3 Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
Write decimals using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form.
Compare two decimals to thousandths based on the value of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.
Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers.
NC.5.NBT.5Demonstrate fluency with the multiplication of two whole numbers up to a three-digit number by a two-digit number using the standard algorithm.
NC.5.NBT.6Find quotients with remainders when dividing whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors using rectangular arrays, area models, repeated subtraction, partial quotients, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Use models to make connections and develop the algorithm.
Perform operations with decimals.
NC.5.NBT.7 Compute and solve real-world problems with multi-digit whole numbers and decimal numbers.
Add and subtract decimals to thousandths using models, drawings or strategies based on place value.
Multiply decimals with a product to thousandths using models, drawings, or strategies based on place value.
Divide a whole number by a decimal and divide a decimal by a whole number, using repeated subtraction or area models. Decimals should be limited to hundredths.
Use estimation strategies to assess reasonableness of answers.
Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract fractions.
NC.5.NF.1 Add and subtract fractions, including mixed numbers, with unlike denominators using related fractions: halves, fourths and eighths; thirds, sixths, and twelfths; fifths, tenths, and hundredths.
Use benchmark fractions and number sense of fractions to estimate mentally and assess the reasonableness of answers.
Solve one- and two-step word problems in context using area and length models to develop the algorithm. Represent the word problem in an equation.
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to multiply and divide fractions.
NC.5.NF.3 Use fractions to model and solve division problems.
Interpret a fraction as an equal sharing context, where a quantity is divided into equal parts.
Model and interpret a fraction as the division of the numerator by the denominator.
Solve one-step word problems involving division of whole numbers leading to answers in the form of fractions and mixed numbers, with denominators of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12, using area, length, and set models or equations.
NC.5.NF.4 Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction, including mixed numbers.
Use area and length models to multiply two fractions, with the denominators 2, 3, 4.
Explain why multiplying a given number by a fraction greater than 1 results in a product greater than the given number and when multiplying a given number by a fraction less than 1 results in a product smaller than the given number.
Solve one-step word problems involving multiplication of fractions using models to develop the algorithm.
NC.5.NF.7Solve one-step word problems involving division of unit fractions by non-zero whole numbers and division of whole numbers by unit fractions using area and length models, and equations to represent the problem.

Measurement and Data

Represent and interpret data.
NC.5.MD.2 Represent and interpret data.
Collect data by asking a question that yields data that changes over time.
Make and interpret a representation of data using a line graph.
Determine whether a survey question will yield categorical or numerical data, or data that changes over time.
Understand concepts of volume.
NC.5.MD.4Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and measure volume by counting unit cubes, using cubic centimeters, cubic inches, cubic feet, and improvised units.
NC.5.MD.5 Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition.
Find the volume of a rectangular prism with whole-number side lengths by packing it with unit cubes, and show that the volume is the same as would be found by multiplying the edge lengths.
Build understanding of the volume formula for rectangular prisms with whole-number edge lengths in the context of solving problems.
Find volume of solid figures with one-digit dimensions composed of two non-overlapping rectangular prisms.

Geometry

Understand the coordinate plane.
NC.5.G.1Graph points in the first quadrant of a coordinate plane, and identify and interpret the x and y coordinates to solve problems.
Classify quadrilaterals.
NC.5.G.3 Classify quadrilaterals into categories based on their properties.
Explain that attributes belonging to a category of quadrilaterals also belong to all subcategories of that category.
Classify quadrilaterals in a hierarchy based on properties.

Science 16 standards

Matter and its Interactions

PS.5.1 Understand the interactions of matter and energy and the changes that occur.
PS.5.1.1Carry out investigations to compare the weight of objects before and after an interaction.
PS.5.1.2Carry out investigations to explain whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
PS.5.1.3Carry out investigations to compare how heating and cooling affect some materials and how this relates to their purpose and practical applications.

Motion and Stability- Forces and Interactions

PS.5.2 Understand force, motion, and the relationship between them.
PS.5.2.1Carry out investigations to explain how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of objects.
PS.5.2.2Use mathematics and computational thinking to infer the motion of an object (including position, direction, and speed).

From Molecules to Organisms- Structures and Processes

LS.5.1 Understand how structures and systems of the human body perform functions necessary for life.
LS.5.1.1Use models to recognize the organizational structure of humans as a multicellular organism (cell, tissue, organ, system, organism).
LS.5.1.2Use models to compare the major systems of the human body (digestive, respiratory, circulatory, muscular, skeletal, nervous) as it relates to their functions necessary for life.

Ecosystems- Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

LS.5.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals within their ecosystem.
LS.5.2.1Engage in argument from evidence to compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems (including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, forests, and grasslands) in terms of their ability to support a variety of populations.
LS.5.2.2Use models to classify organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers, or decomposers.
LS.5.2.3Use models to infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationships of plants and animals to their ecosystem.

Heredity- Inheritance and Variation of Traits

LS.5.3 Understand some characteristics of an organism are inherited and other characteristics are acquired.
LS.5.3.1Ask questions to compare instincts and learned behaviors.
LS.5.3.2Ask questions to compare inherited and acquired traits.

Earth’s Systems

ESS.5.1 Understand how Earth systems (hydrosphere and atmosphere) impact patterns of weather and climate.
ESS.5.1.1Analyze and interpret data to compare daily and seasonal changes in weather conditions (including wind speed and direction, precipitation, and temperature) and patterns.
ESS.5.1.2Analyze and interpret weather data to explain current and upcoming weather conditions (including severe weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes) in a given location.
ESS.5.1.3Construct an explanation to summarize the ocean's influences on weather and climate in North Carolina.
ESS.5.1.4Use models to explain how the sun’s energy drives the processes of the water cycle (including evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation).

More Information: North Carolina Dates, Sources and Homeschool Law

North Carolina Standard Course of Study, published by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI).

Adopted by the state: English 2017, Math 2017, Science 2023, Social Studies 2021
Last checked by NexStudents: September 25, 2026

Copied from the state's own files, word for word. States revise their standards, so check the state's page for the current version.

English Language Arts (the state's file)
Mathematics (the state's file)
Science (the state's file)
Social Studies (the state's file)

Homeschool Law in North Carolina

School required for ages: 7–16
Ways to homeschool: One
Notice to the state: Yes
Teacher qualifications: Yes
Required subjects: No
Testing or evaluation: Yes
Immunization records: Yes
Instruction time: A regular schedule for at least nine calendar months a year, apart from reasonable holidays.
The law: North Carolina General Statute §115C-563

Written from HSLDA's summary of North Carolina homeschool law, read September 25, 2026. Laws change and this is not legal advice. Read HSLDA's full step-by-step guide before you file anything.