5th grade powerpoint presentation ideas

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75 Unique School Presentation Ideas and Topics Plus Templates

Are you tired of seeing the same PowerPoints repeating overused and unoriginal school presentation ideas covering repeated topics in your classes?

You know what I’m talking about; we’ve all been there, and sat through yawn-worthy demonstrations, slides, or presentation videos covering everything from the solar system, someone’s favorite pet, past presidents of a country, to why E=mC squared.

From grade school to university, first graders to college students, we are obligated to create, perform, and observe academic presentations across a plethora of curriculums and classes, and not all of these public speaking opportunities fall into the category of an ‘interesting topic’.

Yet, have no fear! Here at Piktochart, we are here to help you and your classmates. From giving examples of creative and even interactive presentation ideas, providing presentation videos , and suggesting interactive activities to give your five minutes of fame the ‘wow’ factor that it deserves, this article is your guide!

Our massive collection of unique school and college presentation ideas and templates applies if you’re:

• A teacher looking to make your class more engaging and fun with student presentations.
• A student who wants to impress your teacher and the rest of the class with a thought-provoking, interesting topic.

A Curated List of Interesting Topics for School Presentations

Did you know that when it comes to presentations , the more students involved improves retention? The more you know! Yet sometimes, you need a little help to get the wheels moving in your head for your next school presentation .

The great thing about these ideas and topics is you can present them either in face-to-face classes or virtual learning sessions.

Each school presentation idea or topic below also comes with a template that you can use. Create a free Piktochart account to try our presentation maker and get access to the high-quality version of the templates. You can also check out our Piktochart for Education plan .

Want to watch this blog post in video format? The video below is for you!

The templates are further divided into the following categories covering the most popular and best presentation topics. Click the links below to skip to a specific section.

• Unique science presentation topics to cultivate curiosity in class
• Engaging culture and history presentation ideas to draw inspiration from
• Health class presentation topics to help students make healthy lifestyle decisions
• Data visualization ideas to help students present an overwhelming amount of data and information into clear, engaging visuals
• First day of school activity ideas to foster classroom camaraderie
• Communication and media topics to teach students the importance of effective communication
• Topics to help students prepare for life after school

We hope this list will inspire you and help you nail your next school presentation activity.

Unique Science Presentation Topics to Cultivate Curiosity in Class

Science is a broad field and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with too many topics to choose for your next presentation.

Cultivate curiosity in the science classroom with the following unique and creative presentation ideas and topics:

1. Can life survive in space?

2. Do plants scream when they’re in pain?

3. What are the traits of successful inventors?

4. How vaccines work

5. Massive destruction of the Koala’s habitat in Australia

6. Left brain versus right brain

7. What are great sources of calcium?

Get access to high-quality, unique school presentation templates by Piktochart for Education.

Create and collaborate in the classroom using Piktochart’s customizable and printable templates for your school reports, presentations, and infographics.

8. Recycling facts you need to know

9. Do you have what it takes to be a NASA astronaut?

10. The rise of robots and AI: Should we be afraid of them?

11. How far down does the sea go?

12. The stages of sleep

13. Will Mars be our home in 2028?

14. A quick look at laboratory safety rules

15. The first person in history to break the sound barrier

Engaging Culture and History Presentation Ideas to Draw Inspiration From

History is filled with equally inspiring and terrifying stories, and there are lessons that students can learn from the events of the past. Meanwhile, interactive presentations about culture help students learn and embrace diversity. 

16. Women in history: A conversation through time

17. The sweet story of chocolate 

18. A history lesson with a twist 

19. The history of basketball 

20. The origin of the Halloween celebration 

21. AI History 

22. What you need to know about New Zealand 

23. 1883 volcanic eruption of Krakatoa 

24. Roman structures: 2000 years of strength

25. The most famous art heists in history 

26. Elmo: The story behind a child icon 

27. 10 things you should know before you visit South Korea 

28. 8 things you didn’t know about these 8 countries 

Health Class Presentation Topics to Help Students Make Healthy Lifestyle Decisions

Want to learn how to engage students with healthcare topic ideas? Then consider using these templates for your next interactive presentation.

According to the CDC , school-based health education contributes to the development of functional health knowledge among students. It also helps them adapt and maintain health-promoting behaviors throughout their lives. 

Not only will your presentation help with keeping students engaged, but you’ll also increase class involvement with the right slides.

The following examples of health and wellness interactive presentations include fun ideas and topics that are a good start. 

29. How to look after your mental health?

30. The eradication of Polio

31. How to have a healthy lifestyle 

32. 10 handwashing facts 

33. Myths and facts about depression

34. Hacks for making fresh food last longer 

35. Ways to avoid spreading the coronavirus

36. Mask protection in 5 simple steps 

37. Everything you need to know about the flu

38. All about stress: Prevention, tips, and how to cope 

39. The importance of sleep 

40. Is milk tea bad for you?

41. How to boost happiness in 10 minutes

42. How dirty are debit and credit cards 

43. Why do you need sunscreen protection

Data Visualization Ideas to Help Students Present Overwhelming Amounts of Data in Creative Ways

Data visualization is all about using visuals to make sense of data. Students need to pull the main points from their extensive research, and present them by story telling while being mindful of their classmates’ collective attention span.

As far as student assignments go, storytelling with data is a daunting task for students and teachers alike. To keep your audience interested, consider using a non linear presentation that presents key concepts in creative ways.

Inspire your class to be master data storytellers with the following data visualization ideas:

44. Are we slowly losing the Borneo rainforest?

45. Skateboard deck design over the years

46. Food waste during the Super Bowl

47. The weight of the tallest building in the world

48. Infographic about data and statistics

49. Stats about cyberbullying

50. How whales combat climate change

First Day of School Interactive Activity Ideas to Foster Whole-class-Camaraderie

Calling all teachers! Welcome your new students and start the school year with the following back-to-school creative presentation ideas and relevant templates for first-day-of-school activities.

These interactive presentations grab the attention of your students and are remarkably easy to execute (which is the main educator’s goal after all)!

51. Meet the teacher

52. Example: all about me

53. Self-introduction

54. Tips on how to focus on schoolwork

55. Course plan and schedule

Give our class schedule maker a try to access more templates for free. You can also access our presentation-maker , poster-maker , timeline-maker , and more by simply signing up .

56. Interpreting a student’s report card (for parents)

57. Introduction of classroom rules

58. Assignment schedule

59. Daily planner

60. Course syllabus presentation

61. How to write a class presentation

Topics to Teach Students the Importance of Effective Communication

Visual media  helps students retain more of the concepts  taught in the classroom. The following media topics and infographic templates can help you showcase complex concepts in a short amount of time. 

