Table Of ContentUse It! Don’t Lose It!
LANGUAGE
Daily Skills Practice
Grade 5
by Pat Alvord
Illustrated by Kathleen Bullock
Cover by Geoffrey Brittingham
Edited by Marjorie Frank and Jill Norris
Copy edited by Cary Grayson
ISBN 978-0-86530-650-9
Copyright ©2007 by Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without written permission from Incentive Publications,
Inc., with the exception below.
Pages labeled with the statement ©2007 by Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN are intended for
reproduction. Permission is hereby granted to the purchaser of one copy of USE IT! DON’T LOSE IT!
LANGUAGE DAILY SKILLS PRACTICE 5 to reproduce these pages in sufficient quantities for meeting the
purchaser’s own classroom needs only.
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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Don’t let those language skills get lost or rusty!
As a teacher you work hard to teach language skills to your students. Your students
work hard to master them. Do you worry that your students will forget the material as
you move on to the next concept?
If so, here’s a plan for you and your students—one that will keep those skills sharp.
Use It! Don’t Lose It! provides daily language practice for all the basic skills. There
are five language problems a day, every day for 36 weeks. The skills are correlated to
national and state standards.
Students practice all the fifth-grade skills, concepts, and processes in a spiraling
sequence. The plan starts with the simplest level of fifth-grade skills, progressing
gradually to higher-level tasks, as it continually circles around and back to the the same
skills at a little higher level, again and again. Each time a skill shows up, it has a new
context—requiring students to dig into their memories, recall what they know, and
apply it to another situation.
The Weekly Plan—Five Problems a Day for 36 Weeks
Monday – Thursday ................• one vocabulary or other word skills item
• one spelling or mechanics item (capitalization,
punctuation)
• one grammar or language usage item
Monday and Wednesday.........• one reading item
• one literature item
Tuesday and Thursday............• one writing item
• one research/information skills item
Friday.......................................• one longer reading comprehension passage
with questions
• one writing task
Contents
36 Weeks of Daily Practice, Five Problems a Day .......................................... 5–112
Scope and Sequence Charts of Skills, Concepts, Processes ......................... 113–117
(all the details of what’s covered, where, and when)
Answer Key ........................................................................................... 118–127
To get started, reproduce each page, slice the Monday–Thursday lesson pages in half or
prepare a transparency. The lessons can be used . . .
• for independent practice—Reproduce the lessons and let students work individually
or in pairs to practice skills at the beginning or end of a language class.
• for small group work—Students can discuss and solve the problems together
and agree on answers.
• for the whole class review—Make a transparency and work through the problems
together as a class.
Helpful Hints for Getting Started
• Though students may work alone on the items, always find a way to review and discuss
the answers together. In each review, ask students to describe how they answered the
challenges or other problems that involve choices of strategies.
• Allow more time for the Friday lesson, as these tasks may take a little longer. Students can
work in small groups to discover and discuss their answers.
• Provide dictionaries and other resources that may be helpful to students as needed. There
will not always be room on the sheet for some of the longer writing tasks.
• Many of the writing tasks can be expanded into full writing lessons. When you have time
to do so, extend the activity to work on all or various stages of the writing process. Find
time for students to share and enjoy their written products.
• The daily lessons are designed to be completed in a short time period, so that they can be
used along with your regular daily instruction. However, don’t end the discussion until
you are sure all students “get it,” or at least until you know which ones don’t get
something and will need extra instruction. This will strengthen all the other work students
do in language class.
• Keep a consistent focus on thinking skills for reading comprehension activities. Allow
students to discuss their answers, particularly those that involve such higher-level
thinking skills as drawing conclusions, inferring, predicting, or evaluating.
• Find ways to strengthen the knowledge and use of new vocabulary words students learn
in the daily practice. Keep a running list of these words. Use them in classroom
discussions and activities. Find ways to share and show off knowledge of the words.
Encourage students to include the new words in their writing.
• Take note of which items leave some or all of the students confused or uncertain. This will
alert you to which skills need more instruction.
• The daily lessons may include some topics or skills your students have not yet learned. In
these cases, students may skip items; or, you might encourage them to consider how the
problem could be solved; or, you might use the occasion for a short lesson that would get
them started on this skill.
