Print a list of fifth grade vocabulary words and cut out each of the words. Split your class into groups of four and provide each group with a hat or grab bag. Every bag should have between 40 and 60 vocabulary words. Ask students to write a short story by drawing words out of the hat and starting each sentence in the story with the word that they draw. You can mix things up by adding weird or fun words that will generate more interesting results.
Split your class into groups of four or five students. Ask each group to come up with 10 different ways to start a sentence. Every group should come up with a list of half sentences, such as “The cat went” or “John enjoys.” Once the lists are complete, ask your groups to trade their sentence starters. Each group should then attempt to finish the sentences started by the other group. When the activity is complete, ask each group to read their sentences aloud.
There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, and your students can use each of them as the starting point for a sentence. Ask your students to write a short fictional story about anything they want. The only requirement for the story is that each sentence begin with a new letter of the alphabet, starting with “A” and ending with “Z.” This exercise will show your students how different people use language in different ways, since everyone will have the same blueprint but write dramatically different stories.
Talk to your students about the mechanics of rhyming and the ways writers use rhyme in poetry and prose. Next, ask your students to write a one or two paragraph story on any subject they want. The only rule for this assignment is that each new sentence must start with a word that rhymes with the last word in the preceding sentence. For instance, the sentence “I went to bed” could be followed by “Fred woke me up.” This difficult activity will challenge your fifth graders’ vocabulary and rhyming abilities.