In addition, interactive presentation activities using these templates also encourage the development of a holistic learning process in the classroom because they help focus on the  three domains of learning:  cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. 

62. Interactive presentation do’s and don’ts 

63. How to create an infographic 

Recommended reading : How to Make an Infographic in 30 Minutes

64. How to improve your internet security and privacy

65. What is design thinking?

66. What are your favorite software tools to use in the classroom? 

Presentation Topic Ideas to Help Students Prepare for Life After School

One of the things that makes teaching a rewarding career is seeing your students take the learning and knowledge you’ve instilled in them, and become successful, productive adults.

From pitching a business idea to starting your podcast, the following topics are good starting points to prepare students for the challenges after graduation (aka adulting 101):

67. How to make a resume

68. How to start a startup

69. Credit card vs. debit card

70. Pros and cons of cryptocurrency

71. How to save on travel

72. How to do a SWOT analysis

73. How to pitch a business idea

74. Habits of successful people

75. Starting your own podcast: A checklist

Find out how a high school teacher like Jamie Barkin uses Piktochart to improve learning in the classroom for her students.

Pro tip: make your presentation as interactive as possible. Students have an attention span of two to three minutes per year of age. To keep minds from wandering off, include some interactive games or activities in the lesson. For example, if you conducted a lesson on the respiratory system, you could ask them to practice breathing techniques.

Maintain eye contact with your students, and you’ll get instant feedback on how interested they are in the interactive presentation.

Make School Presentation Visuals Without the Hassle of Making Them From Scratch

School presentations, when done right, can help teachers engage their classes and improve students’ education effectively by presenting information using the right presentation topic. 

If you’re pressed for time and resources to make your school presentation visuals , choose a template from Piktochart’s template gallery . Aside from the easy customization options, you can also print and download these templates to your preferred format. 

Piktochart also professional templates to create infographics , posters , brochures , reports , and more.

Creating school-focused, engaging, and interactive presentations can be tedious at first, but with a little bit of research and Piktochart’s handy templates, you’re going to do a great job!

The future of learning is interactivity and collaboration.

Foster interactive and collaborative learning using Piktochart for Education. Share your work, get feedback, and brainstorm on the fly. With Piktochart, everyone’s on the same page. Finally.

Kyjean Tomboc is an experienced content marketer for healthcare, design, and SaaS brands. She also manages content (like a digital librarian of sorts). She lives for mountain trips, lap swimming, books, and cats.

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12 Interactive PowerPoint Activities Your Students will Love

At Slides with Friends, we're all about trying to make your life as a teacher a little bit easier. We want to provide as many tools, tips, and as much support as possible. That's why we share on topics like Review Games , Student Wellness Activities , and Tools for Measuring Student Engagement .

While we usually focus on how you can use Slides with Friends specifically, we want to bring you something a little different this time. We've compiled 12 of our favorite interactive PowerPoint activities you can use with your students. All of the activities are designed to engage your students in ways they'll love. Even better, these activities let you use a tool you're probably already familiar with.

And read to the end for an exciting new announcement!

Annotated Images

Annotated images let you teach history (or literature! or geography!) using detailed annotated images from your latest lesson. We're big fans of using visuals in the classroom. And with good reason! A study released by the Journal of Education and Practice found visual information is mapped better in students' minds across multiple types of thinking skills. By introducing more visuals to a lesson plan, and using tools like PowerPoint, lessons are more likely to be remembered.

You can introduce annotated images on PowerPoint by picking out relevant images and adding captions or labels to them and presenting them as you teach. You can add descriptions, draw arrows, or points of interest on the image.

Check out this fun example from Ditch That Textbook .

Even better, provide a few unique images of the lesson you just presented and have the students create their own annotations. Then, as a class, have each student present their image in PowerPoint.

Photos as Story Prompts

More visual learning! Using photos as storytelling prompts can be a great way to spark your student's creativity! PowerPoint is an ideal platform to display the photos, as it provides you the flexibility and versatility to show one photo at a time in case you want the students to focus exclusively on that image.

Simply ask them to write a story based on the photo in 1-3 sentences, and compare answers afterward. Encouraging different interpretations of a single image also helps foster critical thinking skills and encourages students to use their own perspectives when expressing their ideas.

Interactive Maps

Interactive maps are a fantastic way for students to learn about their world without leaving the classroom! And one of the easiest ways to show off these maps is through PowerPoint. Plus, PowerPoint makes adding hyperlinks to specific places (like pins), so you can click through areas of interest without having to open up a separate browser page.

If you're looking for a simple tutorial on how to create a lesson-based interactive map, check out this one from eLearning Industry . For more exploratory maps, check out the tutorial below (which includes the free template!).

Battleship Review Game

We love a good game here at Slides with Friends, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see so many options on this list. However, before doing research for this article, we had no idea Battleship could be played on PowerPoint!

In the template below, you can add words and to reveal the space beneath the words, students have to:

- Conjugate the Verb

- Use the Word in a Sentence

- Define the Word

Or one of any fun combinations.

We love this idea for language classes especially, but can also be used for vocabulary in any subject.

You can check out the whole presentation here.

Crossword Puzzle

Crossword puzzles are a timeless and popular way of testing knowledge and keeping minds alert. They can be used in the classroom to reinforce concepts and skills related to any subject, making them a great teaching tool. Crosswords can help students learn new vocabulary words, polish their grammar, understand history or science topics better, or firm up mathematics concepts.

And an easy way to do a crossword in the classroom is by using PowerPoint. You simply need to create a blank and a filled puzzle on PowerPoint and then fill it out with your class.

Check out this step-by-step guide on the best way to quickly create a crossword puzzle in PowerPoint.

Tests and quizzes are absolutely no fun, so if you can find an easy way to quiz your students in a fun way, that's a win-win! One of our favorite ways to do this is by creating a quiz show on PowerPoint.

By using those hyperlinks we mentioned above, you can easily create your own questions, assign point values, and include sound effects (or music!) to make your students feel like they're actually in a game show!

This 6 Steps to Create a Multiple Choice Quiz is a great way to start designing your next PowerPoint quiz. If you're looking for multiple ways to create a quiz show for your students, check out the detailed tutorial below .

Video Gallery

We've talked quite a bit about visuals here, not just because PowerPoint is a great tool for visuals, but because visuals are so extremely helpful in the classroom.

One way to incorporate visual activities into your classes with PowerPoint is by creating video galleries. This is especially useful if you have limited access to videos and need to play them in a certain order.

You can create a video gallery presentation by manually inserting the clips into slides or creating a series of hyperlinks to take the class through certain processes. You can also add captions, notes, and questions for further discussion.

Scavenger Hunt

A fun activity to incorporate in your classroom through the power of PowerPoint is a review scavenger hunt.