How to Use Daily Skills Practice
5. Cross out the unnecessary words in the
passage.
MONDAY WEEK 1 __________________________________ LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Change this phrase into a complete sentence.
On the world’s largest roller coaster.
2. Edit this sentence.
millions of fun-seekers visit disneyland
every year.
3. Which words mean “not clear”?
a. disclear
c. unclear
b. imclear
d. misclear
4. What literary technique is used in this
sentence describing an amusement park?
Shrill shrieks and sharp shouts of
delight are heard from dawn to dusk.
personification
alliteration
exaggeration
rhyme
5. Which statements are opinions?
©2007 Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
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TUESDAY WEEK 1 _________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Circle the simple subject in the following sentence:
John, daredevil of a kid, thinks all of the rides
are too tame.
2. Which words are misspelled?
a. meny
b. goes
c. gone
d. becuse
3. Add the correct ending punctuation.
Do you know what time Six Flags opens
4. Look in a book’s _____________ to find the title of
each chapter.
WEDNESDAY WEEK 1 ______________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Name two pairs
of rhyming words.
2. Choose the synonym.
When we got tired of the crowds
at the park, we went back to the hotel
pool for a diversion.
rest
change
snack
3. Circle the correctly spelled words.
laugh
does
culd
again
4. Which sentence is correct?
a. Save a lot of money for you’re day
at Coney Island.
b. Whose ready to leave now?
c. Let’s ride the Ferris wheel before
the line gets too long.
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THURSDAY WEEK 1 _________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Number the words in alphabetical order.
___ fast
___ scary
___ thrilling
___ amusing
2. What part of the sentence is underlined?
We waited forever to ride the
Accelerator.
3. Circle the synonym for remarkable.
unnecessary
outrageous
shameful
unusual
4. Choose the best word for the blank.
Heavy rains _________________ the
roadways, slowing traffic to a crawl.
filled
wet
puddle
flooded
5. Edit the passage for correct
capitalization and punctuation.
my sixty-eight year old grandpa
is a thrill-seeker who spends
every birthday at an amusement
park riding its wildest roller
coaster he began this tradition
when he turned twenty-one and
has not missed a year since old
gramps has visited every
adventure center from maine to
california and keeps a list of the
best and worst roller coasters
5. Place the sentences in the correct
order.
___ Matt’s nachos fell on the
sidewalk when a rambunctious
preschooler bumped into him.
___ Because they had spent all
their money, Matt and Margo
shared the chili dog.
___ Matt ordered nachos and
Margo chose a chili dog.
___ Margo and Matt hurried to the
refreshment stand to buy lunch.
©2007 Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
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FRIDAY WEEK 1 ________________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
WRITE
1. Give the poem a good title.
Write this above the poem.
2. Write a summary of the poem.
READ
1. To what kind of amusement park
ride is the writer referring?
2. Circle five words that describe the
movement of the ride.
3. Underline four words that describe
the writer’s reaction to the ride.
4. Describe the poem’s rhyme pattern.
___________________________________________
My seatbelt’s buckled; I slouch down low
My hands grip the metal bar.
With a slow click-clack
Cars jerk up the track
And climb toward the nearest star.
I’m anxious, excited, my eyes are wide.
I quiver with dread and fear
As we reach the top
And jolt to a stop.
Now, the time for flying is here!
A sudden plummet, a dip, a plunge—
I shriek and laugh and scream.
I gasp for breath.
Am I facing death?
Is this real or a scary dream?
A snake of six cars slithers along
And twists itself down the rail
There’s a jerk, then a dive.
Am I still alive?
I am, but my skin looks pale.
We lean to the left, lurch to the right
Final corners we swiftly round.
After one sharp drop,
We slow to a stop.
My feet touch the solid ground.
I stumble down the exit ramp.
My dad waits at the end.
“Did you like the ride?
You looked terrified.”
“Not me! I’m going again!”
MONDAY WEEK 2 ______________________________________ LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. During a hurricane the sea sometimes rises
like the dome of a large stadium. This is
called a storm surge. This passage:
a. explains exactly how a storm surge
develops.
b. describes how a storm surge looks.
