Fifth graders' knowledge of consonants and blends can be enhanced by using wooden clothes pins with the consonant blends glued to the top portion. Have squares with the remainder of the words written on them that the students can clip on to create a complete word. For example, if the blend "fl" is glued to the clothes pin, they need to find an ending that fits, such as "ounder." The level of challenge should be appropriate for your students' reading skills -- not too easy, but not too tough. You can spread the clothes pins on the reading center table and have children select up to four. Then spread the word endings on the table, and the first student who creates four words correctly wins. Phonicsworld.com has an educational computer game that reinforces the same concept and could be used as a reward.
You can easily create a game similar to "Concentration" using vocabulary words. Write each vocabulary word on two index cards. Do this using six different vocabulary words for a set of 12 cards. Place the cards face down on a table and allow each student to flip over two cards per turn. If a student flips over a matched set of words, he keeps the cards and takes another turn. If he flips over two different words, he must place those cards face down again in the same spots, and the next person takes a turn. The goal is to remember where the words are and make matches. The one who finds the most matches wins. The Teachers Net Gazette offers free, printable components for this game.
Most students love to use white boards and markers, so rather than just having them write the answers to questions on paper, pass out lap-sized white boards and markers. After the group of students has read a story out loud, either use the questions provided at the end of the lesson or make up your own questions. After the students have had to time write their answers, ask for a volunteer to read his answer aloud to the group. Discuss each answer by asking the other students if they agree or disagree and why.
Childrens magazines are a good supplement to the reading portion of your lesson plan. The articles typically are about current events, including entertainment, which most students view as fun. Assign a portion of the magazine for each student to silently read, then make an oral report. Allow about 15 minutes for reading; if the story is long, break it into increments. World Newspapers offers an annotated listing of childrens magazines.