Scavenger hunts can be an engaging way to go over the material and test knowledge at the beginning or end of a unit. PowerPoint is a great tool to use when designing a scavenger hunt if you are working with students online. With the tool, you can hide clues in images, ask questions that are linked to hyperlinks, and even add video clips as hints.

Scavenger hunts also offer quite a bit of versatility in the classroom. You can have students work individually or in groups, depending on your goals for the lesson.

You can reference our Virtual Scavenger Hunt guide, which includes several hunt lists, for ideas on what to bring to your students.

Choose Your Own Adventure

PowerPoint slides can also be used to create engaging interactive experiences. PowerPoint's slide-linking feature allows you to jump between slides with the click of a button, providing users with their own “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style gaming experience. As a result, you can create an interactive story with a different ending each and every time.

While this activity will take quite a bit of upfront work, once you have it done, you can use it for countless classes.

We highly recommend this tutorial by The Training Lady on how to plan out your next PowerPoint adventure!

Picture Reveal

Picture Reveal is a great PowerPoint activity that encourages students to think critically. In this activity, you can present an obscured picture and provides clues as to what it could be. Students must then utilize their knowledge and logic skills to work out what the picture is by eliminating incorrect answers based on the clues provided until they eventually get the correct answer.

Picture reveals are a great way to review material from previous lessons or current topics. They can also act as an introduction to a new lesson. Plus, we can't stress this enough, visuals!

Word Search

Word search games are a great way to review vocabulary and help students learn new words. Using PowerPoint, you can create custom word searches by entering the target vocabulary words in a grid. Then draw lines connecting each letter to form words! You can even add visuals that correspond with the theme of your word search for an extra challenge.

Word search games are perfect for when you have some leftover time during class or if you want to review material from earlier units. A PowerPoint word search is also great for helping students recognize spelling patterns in unfamiliar words and promoting active learning as they look for the hidden words in the puzzle.

Student Presentation

One of the best ways to get your students engaged in the classroom is to have them lead the show. And PowerPoint is such an awesome tool for students to present their own material.

With a little guidance, you can have older students create mini-presentations about topics they've studied in class or even on their own. Not only will this allow you to assess what they've retained from studying, but it also allows your students to practice public speaking skills and become more comfortable with online presentations - essential in today's digital world!

With PowerPoint, you can easily turn any student project into an engaging presentation everyone will enjoy.

Use Slides with Friends for Your PowerPoint Activities

PowerPoint has been a vital tool in the teacher toolbox for decades. There are so many fantastic ways to use PowerPoint to engage and interact with your classroom.

Slides with Friends is excited to announce a new feature for our slide decks - A PowerPoint upload!

Now you can create your slides in an already-known program, or use slide shows you've already made, and with a click of a button upload them to Slides with Friends!

Slides with Friends brings classroom PowerPoint activities to the next level by enabling real-time collaborative engagement from all of your students. By combining your PowerPoint presentations with Slides with Friends live word clouds, polling, trivia, and quizzes, as well as photo sharing, you really can fully involve your students in every lesson.

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Expanding Students’ Ideas About How to Give Presentations

A simple framework can help upper elementary students find the perfect method to share their learning with their classmates.

As soon as we tell our fifth-grade students that they will be presenting a project, they immediately ask, “Can I make a PowerPoint?” After years of responding, “But you don’t even know what the project is yet,” we decided there had to be a better way for our students to get started on projects.

Many elementary students love sharing what they have learned with their class but are sometimes unsure of how to go about it. Frequently, this leads to an excited presenter but a disengaged audience. After brainstorming what our expectations would be for students’ projects, we came up with three things that we thought were most important for successful project planning: purpose, depth, and delivery. By using our simple, three-step framework, our students have been able to create detailed, engaging projects that use a variety of delivery methods. This framework also gives students more autonomy in their work, something that’s particularly important for this age group.

Before students can begin a project, they have to have a specific purpose in mind. Often, this purpose comes from the teacher, but when students decide the direction of their project, they feel empowered to grow their own ideas. If they can clearly explain the purpose of their project, they can move quickly into the research portion without having to sift through the seemingly endless resources at their fingertips. We like to use the Question Formulation Technique to help our students get started. After generating questions, students can choose the question that interests them most.

Purpose reflection questions:

• Why am I doing this project?
• What questions do I have about this topic?
• What am I excited to learn more about?

After choosing a topic or question, students must break it down into smaller pieces. This could mean finding connections between their topic and personal interests or generating more questions that will lead them closer to finding the answer to their main question. This provides the road map that will help them identify the resources they should use and direct their research.

Depth reflection questions:

• How detailed do I need or want to be?
• What resources are available and reliable?

Helping students find an appropriate method of delivery is an extremely important part of our framework. In the past, our students have felt limited to using only basic presentation tools, like slides or posters. While students may use these methods, we do not want them to feel confined to only those options. Young learners are stunningly creative and should be able to share their knowledge in a way that they find exciting, but also in a way that is appropriate for their topic.

We encourage our students to shift their focus from presentation tools they are familiar with to the tools that best suit their project. Further, students need to identify their audience and if they are hoping to inform, persuade, entertain, or some combination of those. If students are unsure which presentation method to choose or are working in groups and disagree about method, they can use a decision matrix to help. We also encourage our students to think about what they would be excited to see as an audience member.

Delivery reflection questions:

• Who is my audience?
• Am I trying to persuade, inform, or entertain?
• What would I like to see as an audience member?

Supporting Student Voice and Choice

In our classes, we usually encounter two types of students: those who cannot wait to share and those who would rather do anything other than present something in front of an audience. This is something we love because it means we can help our learners find creative solutions.

We want our students to feel empowered to authentically be themselves, and every presentation is an opportunity for that to happen. For example, one of our former students was shy in front of the class but loved puppets. He was able to present his projects on recycling and pollution with his puppets, and, honestly, he captivated his audience more than many adult presenters we have seen. Another student loved Minecraft and created an entire human body, complete with in-game signs identifying and describing each organ and body system.

We have seen skits, songs, models (both physical and digital), videos, radio shows, dynamic slide presentations, drawings, and animations from young learners who were excited to share them. We have students using technology tools and programs that we had no idea existed, yet they are able to combine the tools with their newfound knowledge with ease. Further, every time a student presents to our classes, we get to learn something new about them and see their skills applied in a new way.

Since we implemented our purpose, depth, and delivery framework, our students have been sharing their research with us and asking for our feedback on their choice of delivery method, instead of simply copying and pasting information from the internet. We have moved beyond presentations for only our class and have had students present ideas to other classes and our school leadership team. Our students feel empowered to take their learning outside of our classroom walls and naturally expand their knowledge beyond our standards and curriculum. They feel connected to the information they are sharing and have grown personally as well as academically.

