Quinnessential Lessons: a 5th grade blog: May 2015

Teaching is one of the most difficult jobs. No matter how many years you have been teaching, you are always facing new and challenging obstacles. This linky is our way of showing our appreciation to all of you. The teachers participating in this linky are sharing "secrets" from their classrooms. These are ideas/activities that work for us. We are hoping you will find them helpful in your classroom too.

Pen Pals

Last year I had a student transfer into my homeroom from another state. His previous teacher sent him a letter a few weeks later. In the letter she asked him if our class would be interested in becoming pen pals with his "old" class. How could I refuse?

Well, his teacher and I had such a great time (as did the students) that we decided to continue this year with our new classes.

My students are beside themselves on the days that the letters arrive. They can barely contain themselves. All my students, even my reluctant writers can't wait to write back to their pen pal.

This has been such I wonderful experience. I wish I had started this years ago.

Just Add Dice

Anytime you can incorporate dice into a lesson, students sit up and take notice.

Pictured above is my fraction comparing game. The students use dice to create two fraction. Then they compare them.

Another way I use dice is for review. The students pair up and roll the dice. The number rolled corresponds to the question on the review sheet that they need to answer. Using dice takes "quizzing your partner" to a whole new level.

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