2. Choose the compound words.
coastline
evacuate
weather
flashlight
3. Correct the capitalization.
the caribbean sea
east
hurricane
gulf of mexico
4. Put commas where they are needed.
To prepare for the hurricane we stocked
up on canned goods bread cereal
crackers and peanut butter
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
©2007 Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN
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TUESDAY WEEK 2 _____________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Which is an example of descriptive writing?
a. encyclopedia article on hurricanes
b. poem by a person who observed
a hurricane
c. essay on reasons for hurricanes
d. poster of hurricane safety tips
2. Circle the subject pronouns.
him
I
you
we
they
3. Which words could be used in place of
the bold word?
steady
regular
continual
occasional
A hurricane is a tropical storm with a
constant wind speed of 74 mph or more.
4. Circle the correctly spelled words.
evry
first
wonce
never
5. The word hurricane would be found
on page _____ in this dictionary:
5. What is the writer’s purpose?
a. to educate the reader about window
protection
b. to make the reader aware of the
seriousness of hurricanes
c. to convince the reader to visit his store
d. to inform the reader that hurricane
season has begun
WEDNESDAY WEEK 2 ______________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
©2007 Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
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THURSDAY WEEK 2 _________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Circle the cause.
The power was out for five days
because strong winds downed
many lines.
2. Add capitals to make the book title
correct.
galveston: the worst hurricane
3. Circle an antonym for support.
ignore
care
assist
encourage
4. Which is a simple sentence?
a. After the hurricane, which lasted
six hours, we went outside to see
the damage.
b. Since I never had experienced a
hurricane, I was curious.
c. Listen for hurricane information
on your local radio station.
“Relax, kids,” said Mom.
“We’ll make the best of it
at the shelter during the
storm. You can bring books
and games, we’ll be dry
and safe, and maybe
there’ll be other children
your age to play with.
Now let’s move fast and try
not to forget anything!”
5. From which of the following sources
might you learn the important
information above?
a. a book about weather
b. national TV news
c. local radio station
d. a nature magazine
e. a current local newspaper
1. Which sentences are correct?
a. Dad and me put up hurricane shutters.
b. Is that water bottle for me?
c. She and I will get some supplies.
d. Please find flashlights for
he and mom.
2. Give two different meanings
for the word bow.
3. Correct the misspelled words.
aftir
broun
rool
give
mor
come
myself
whin
4. You are about to write a paragraph telling
why you would (or would not) want to
experience a hurricane. Write a topic
sentence for this paragraph.
5. Describe mom’s attitude about going to
the storm shelter.
FRIDAY WEEK 2 ________________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
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READ
Study the diagram and read the text to answer the following questions.
1. You can tell from the diagram that the eye of a hurricane is located in __________________
2. As the eye passes over a portion of the earth, what changes in wind and wind direction
occur in that area both during and after?
3. What is the part of the hurricane that directly surrounds the eye?
WRITE
1. Edit the passage for punctuation and capitalization.
2. Give the passage a good title.
_________________________________________________
where I live in oregon we don’t have to worry about hurricanes and earthquakes
volcanoes could destroy our house, but not hurricanes in fact, we rarely have a thunder
storm so a visit with my grandparents on the atlantic coast side of florida the week that
hurricane ivan smacked into their neighborhood was the scariest experience of my life
the worst part was the noise the wind howled branches snapped and lawn chairs
crashed against the house and clunked onto our roof we lost the power about an hour after
sunset and all we had was a battery-operated radio the only messages on the radio were
the warnings to evacuate I looked at my grandpa in his lazy boy chair he just smiled and
told me stories about how many hurricanes he had sat through in that chair
around midnight we were all still sitting in the living room when a crash shook the
house and scared us terribly I jumped out of my seat and screamed when I looked at
grandpa, I saw his mouth was open in amazement as he stared up at the ceiling his face
was glistening with water because the roof was gone and the rain was pouring in on us
grandma shouted come on everyone quick get into the garage so grandma, grandpa, duke
and I scooted out of the house and crawled into the mini-van that’s where we spent the
next six hours before we woke to absolute stillness
The eye of the hurricane is the area of
lowest air pressure in the whole
hurricane. The eye can measure 20-30
miles wide or more. The eyewall is a ring
of tall thunderstorms where winds may
gust up to 200 mph. When the eye passes
over a certain place, the strong winds
suddenly stop in that place. After the eye
passes, the strong winds begin again, but
they blow from the opposite direction.