5 Clever Google Slides Projects for Kids

Grab some free templates and help kids master basic Google Slides skills while easily creating informative presentations. As an elementary library media specialist, I spend a lot of time using Google Slides with students. We use Google Slides projects in many ways to present research findings. The compatibility with Google classroom makes Google Slides extremely easy to use. I’m always trying to design engaging activities and trying new ideas. Anything that can save me time is a winner.

Today I’m going to share with you some of my favorite engaging Google Slides projects. If you are a teacher or homeschool instructor, maybe these creative google slides ideas will spark your students’ interest. Whether you need Google Slides assignments for students or ideas for Google Slides for fun, there’s something here for you. Ready to get some great Google Slides project ideas? Let’s get started!

***Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.***  Already know what you’d like to get from Amazon? Here’s a handy way to get to the website, linked to a very hot item with teachers right now, the auto-tracking selfie stick . Just click on the button below, then browse around and do your shopping.

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Table of Contents

Student Project #1: Google Slides Animal Research Project

I love doing research projects about animals. I use this project with second through fifth graders. When I let the students choose the animal they wish to study, each student can usually find an animal to get excited about. I work in two different schools. Each school has a collection of nonfiction books about animals, but I like to save the library books for students to check out.

The Research Source

For this, I like to use the free ebooks from the Epic ebooks site. The collection is larger than that of the school libraries. The ebooks are also quite current. I wish I had the budget to update our nonfiction collection with print copies of some of the ebooks Epic has. In the meantime, it’s great to have Epic as a resource for this project. If you’re not sure how to set up an Epic account for your classroom or library, I wrote a post about it that gives all the details .

The Research Packet

Once each student has chosen his or her source of information, I have the student fill in the title and author of the book on their Citation page in the packet. Here is a pdf version of the packet for you to access.

Creating a Citation

I show students how to find the copyright information in the ebook and fill that in on their citation page as well. Here’s a quick video showing how to access the copyright information in an Epic ebook. It’s a little tricky to find. Once students have gathered the copyright information, they use Citation Maker to create a citation to save in Google Docs. If you aren’t sure if your school has access to Citation Maker, talk to the school librarian.

Gather the Facts and Create a Slideshow Using a Template

Students use their chosen book source to fill in the information in the packet. If you are teaching online, the students can open the pdf with DocHub to edit. Once all of the information is filled in, students are ready to begin their slide show. Here’s the master slide show template for you to access. You can make your own copy and edit as needed, then have each student make a copy. (Or you can make one for them in the Google Classroom when you create an assignment.) Using the facts from their research, students fill in the information on their Google slides.

Adding Finishing Touches and Turning in the Slide Show

When students have entered their facts into the Google slides, they may add transitions, a theme and even music. ( I wrote a post about how to add sound to Google slides .) To turn the slideshow in, I have them get a shareable link and post in a Google classroom discussion area in Classwork. That way, they may view each other’s creations. Super fun!

Student Project #2: Google Slides Biography Research Project

This research project is similar to the project above, except the source for the research is different. Of course, the research packet is different as well, but the idea of gathering facts is the same. This project is suitable for use with second-grade through fifth-grade students. For second and third graders, I usually expect them to find fewer facts for each slide. The Google Slides projects which I offer are easily adaptable for a variety of grade levels.

For this project, I have students use Kids InfoBits (now renamed Elementary Research in Context). Check with your school librarian to see if you have this database or a similar one like PebbelGo. This database, published by Gale Group, has a fantastic section called People, with different categories to investigate. I usually have one grade level study scientists, one grade level study presidents, and another grade study historical figures. You get the idea.

Once each student has chosen his or her source of information, I have them copy and paste the link to their source into a group discussion board in the Google classroom. Since there are so many sources in the database, doing this helps students remember which source they need to return to for fact-gathering.  Here’s the packet in pdf form:

One super nice thing about using a Gale Group database like this is that the citation is already made. It’s just at the bottom of the article. Each student just needs to go to the bottom of the article, then copy and paste it directly into the Resources page on their slide show.

Slideshow Template

Here’s a link to the template. Just as in the previous project, you can make your own copy. Also as in the previous project, students may customize the appearance and function of their slideshow. When ready to turn in, each student may share a link in the Google classroom for others to access and view.

Student Project #3: Google Slides National Park Road Trip Project

In the spring, I like to have students plan a road trip. This is one of the best Google Slides projects for focusing on geography. I encourage fourth graders to take advantage of the Every Kid Outdoors program. It’s a great way to see some of the beautiful national parks in the United States.

For this project, I have students use the National Park Service website . It’s an easy source to use when looking up articles about specific National Parks. There is a handy tool where students can find a park by state.

Each student chooses three national parks to visit and writes facts about each one. Using a website like Mapquest, I have students find the distance from one destination to another. Here’s the packet in pdf form:

To create a citation in Citation Maker, I just have students copy and paste website information directly into the Citation Maker tool and generate a Google doc. Each student should cite the National Park Service website and whichever map website you have them use.

Here’s the template . Just as in the previous project, you can make your own copy. Also as in the previous project, students may customize the appearance and function of their slideshow. One thing I do for this project is to have students take a screenshot of each map when figuring the distance from one destination to another. It provides a great visual connection for their journey. When ready to turn in, each student may share a link in the Google classroom for others to access and view.

Student Project #4: Google Slides State Capital Road Trip Project

The fifth-grade road trip is similar to the fourth-grade road trip. The main difference is that instead of national parks, fifth graders travel to different state capitals. Since not all students are familiar with the different state capitals, I have them draw four slips with the names of capitals, and they get to choose three of them to use for their project. I don’t mind if some students study the same capital. It’s the luck of the draw for my students. You may have a better way of choosing destinations. If you do, I’d like to know about it. I’m always on the lookout for fresh teaching ideas!

For this project, I have students use an online encyclopedia. Our schools use World Book Kids. Check with your school librarian to see if you have something similar. It’s an easy source to use when looking up articles about specific places.

Each student chooses three capital cities to visit and writes facts about each one. Using a website like Mapquest, I have students find the distance from one destination to another. Use the same packet for this Google Slides project as for the previous project.

One awesome thing about using World Book Kids is that the citation is already made. It’s just at the bottom of the article. Each student just needs to go to the bottom of each article, then copy and paste it directly into the Resources page on their slide show. Each student will have three articles to cite, plus the website for the maps. You may choose to use the Citation Maker tool to cite the map site.

