Diamante Poetry FREEBIE

Hi there!

Jessica from "Joy in the Journey" here :)

We just wrapped up a fun poetry unit in Language Arts - and my 5th graders had a blast!

I love introducing the kiddos to new forms of poetry - one of which is the Diamante Poem.

Diamante poems are 7-lined poems that are used to compare and contrast two opposite nouns. It gives students valuable practice in identifying and providing examples of different parts of speech, comparing/contrasting nouns, and writing different lines of poetry.

First, we discussed what words (what part of speech) go on each line. A great grammar review - and reinforcement for those who are still struggling! Then, we did a class example (Cats vs. Dogs). Finally, the students were free to start brainstorming and planning their rough drafts:

Then, once their rough drafts were edited by a classmate, they create their final project. I decided to throw in an art component (decorating the background) to stimulate my artistically-inclined kiddos:

Didn't they do a phenomenal job?!?

If you'd like to try this project, you can download my 

FREE Diamante Poetry packet on TPT. It includes a definition, instructions for writing, brainstorming paper, and a final draft template.

If you download it, please leave some feedback! :)

Happy almost-weekend, friends!

Order of Operations Freebie

I know that the Olympics were last year, but here is a freebie with winter theme that will get your students practicing order of operations. This freebie is differentiated into three levels - bronze, silver, and gold. Bronze is the easiest and gold is the most difficult. I hope that you find it useful! Click on the image below to download your copy.

Welcome to NOUN TOWN {freebie!}

Hello teaching friends!

Jessica here, from "Joy in the Journey"

Today I'm sharing a fun project that can be used across multiple grade levels to teach, reinforce, and assess the topic of NOUNS.

After our discussion of common vs. proper nouns, we worked together to create a "Noun Town!" Each student had to bring in a picture of a noun that could fit in our fictitious town.

On the back of the picture, they had to write:

1. The type of noun it was (person, place, thing, idea)

2. Is it singular or plural?

3. Is it common (a store) or proper (Macy’s)

Once all of the pictures came in, we sorted them based on whether they were people, places, or things. I then constructed a bulletin board, divided into three sections of "Noun Town:"
1. People Avenue, 2. Place Street, and 3. Thing Drive.

The students love seeing their work on display and it's a tangible reminder of the difference between the three types of nouns.

Here is the assignment details if you would like to create your own classroom Noun Town!

Click here for the assignment details document (FREE!)

If you download the document, please leave a comment with your e-mail for a chance to WIN a FREE COPY of my "Nouns Scavenger Hunt" packet :)

Hop Winners

We had so much fun hosting the freebie hop this past weekend. We hope that you found great freebies to use in your classrooms, and by the looks of the feedback we received, it appears that you did! (By the way, thank you so, so much for leaving feedback. It really does inspire us to create more freebies for you!)

Here are the three winners of the $25 TpT gift certificates. Please check your inboxes in the next few days for your prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to all of our new followers, and we look forward to bringing you more freebies very soon!

Free Your Time Blog Hop and Giveaway

Welcome! Whether you are a first-time visitor or a current follower, we appreciate you stopping by!

Fifth Grade Freebies was started a few years ago in response to what seemed like an overwhelming amount of freebie sites geared towards the primary grades. Fifth grade teachers need to feel the freebie love, too!

This past summer, we added some new teacher-authors as contributors. If you check out the sidebar, you will certainly recognize those names if you've been reading blogs or shopping on TeachersPayTeachers for a while. There are also some incredible up-and-coming teacher-authors on that list that you will want to be sure to follow!

We've had a makeover, entered the world of social media {Facebook and Pinterest}, and are ready to share wonderful freebies with you! To celebrate, we are starting 2015 with a freebie hop and giveaway. Enter to win one of three $25 TpT gift cards using the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feel free to stick around here for a while to browse the blog and get more freebies. Once you've gotten your fill or bookmarked us to come back later, you can continue the hop by clicking Stephanie's button. Happy hopping!

Let's Get Back To It!!

If you're like me, you're thinking, "What happened to my glorious 2 weeks of uninterrupted fun time???" This break flew by and the teachers in my building returned to work today. Luckily for us, we had a full work day, which was great!

Tomorrow, the 5th graders return and I am so excited to see their smiling faces! I know that for many of them, the routine and structure of school is something they look forward to. And I, for one, will be glad for the routine and structure too. (Except the using the bathroom whenever I want part - that I will miss terribly!)

I am excited to get back, but I am also a huge procrastinator! Maybe some of you out there are like me?? Well, if you are, then I have a fun and easy activity to help get your class back into the swing of things - and, of course, it's FREE!

Check out my 3-2-1 New Year's Graphic Organizer:

This is a simple and fun way to get kids thinking about their goals and aspirations for the coming year. I've used it several years in a row, and I love reading their thoughts!

I usually have them complete the graphic organizer on their own, and then grab a buddy to share a couple of ideas with. (This also gives kiddos who haven't thought of something a chance to hear from another person.)

After they are all done, they turn them in so I can read over them and make some encouraging and positive comments to get the year started right!

If you would like to grab this to use with your 5th grade friends (I've also used it with 3rd and 4th graders), just click the picture above to take you to my TPT store!

I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing, FUN break and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

New Year Goal Setting Pennant Banner

Looking for a quick and fun activity for your students for the New Year?  My New Year Pennant Banner is the perfect way to have your class reflect on 2014 and to set some goals for 2015.  It comes in a selection of colors for you to choose from too.

After students have filled out their pennant, they quickly cut it out.  String them together with yarn or brass brads and you have a fun and colorful banner to hang up in the classroom, reminding your students all year long of the goals they have set.  :-)   Click here to download for free.

Or try my newest FREEBIE which is along the same idea.  A two-page goal setting writing activity.  You can download that for free here.

Enjoy!!

Katie Lyon
Teaching: The Art of Possibility