Grade 5 ELA Activities

Every day we are exposed to new words — in newspapers, in conversations, in books, on street signs, and elsewhere. We can figure out the meanings of these words by seeing how they are used. Encourage your child to use the dictionary to help figure out the meanings. Talk with your child about how important a good vocabulary is for being a strong reader.

	Large jar

	Slips of paper

	Pen or pencil

	Dictionary

One fun way to work on vocabulary is to keep a word jar in the kitchen or another place where the family gathers. When family members come across an interesting or unfamiliar word, they should jot it down on a slip of scrap paper and put it in the jar. At dinner, or during another family gathering, take turns drawing words from the jar. After a word is picked, follow these steps:

	The person who put the word in the jar should first use it in a sentence.

	Everyone else then tries to come up with the word’s meaning. (Try talking about how the word was used in the sentence as you puzzle out its meaning.)

	If it is difficult to determine the meaning from the sentence, ask questions of the family member who put the word in the jar. If everyone is stumped, look up the word in the dictionary.

	Encourage everyone to begin the next evening’s conversation by using the previous night’s word.

While the word jar is a great way to build your child’s vocabulary, make sure that you are talking about new words regularly. For example, in addition to the word jar, keep a running list of new words on the refrigerator. Add to the list every week and write down the definitions for each word. Have your child read aloud to you; if she stumbles over words, stop and help her figure out how to pronounce them. Talk together to figure out what the words mean. As you work on new words, your child will expand her vocabulary. She will also develop strategies for using clues in the text to determine what words mean.

 Grade 5 ELA Activities