Here’s the template , which is the same as the template for the previous project. Just as in the previous project, you can make your own copy. Also as in the previous project, students may customize the appearance and function of their slideshow. One thing I do for this project (as with the fourth-grade road trip project) is to have students take a screenshot of each map when figuring the distance from one destination to another. It provides a great visual connection for their journey. When ready to turn in, each student may share a link in the Google classroom for others to access and view.

Student Project #5: Google Slides Foreign Country Research Project with Digital Storytelling

Here is one of my favorite Google Slides projects. While the older elementary students are working on their road trip projects, second and third graders have a project of their own. I have them do foreign country research and create their own ebook. Not sure where the Google slides some in? It’s part of the project, but not until the very end.

For this project, I have students use the World Book Kids online encyclopedia. Check with your school librarian to see if you have something similar. It’s a great source to use when looking up articles about foreign countries.

The Research Data Sheet

Each student chooses a foreign country to study and writes facts about it. I usually choose a continent for students to look up in the encyclopedia, then they may choose a country from that continent. Since I work with seven hundred students, I feel more organized that way. If you are a classroom teacher, you may wish to have students choose a foreign country anywhere in the world. Here is a free printable data sheet and storyboard you may use.

Since World Book Kids is the source, the citation is already made. It’s just at the bottom of the article. Each student just needs to go to the bottom of each article, then copy and paste it directly into the Resources page in their ebook.

Creating the Ebook

To create the ebook, I have students use a fun site called StoryJumper . I wrote about it in a related article about digital storytelling . It’s free for teachers and students to use. Students need to create a login, but this program is amazing, so it’s worth it to me.

To simplify things, I use the initials of the schools I serve along with a number, then I only had to create 32 student accounts. If you are a classroom teacher, you can create a free account, then assign each student a username and password. I just have to caution students to only work on their book, not anyone else’s in their little online library of projects. Students begin by creating a cover.

Users may add pages, along with dialogue and illustrations. A new option of recording narration is available as well. The kids have a great time creating their stories.

Here’s the storyboard I have students follow. They don’t write on the storyboard. It is their guide for which information from the datasheet goes on each page. Students use the information they found to create a story.

The one disappointing thing about StoryJumper is there is no way for students to share the interactive story. It can be uploaded into Google classroom for their teacher to view, but classmates won’t see it. Here’s my workaround solution. Demonstrate how to take a screenshot, and students may take a screenshot of each page and place the screenshot into a Google slide show. When ready to turn in, each student may share a link in the Google classroom for others to access and view. Here’s the template for the Google slide show , which is just a blank slideshow ready to be filled in with screenshots. You may add or delete slides as needed. Students may add transitions to make it seem like readers are turning a page when they view it.

Another Fun Google Slides Idea

Looking for another fun way to use Google Slides? I’ve got ready-made online classroom seating charts with two different classroom background sizes. It’s ideal for busy teachers, and you can customize the charts to fit your needs. They can be used over and over, and you can have them for free . You’ll get a link to the Google Slide Online Classroom Seating Chart file, and you will be able to customize it by selecting File , then  Make a copy . I hope it simplifies things for you.

Get my free online classroom seating charts!

Save Time With These Templates

If you’re looking for an engaging game idea for online or in-person students,  how about an online virtual bingo game? Don’t worry, if you don’t have any time to create bingo boards, I’ve made some for you. I’ve designed templates for many special occasions:

• Back to School Bingo  (perfect for the  first  week of school)
• Summer Fun Bingo  (perfect for the last week of school)
• Baby Shower Bingo
• Birthday Bingo
• Christmas Bingo
• Halloween Bingo
• Valentine’s Day Bingo
• Wedding Shower Bingo
• Blank Bingo Board Template
• All templates in one eBook!

Take me to the other templates!

Going to give one of these google slides projects a try.

I hope you have found something to try on this list of Google Slides project ideas. I have a lot of fun with Google slides. It’s an excellent way for students to share information with each other. Do you have any fabulous Google slides projects? I’d enjoy learning about them. I’m always on the lookout for more project ideas.

Have a wonderful week, and have fun creating exciting Google Slides projects!

Related Posts:

• Free Ebook Site For Kids Offers Home Access
• How to Add Sound to Google Slides
• 26 Easy Ways to Use Pear Deck With Google Slides
• Fabulous Flipgrid Ideas for Remote Learning

Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who uses her job as an excuse to stay up far too late reading books and noodling around with tech tools. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the  About  page.

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Education  |  Sep 21 2019

5 Interactive Presentations Ideas that will Engage Students

Interactive presentations should always be an educator’s goal. Dry, teacher-centered lectures lose students’ interest, while interactive presentations grab and hold attention. Getting students involved improves retention, understanding, and enjoyment. And it’s remarkably easy to involve the audience with just a few easy principles (especially with the right technology at your disposal).

Start creating interactive presentations with the tips and tricks below or get more insights on modern education technology.

Students today expect the classroom to be both educational and enjoyable at the same time. Interactive presentations help engage students by having them participate in the lessons instead of passively listening to lectures. This reduces boredom and gives students a sense of responsibility to be attentive.

A Gallup Poll  of about 3,000 schools shows that around the 5 th  grade 74% of students feel they are engaged in school, but by the 10 th , 11 th , and 12 th grade those numbers fall to the 30% range. It is important for educators from K-12 and on to higher education to recognize that keeping students engaged in the classroom is important and the adoption of interactive learning environments can be a key driver.

Millennials and Generation Y students are especially accustomed to being a part of the lessons and not just a spectator. Students are encouraged to talk and offer their ideas to create a collaborative atmosphere where both teachers and students are sources of knowledge and insight. The teacher plays more of a facilitator role in moving the lesson along and encouraging students to participate in their own learning outcomes. Students offer their own input, additional information, and give examples of how they would apply the key concepts.

The learning task is the central aspect of the interactive presentations (instead of the teacher’s energy level and hold on the students’ attention spans) and the lessons evolve around it. Even though the teacher is normally, the ‘presenter’ in most cases the ‘interaction’ part comes in a variety of ways to get students participating in the lesson. Many activities, games, role-plays, quizzes, and discussions  can be integrated into the presentation flow and the lessons will take different directions from there. We will discuss later many examples of tools and techniques to encourage collaborations.

Technological Aid in Interactive Presentations

Although interactive presentations can be done without technology, it is greatly aided with the adoption of tools designed to facilitate the learning process. For example, a quiz is given in the middle of the presentation. On one side, traditionally a teacher can write the quiz before the lesson starts, print out copies for all students, pass out the quiz, and collect answers. To provide feedback for the exercise the teacher will also need to grade and start a discussion on the results before moving on to the next topic. This process is time-consuming and restrictive.