MONDAY WEEK 3 ______________________________________ LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
5. Does the author give enough detailed
information to lead to the conclusion
written in the last sentence?
©2007 Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
11
TUESDAY WEEK 3 ____________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Circle the correct word.
Tourists (visit, visits) Yellowstone National
Park to vacation and to see new things.
2. Circle the word that does not belong.
writer
teacher
reader
bigger
walker
3. Are the apostrophes used accurately? If not,
place them correctly.
Yellowstones’ beauty and uniqueness caused
it to become our countrys’ first national park.
4. Who probably wrote the passage?
a. a park naturalist
b. a travel agent
c. an astronomy student
Come enjoy nighttime at Yellowstone,
a place where city lights don’t pollute
the evening sky. Use state-of-the-art
telescopes. Listen to star stories from
experts, and discover constellations
you didn’t realize existed.
5. Correct the errors.
a. Dinner at Yellowstone Lodge
costed Dad a lot of money.
b. Our trail mix has nuts crackers
pretzels and dried fruit.
c. We buyed our sleeping bags at
a camping outlet store.
1. Choose the correct word.
Campers must store food and (personal,
personnel) items in airtight containers since
odors attract bears.
2. Which is the best key word for finding
encyclopedia information about bears at
Yellowstone?
a. wildlife
c. bears
b. Yellowstone Park
d. zoology
3. Correct the spelling of these words.
fite
bothe
redy
whent
4. Which sentence shows more action?
a. Many trees and animals were destroyed by
the Yellowstone fire of 1988.
b. Yellowstone’s 1988 fire destroyed many
trees and animals.
Yellowstone bears sometimes
surprise hikers, so it’s important
to take necessary precautions.
As you hike, alert bears to your
presence by making occasional loud
noises. Hike in groups and remain
extra watchful when twists and
turns of the path obstruct your
vision. Hike only during daylight
hours. Lastly, stay clear of carcasses,
a source of food for bears, which
they will protect and defend.
By following this advice, you’ll
increase your chances of safety
and enjoyment on beautiful trails.
WEDNESDAY WEEK 3 ______________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. Add the correct punctuation.
After singing around the campfire we crawled
into warm sleeping bags and slept soundly.
2. What is the meaning of the bold phrase?
Janie finally broke out of her shell at last
night’s campfire.
a. broke the eggs
c. sat in the circle
b. broke up the circle
d. relaxed and had fun
3. To which sense does this appeal?
Crickets chatter, whippoorwills sing,
and campfires crackle at day’s end in
Yellowstone.
4. Which apostrophes signal possession?
a. Annette’s feet blister easily.
b. I’d like to carry a lightweight backpack.
c. Yellowstone’s beauty surpasses other
national parks.
5. Brielle checked these books out of
the library. What can you tell about
her interests?
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
©2007 Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN
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THURSDAY WEEK 3 _________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
1. In which reference book would you probably find
information about the number of people who visit
national parks each year?
a. dictionary
b. encyclopedia
c. almanac
d. atlas
e. thesaurus
2. Which verbs are in the past tense?
hiked
eat
swam
caught
3. Which word does not belong?
adventure
journey
explore
quest
4. Write the plural form of each word.
coyote ____________________________
fox
____________________________
bass
____________________________
wolf
____________________________
5. Correct the spelling errors below.
READ
Read each passage. Identify the genre (form) of writing (poem, article, story,
advertisement, joke, etc.). Tell the main idea.
©2007 Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN
Use It! Don’t Lose It! IP 612-0
13
FRIDAY WEEK 3 ________________________________________LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Name
WRITE
1. Write a title for passage B.
2. Reread passage A. Then
write a description, in prose
or poetry, of an animal
you’ve closely observed.
The 1988 Yellowstone fire
devastated vegetation and
wildlife, but did not destroy all
of it. Some plant and animal
life, in fact, actually benefited
from the blaze. The grasses
that elk eat were more
nutritious after the fires.
Aspen seedlings thrived on the
bare soil left behind in the
charred forest. Grizzly bears
enjoyed grazing more in
burned sites than unburned.
Also, bluebirds flocked to the
cavities of dead trees to build
nests and raise their young.
