Word games allow fifth-graders to expand their vocabulary and spelling skills. Word games, such as Scrabble, force the players to form a strategy before taking a turn with the letter tiles and game board. Students must unscramble and form words from the given tiles. To implement this fun spelling and vocabulary time with your students, divide the class into small groups of two to four players each. Give each group a game board and a dictionary to use as reference.
Purchase a pair of large dice and a deck of cards. On one die, write types of sentences on each side, like exclamation or compound sentences. On the other die, write punctuation marks on each side. On the deck of cards, write spelling words, one per card. Roll the die and read the outcome aloud. Then select a card from the deck and read it aloud. Ask students to write a sentence according to what was rolled on the dice with the word from the selected card.
Create journals for each fifth-grade student with large sheets of construction and lined paper. Fold the paper in half and staple them together to form the journal. Ask the students to make one journal entry per day at the beginning of each class. Write a sentence on the chalkboard that contains errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. Students should copy the sentence in their journals as it appears on the board. Then the students should correct the errors within the sentence. Discuss the issues with and solutions to the sentence with the class.
Allow students to choose a biography from the school library. Allow enough time for the students to read the book and have them complete a book report. The book report should contain a cover page, which includes the title of the book, the author's name and a hand-drawn photo of the character. The report should include background information on the character, such as date of birth, what he was remembered for and why the student chose the character.
Gather poetry books for the fifth-graders to look through. Ask the children to choose one poem. The students should then copy the poem on a piece of paper, using correct spelling and grammar according to how it is written in the book. The children should pay special attention to the capitalization and punctuation within the poem. Tell the children to also provide the title of the poem, author and a hand-drawn picture.