With technological aid such as an interactive digital whiteboard or a classroom quizzing application on individual devices, the students and teacher can come up with the quiz questions on the spot. This digital quiz can be administrated wirelessly to all students and within seconds, the results can be shared with all participants to discuss. This greatly increases spontaneity, variability, and class involvement.       

5 Interactive Presentations Ideas and Corresponding Technology Aids

1. Storytelling

The teacher does not have to be the only star. The glory of the presentation can go to all participants who have a story to tell. The main concepts can be discussed and students should be given time to come up with a personal example. This exercise helps students relate to the subject matter and getting to listen to other students’ examples will drive home the concepts further. The need for the teacher to plan extensive examples and be the only one talking during the presentation is reduced. Teachers can also judge by the stories shared how much the students are understanding.

Storytelling with technology: Many digital whiteboards have Cast and Throw functions that will allow students to work on their own examples on their devices and send this to the whiteboard when sharing. This allows students to quickly go up and share their stories without sending files by email, wires, or USBs.

2. Non-linear presentation

Presentations that do not follow a strict order but organically flow from topic to topic based on the audience’s feedback are a great way to engage participants. Once prepared, the presenter can flow from one topic to the next by asking questions, polling, or receiving requests at the end of each key point. This allows the audience to ‘build’ their own presentation on what they want to hear not in a rigid manner as with traditional slide-based presentations.

Non-linear presentation with technology : There are non-linear presentation applications like  Prezi which helps presenters build presentations on easy-to-customize templates. They offer a zoomable canvas (not slides) to help people share knowledge, stories and inspire audiences to act. The canvas shows relationships between points and offers a recommended flow but not a set path to follow.

3. Polls, surveys, and quizzes

One of the most recognizable and used tools in the classroom to get a fast reaction from students are polls, surveys & quizzes. For polls, simple questions that have limited answers are used to gather a consensus. This could be in the form of a raise of hands, ballots, or having students form groups. Surveys would require printed paper sheets with multiple choices, scales, or short answers to gather opinions. Quizzes are used to quickly test a student’s knowledge on what was just covered, so the class can identify weak areas and crystalize main concepts.

Polls, surveys, and quizzes can be anonymous or not. Openly requiring students to share their ideas on results such as a debate or open discussion would increase the interactives of the activity. Students can also be tasked to create questions and grade their own surveys and quizzes for an added layer of participation within the presentation.

Polls, surveys, and quizzes with technology : Many classroom management software such as  Google Classroom has built-in tools to create polls, surveys, and quizzes along with assignments, communication, and other educational features. Once submitted, the collection and grading are instantaneous. The results can be shared easily with students both individually or as a group. 

Is there a student – of any age – who does not like a good game, contest, or competition? Adding a small game into a presentation breaks up the normal lecture format and gets the audience to think critically to help their team win. There are many versions and adaptions of basic educational games . Teachers can take games such as Pictionary, Jeopardy, Casino, and Bingo then adapt them to their needs. 

ViewSonic Originals

Free interactive teaching materials

Gamifying your interactive presentation : By integrating into the presentation links to applications like  ClassCraft  or  Kahoot a teacher can quickly launch an interactive digital game. These applications help teachers tailor their own games by adding their questions, facts, and materials for individuals, small teams, or the whole class to participate.

5. Discussions and groups breakout sessions

Having the class only listen to a lecture marks the end of any interactive presentation. Adding sections where students can have an open discussion or breakout sessions can help students learn from each other, share insights, and have an opportunity to ask questions to their peers. It is also an opportunity for the teacher to take a break from talking and help small groups or students individually as the rest of the class converse.

Taking the discussion online for interactive presentations : Live discussion applications like  NowComment  allow students to markup and discuss a text in real-time which is great for peer-review activities and gather student input into one place quickly. Alternatively, Yo Tech is great for teachers to create and moderate real-time chat rooms. Students can send text-like messages, reply to other messages, and share pictures and drawings. Online chat groups are a great way for large groups of students to collaborate and interact in one place while keeping the noise level down in a classroom.

Tips for Creating Interactive Presentations

Here are some tips when creating a presentation that has interactive components:

Add in places within your lecture notes or presentation slides reminders for you to engage the audience. This could be a small image or phrase. When using digital whiteboards or other display technology you could also use a sound, empty slide, or pop-up link to prompt you to start.

Time Limits

It is great to keep going a good game or discussion in the class where everyone is really engaged. However, keep the maximum amount of time you can dedicate to these activities in mind. Have a watch or a timer on hand and keep things moving. Give enough time for students to get engaged without overdoing it. Spread out chances for students to talk and share. When it is time to move on to the next topic prepare a transition to the next part of the presentation.

Think of ways to let all students have a chance to share. You can select students randomly or have them take turns in some kind of order. Remind students that this is a learning activity and not everyone will get it right the first time. The interactive activity should be open and inclusive. Students who are introverted may be given activities that can be done without going to the front of the class or public speaking.

Benefits of Having Interactive Components in Your Presentation

• Retention:  Actively having students engage with the concepts of the presentation in different ways and hearing it from different people (besides the teacher) helps with long-term retention.
• Personalization:  Students are given the choice of where the presentation is heading and participate in their own learning outcomes.
• Fun:  Having a break from the routine, getting a chance to move around, developing teams, and sharing are all much better than sitting silently and taking notes. 
• Feedback:  Adding interactive activities into a presentation gives you instant feedback about students’ comprehension.
• Vocalization: Having students actually vocalize their ideas helps them internalize the concepts.
• Summarization: Students review and summarize their own main points while doing the activities so there is less need for repetition.

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Learning Solutions For the Future

Build Your Own Version of Interactive Presentations for Your Next Lesson

Bringing in the interactive components and increasing the engagement of your presentations will both help you – a teacher – and your students. Make presentations both educational and entertaining with Edutainment! With or without technology, consider incorporating some new ideas into your next interactive presentation.

If you liked reading this article, you might also want to explore our complete guide to technology in the classroom or gain more insights on engaging lessons with ViewSonic’s education solutions.  

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70 Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for Teaching Fifth Grade

Brilliant ideas from brilliant teachers (like you).

Let’s be honest. One of the hardest parts of teaching is those two dreaded words: lesson planning. Sometimes the inspiration just isn’t hitting, and we could use a little help. We scoured our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook and the web to put together a collection of ideas for teaching 5th grade to help you get through “The Sunday Night Blues.” Plus there’s advice from teachers like you on classroom management techniques and the best ways to communicate with parents. You’ll see everything organized by topic so you can find what you’re looking for easily. New to teaching? Fifth grade veteran? You’re g uaranteed to find something here to inspire you!

Getting Your Classroom Ready

1. create an inviting classroom.

Need ideas to take your classroom to the next level? We’ve gathered real-life 5th grade classrooms  for you to browse!

