Language Arts · Grade 5

Active learning ideas

Parts of Speech Review

Active learning helps students grasp parts of speech by moving beyond memorization into hands-on practice. Using movement, discussion, and games builds confidence while revealing where misunderstandings take root, especially with tricky distinctions like adjectives versus adverbs.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1.A
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1.B

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Small Groups

Card Sort: Parts of Speech Match

Prepare cards with words, definitions, and example sentences. In small groups, students sort them into eight categories and create original sentences for each. Groups share one example per category with the class for feedback.

Differentiate between an adjective and an adverb in a given sentence.

Facilitation Tip

During Card Sort: Parts of Speech Match, circulate to listen for students justifying their choices aloud, which reveals misconceptions immediately.

What to look for

Present students with a short paragraph. Ask them to underline all the adjectives and circle all the adverbs. Then, have them write one sentence explaining the difference between the two parts of speech based on their findings.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Pairs

Sentence Relay: Verb Tone Changers

Write base sentences on the board missing verbs. Pairs take turns adding verbs that alter tone, such as calm to excited, then pass to the next pair. Discuss how choices impact meaning as a class.

Explain how changing a verb can alter the tone of a sentence.

Facilitation Tip

For Sentence Relay: Verb Tone Changers, time each round to create urgency and encourage quick experimentation with verb choices.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a simple sentence, e.g., 'The dog barked loudly.' Ask them to rewrite the sentence twice, first changing the adjective to describe the dog differently, and second changing the adverb to describe the barking differently. They should then identify the part of speech for each new word they added.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Individual

Grammar Scavenger Hunt: Text Edition

Students work individually to find one example of each part of speech in a shared reading text. They record with sentences on charts, then pair up to compare and justify choices.

Construct sentences that correctly use various parts of speech.

Facilitation Tip

In Grammar Scavenger Hunt: Text Edition, provide highlighters in different colors to help students visually track parts of speech in longer texts.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How can changing just one verb in a sentence change its entire feeling?' Ask students to provide examples, such as changing 'walked' to 'sprinted' or 'crawled', and discuss the different tones created.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Whole Class

Parts of Speech Charades: Act It Out

Students draw a part of speech and act it out using words or actions, like pretending to 'run quickly' for an adverb. Whole class guesses and discusses the category with sentence examples.

Differentiate between an adjective and an adverb in a given sentence.

Facilitation Tip

During Parts of Speech Charades: Act It Out, pause after each round to ask the class to identify the part of speech being acted out before revealing the answer.

What to look for

Present students with a short paragraph. Ask them to underline all the adjectives and circle all the adverbs. Then, have them write one sentence explaining the difference between the two parts of speech based on their findings.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach parts of speech as tools for clarity and expression, not isolated labels. Use student errors as teachable moments by asking the class to revise sentences together, modeling how to fix misunderstandings. Keep activities short and varied to maintain engagement, and emphasize that grammar is flexible—rules exist to serve meaning, not the other way around.

Students will confidently identify and use all eight parts of speech in context, explaining their choices with clear reasoning. They will also recognize how word choice shifts meaning and tone in sentences, showing ownership of grammar as a tool rather than a set of rules.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Card Sort: Parts of Speech Match, watch for students labeling words like 'quickly' as adjectives.

  Pause the activity to have pairs test 'quick runner' versus 'runs quickly' on a whiteboard, underlining the noun in the first phrase and the verb in the second to highlight the role of each word.

• During Card Sort: Parts of Speech Match, watch for students assuming every -ly word is an adverb.

  Pull out a card with 'lovely' and ask students to place it with nouns like 'day' or 'gift,' then discuss how position determines function in context.

• During Grammar Scavenger Hunt: Text Edition, watch for students replacing only people with pronouns.

  Ask groups to find examples where pronouns replace places or things, like 'it' for a tree or 'they' for mountains, then share their findings with the class.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation