Word Study Activities: Vocabulary Words for 5th Graders

When it comes to teaching 5th grade skills, one of the things our students need the most of is vocabulary acquisition and practice using these words. Sometimes, academic vocabulary words for 5th graders can be so content-specific that they go over their heads, let alone even being able to remember the definitions. And let’s be honest- memorization with flash cards just doesn’t work for most kids. I knew I had to do something different with my vocabulary words for 5th graders, and that’s why I created some resources for my kids that I know will work for yours. 5th grade teachers of all subject areas, this one’s for you!

BEGINNING OF THE YEAR SCIENCE ALPHABET – VOCABULARY WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS

One of my favorites things in my classroom is how I decorate it and make it inviting and welcoming, and I wanted to combine the cute with the meaningful. Having a classroom alphabet on our walls was a no-brainer I knew I wanted to have, but how could I make it more educational for my kids? I knew my kids needed a lot of practice with all of the new words we’d be learning in science class, so I made science alphabet posters with critical vocabulary they’d need to know.

They’re adorable and bright with a picture to go with the word, and they serve a purpose. The 5th grade vocabulary words in science can have complex definitions, so anything I can do to give my students extra practice with the content is important. You might even consider attaching a definition to the poster once you learn it in class for even more benefit!

Teacher Tip: Have a friendly competition throughout the year. If your students can use their vocabulary in everyday conversation (and it makes sense), they earn a small prize!

MATH VOCABULARY IN WORD PROBLEMS – VOCABULARY WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS

Any intermediate school math teacher can tell you that helping students understand how to annotate and comprehend a word problem can be tough for some kids. When I really dug into what support I could add for my kids, I realized that they needed concrete examples of what a word in a story problem might be telling them. In my Math Key Words resource, I took vocabulary lists for what words correspond with what operations and made a colorful display for my students to reference. I have used these a couple of different ways. 

• For kids who need less support in math, we make a blank operations chart and work through the words to place them in the correct operation. For example, if I see the word “split” in a word problem, what should I do? This is a great activity because it opens up math discussions for our class. Kids will start to notice that sometimes, words don’t fit neatly in one square (each can sometimes confuse kids), so we think critically about where we could place those words on our chart. 
• For my students who need more support in math, I will give them a semi-completed chart so they can see some examples done for them, and then we fill in the rest together. I’ve also color coded the words in the past, so all of the addition words were on pink paper, all of the subtraction on blue, etc.

It makes a great visual in your classroom, and with the key of vocabulary acquisition being practice and authentic opportunities to use the words, it’s a meaningful and purposeful addition to our classroom. And it just so happens to add pops of color to our walls!

SCIENCE VOCABULARY WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS

Science can have a lot of high-level, content-specific words that can confuse and overwhelm kids, so I’ve spent a lot of time coming up with resources that my students can practice their 5th grade vocabulary list with. They’re all based in game play and partner work.

Puzzles: My 5th graders love a good puzzle, so why not bring science words into the mix? Students are given words on one puzzle piece, and definitions on another puzzle piece. Working together and using their word lists, they match up the word with the definition until they’ve got them all lined up.

Teacher Tips: If I can’t be with a group of kids who is in need of extra support, I write letters on the back of each puzzle piece that go together. This helps students self-check their answers as they work and get their final answer. I also color code the word and definition, so if kids are totally stuck on a blue puzzle piece, they know the definition has to be blue.

The puzzles in my store work for any 5th grade science unit, and they’re great for test prep.

Mazes: ​Students begin their mazes with one of the definitions we’re studying. They then look at the words coming out of that box and follow the path of the word that matches the definition. This is great vocabulary practice because students have to follow a particular path, and if they get themselves stuck in the maze, they know they need to go back and try again.

Crosswords and Word Searches:​ Sometimes, we have to trick kids into learning vocabulary by doing something fun. I’ve created crossword puzzles and word searches for each of the 5th grade science units.

GENERAL ACADEMIC VOCABULARY WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS

When it comes to reading and writing, we often have word lists of common 5th grade level words that our students need to learn. Of course, we want our kids to learn the new vocabulary authentically as they read, but our kids need help with this process. I wanted to create ways for my students to practice learning new words that they’d encounter in textbooks, novels, and nonfiction articles we read. My Vocabulary Activities for the Entire Year resource help my students practice their new vocab words in multiple ways.

• Posters: Each word I’ve chosen is on a paper-sized poster you can hang in your room. There are also smaller cards you can use for word walls, whiteboard displays, or any other purpose you might think of. Print on colored paper for pops of color!
• Student Dictionaries: Students keep track of the words they’re learning in our student dictionary. I made a few different pages to help my students focus on other vocabulary skills like synonym/antonym or parts of speech.
• Games: ​Students love anything game-related, so I made a Roll the Dice game where students roll a die and follow the prompt for what they rolled. For example, if they roll a 6, they write a question using the vocabulary word. I also made them a Spin It game for more practice, and students have access to a choice board of vocabulary activities as well.
• The Case of the Missing Word: ​One of our favorite activities in my classroom is when students go on a mystery hunt to figure out the definitions to their new words. They are given a tri-fold with prompts to direct their thinking and learning.

I know that teaching vocabulary words to fifth graders can sometimes be overwhelming, but I know you’ve got this! These ideas have worked wonders for me in my classroom, and I know they’ll work for you and your kids too.

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