2. Gather all the supplies

Not sure what supplies you need for your classroom? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this list of essential 5th grade classroom supplies .

3. Try different classroom layouts

Long gone are the days of straight rows of desks lining the classroom.  Throw out your seating chart and try one of these ideas instead .

4. Fill your classroom library with our favorite 5th grade books

Teaching 5th grade involves a lot of reading! Here are our favorite 5th grade books.

5. Get a jump start on lessons

Teacher planning and prep time are precious! It makes life a lot easier when you can purchase existing lessons, bundles, books, and pages when you’re teaching 5th grade. And why not support other teachers while you do it? Check out our favorite Teacher Pay Teachers sellers for 5th grade.

The First Days of School

6. introduce yourself creatively.

Make day one memorable by introducing yourself in a creative way, such as sending postcards over the summer! Here are creative teacher introduction ideas .

7. Put all hands in

Get to know your 5th grade class and finish decorating during the first week of school with an activity that has students trace their hands and decorate with words and pictures that describe themselves. We love this idea from Teaching in Room 6 .

8. Establish a culture of kindness

Print these free, downloadable posters to remind your students that kindness matters most of all.

9. Build your students’ social-emotional skills

Teaching 5th grade means building SEL skills. Use these SEL read-alouds  to talk about everything from kindness to courage to trying your best.

10. Create classroom jobs for your students

Here are some creative ideas for classroom jobs from our teacher community: tech support, environmental support, organizer, textbook coordinator, sanitation engineer, librarian, substitute, chief in charge, messenger, paper passer, supply clerk, IT technician, human resources officer, administrative assistant, waste management. Plus check out this big list of unique classroom jobs .

11. Make a class time capsule

At the beginning of the year, have students write down their thoughts, expectations, goals, feelings, and predictions. Put them all in a decorated jar, seal it up, and then read them all back to them in the last week of school!

12. Use the walls for anchor charts instead of premade posters

You can check out our  top 5th grade anchor charts for inspiration here.

Ideas for Language Arts

13. incorporate daily writing prompts.

We’ve gathered these 5th grade writing prompts that you can download and use to have your 5th graders practice their writing skills.

14. Read aloud

Book series make great read-alouds because you can carry them through the entire year. Here are some of our top read-aloud picks for 5th grade.

15. Encourage higher-order thinking

Looking for resources to encourage higher-order thinking in your young readers? Check out our list of higher-order thinking questions and stems .

16. Grade all assignments for spelling

“I take spelling grades off of any type of assignment: a science response, an essay, anything. You get a better snapshot of their real spelling level, not if they have help at home.” — Jessica R.

17. Use paint chips to inspire sensory poetry

Letting color work its inspiration for your 5th grade poets is a great idea from Fabulous in Fifth . Check out other  educational uses for paint chips  here!

18. Teach the difference between tone and mood

Practice applying the definitions by reading passages in class and asking students to identify the difference between tone and mood in each passage with this helpful anchor chart.

19. Teach how to use context clues to bridge into larger close-reading skills

We love this context clues anchor chart from Crafting Connections .

20. Teach the difference between literal and figurative meanings through writing and drawing

Take sentences from your class’s current text that use figurative language and have students (literally!) illustrate and explain the difference in the literal and figurative meanings of the expressions. Check out these figurative language anchor charts to get started.

21. Try a vocabulary activity. Or 15!

Use RAFTs, try Vocabulary Jeopardy, and more with these vocabulary activities .

22. Use scavenger hunts to teach how to cite evidence

Find four of our favorite activities for citing textual evidence—two for fiction and two for nonfiction.

23. Teach theme in language arts

To fully explore theme, students must understand what they read and then extract ideas from the text. Here are 14 ways to get started teaching theme .

24. Have fun with poetry

Help your class learn to read, appreciate, and write poetry with these poetry lessons, templates, and worksheets .

25. Use nonfiction to draw in reluctant readers

Have a student that just won’t read? Use these types of nonfiction to entice them!

26. Offer life-changing books

Fifth grade is a big year for many students. They are beginning to gain more maturity and life experience. Give your students access to texts that will expand their minds and hearts. Share these 5th grade chapter books with your students.

Ideas for Math

27. reinforce prime numbers with a fun card game.

Prime numbers become instantly cool when you use them to win this card game from Education.com. Download the activity for free .

28. Use bulletin boards as a math resource

Make your bulletin boards interactive and useful to aid kids in learning new mathematical concepts and to bolster independent learners. Check out these math bulletin boards that are creative and different to add to your room this year.

29. Focus on fractions

If it’s not math fluency, it’s fractions. The better understanding 5th graders have of fractions, the better off they’ll be when the quantities get more complicated or the operations get sophisticated. Check out our favorite fraction activities .

30. Make it easy to reinforce

Reinforce new concepts with games that don’t need a ton of prep and can even be played at home. Check out these easy-to-play 5th grade math games that cover many math standards.

31. Watch videos

It’s much more fun to teach multiplication and division when  you’re watching a video !

32. Teach the dreaded word problem

Use these math word problem activities and strategies .

33. Whip out the songs

Yes, by 5th grade, students should all know their multiplication facts. But let’s be real, sometimes it’s still a bit shaky. Try these catchy multiplication songs to finally have them solidify those facts!

34. Have a snack while you’re learning

Students will love combining cooking and chemistry with this engaging Compound Cookie activity where students follow a recipe to make a yummy snack. A fun (and delicious) way to go about teaching 5th grade math and science.

35. Graph paper isn’t just for graphing

Tired of messy math work? Try this hack to transform the way students show their math work.

Ideas for Financial Literacy

36. spend, save, give.

Teach your students to be more thoughtful and responsible about how they use money to help them be successful adults.

37. Making money

Kids love learning how to earn some extra cash. Use this making-money lesson to give them the vocabulary they need to dig deeper into topics like allowances, job, wages, and salaries.

38. Saving money

Saving money can be tricky for kids (and adults!). Use this lesson on saving money to help students learn how to save money in an age-appropriate way. It also covers other topics like investing and credit.

Yes! Kids can learn how to be financial planners. Set them up for future financial success by teaching them how to make financial plans to reach financial goals with this budgeting lesson .

40. Charitable giving

There is a strong push for educators to teach social-emotional skills. It’s important for our students to understand why and how to give back. Check out this charitable-giving lesson to add to your financial literacy lessons.

41. Hands on Banking

Our Hands on Banking resource has a whole host of resources to help teach students money skills. Online games, app recommendations, worksheets, lessons—it’s definitely worth a look!

Ideas for Science

42. get hands-on with science.

Science is the perfect subject for kids to get down and dirty. Try these 5th grade science projects for inspiration.

43. Try daily STEM challenges

These  STEM challenges are designed with your 5th graders in mind. Try one each day or each week to get their minds thinking outside the box.

44. Teach the plant life cycle

The plant life cycle is always a fun science unit. You get to talk about growing, planting, and nature. Plus, students love digging in and getting their hands dirty when they plant seeds themselves.

45. Teach electricity

It’s electrifyingly good fun!  Shock them with these science experiments .

46. Explore animal habitats

Ready to explore animal habitats around the world, from rain forests to deserts and everything in between? These fun habitat activities are just what you’re looking for.  Take a walk on the wild side!

47. Host a science fair

These science fair project ideas give students a chance to develop all sorts of skills like critical thinking, research, and writing.

Ideas for Social Studies

48. try social studies inquiry circles.

Address the required standards through inquiry-based learning. Here’s a how-to guide from the One Stop Teacher Shop. Watch your kids sink their teeth into the “thick versus thin” concept, and the Work Plan Form will help students take control of their own learning.

49. Let your students be TV producers

Fifth grade teacher Brittany R. had her class work “in small groups toward the end of the year and make commercials to try and get ‘tourists’ to visit their location (ancient civilizations).” — Brittany R.

50. Learn about heroes

Read biographies about famous people in history. Match books to holidays or other commemorations, like Presidents’ Day  or  Black History Month.

51. Use online learning

There are some amazing websites out there for teaching social studies lessons.  Check out our 50+ favorites .

52. Take a field trip

Being the oldest student on campus affords some privileges, not the least of which is awesome field trips. No baby field trips here. Take advantage of having more mature learners, and try one of these engaging field trips that you can only really do in 5th grade .

Ideas for Classroom Management

53. be consistent when teaching 5th grade.

Consistency is key. “I’ve been teaching 5th grade for 15 years, and I can honestly say that for me it comes down to one word: consistency. If you are not consistent and do not plan to follow through (rules, routines), then you will have a great big mess on your hands academically, socially, and behaviorally. You need be consistent and keep to your schedule, routine, and rules. Fifth graders learn quickly that if you don’t mean what you say, they do not have to do their best.” — Maria S.

54. Incentivize

Fifth graders may think they are big kids, but they’re still motivated by rewards. “I give tickets to my students (bought from a party-supply store). They can redeem them every other Friday. A certain number of points can be cashed in for prizes, like a piece of candy or extra computer time. Sometimes I give one or two tickets and other times I pull off a long string of 10 to 15, especially if I want to change the behavior of other students! Tickets can be earned for good behavior, turning in work, showing respect, appropriate class participation, and so on.” — Becky S.

55. Think soft, not loud

“If students are being loud, my instinct used to be to raise my voice to try to be louder than them. Now, I’ve started doing the opposite: I’ll speak more quietly. This tends to intrigue them, and they’ll start hushing each other so they can hear what I have to say. Try it!” — Erin F.

56. If you assign it, grade it

Make sure kids know that all their work is valuable and deserves their best effort. “If you assign it (project, test, homework), then you need to check or grade it!” — Maria S.

57. Encourage kids to develop their passions

Give your 5th grade kids a Genius Hour where they can explore a topic of their choice. Students spend a set amount of time each day researching the topic before creating a project they will eventually present to the class.

58. Let your students be the teachers

“I let my students work in groups to read part of a chapter and then teach it to the class. They did various things such as present graphic organizers, skits, raps, and acrostics. They took questions from the students and they also gave out questions as mini-quizzes!” — Brittany R.

59. Incorporate arts and crafts into lessons

“I’ve done Egyptian units where kids create their own sarcophaguses. It has to have representations of things that are important to them.” — Laura N.

“We created cubes (made of poster board and cut and glued with hot glue) to create an informational cube about Egyptians. They did their own research for the topics covered.” — Brittany R.

60. Have a classroom debate—in costume

“We do a debate between the Patriots and the Loyalists, complete with costumes. The kids LOVED this activity.” — Sherrie R.

61. Get the wiggles out

Even grown-ups can’t sit still and listen all day! Get your kids up and moving with awesome 5th grade brain breaks .

62. Prizes don’t have to be the way to go

Looking to explore other ways of classroom management? Check out what this teacher has to say about rewards .

63. Scratch the “I don’t know …”

Teach students these eight alternatives to “I don’t know” to help promote perseverance in your classroom!

64. Respond in ways that promote thinking

It can be so frustrating when our students look at us and blurt out “I don’t get it” after an in-depth lesson. Here are five practical ways you can respond to get those brains thinking!

65. Teach kids perseverance

Create a classroom community of students who don’t give up when challenges present themselves. Learn ways to build perseverance in your classroom when you’re teaching 5th grade!

66. Encourage a growth mindset

A growth mindset helps students embrace challenges, learn how to fail and try again, and gain more skills to becoming independent. Learn ways to incorporate growth mindset into your daily lessons and routines.

Other Ideas

67. have a sense of humor.

Teaching 5th grade requires a sense of humor, for both yourself and your students. Try one of our 5th grade jokes to start the day .

68. Build positive relationships with parents

Here are  tips for working with parents that make it the easiest part of your job.

69. Tweak your lingo

Sometimes a mere tweak in your language can make a big change in classroom participation!

70. Know the goals

New to 5th grade? Not sure of the skills your students need when they head off to middle school? Here are the skills one teacher says every 5th grader must have by the end of the school year.

What are your top tips for teaching 5th grade? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group  on Facebook.

Plus, check out our guide to the 5th grade classroom ..

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The Ultimate Checklist for Setting Up Your 5th Grade Classroom

Everything needed for a great year! Continue Reading

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Featured 5th Grade Resources

How Does the pH of the Soil Affect the Type of Plants?

Plants’ survival can be based on the pH of the soil. This experiment lets you test soil pH based on the type of plants that live there.

Source: www.livescience.com

Surface Tension Experiment

Surface tension is one of water’s most important properties. It is the reason that water collects in drops, but it is also why water can travel up a plant stem, or get to your cells through the smallest blood vessels. You can experiment with surface tension using just a few household items.

Source: www.hometrainingtools.com

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Problem-Solving and Reasoning - Math - 5th Grade

Problem-solving and reasoning - math - 5th grade presentation, free google slides theme and powerpoint template.

Download the "Problem-Solving and Reasoning - Math - 5th Grade" presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and easily edit it to fit your own lesson plan! Designed specifically for elementary school education, this design features vibrant colors, engaging graphics, and age-appropriate fonts; elements that capture the students' attention and make the learning experience more enjoyable and stimulating. Provide a cohesive visual identity of your lessons to create a sense of familiarity and organization with this editable Google Slides theme and PowerPoint template!

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