Contrary to what I feel in all the other blog posts about worksheets for grade 5 maths, geometry isn’t my favorite math topic. I think as a kid, geometry didn’t make sense. It’s a lot of vocabulary, and it didn’t feel worth learning. Even in high school, geometry was my least favorite math class and I dreaded taking geometry courses in college. With geometry being my least favorite, I knew I had to find some amazing 5th grade geometry worksheets, activities, and games to make this unit more enjoyable to my students and myself!
Luckily, there are actually tons of amazing 5th grade geometry worksheets to choose from! Most of them focus on manipulatives and building a concrete understanding before getting more conceptual. And there are so many fun geometry games to play during math learning centers.
Speaking of which, do you want to transform your math block from frustrating to fun? Have you been thinking about starting math stations in your 4th-6th grade class but don’t know how to begin? I created a FREE 5-part video series walking you through exactly how to set up math stations in your classroom. Drop your email below and I will send it right to your inbox!
What geometry skills do 5th graders need?
What geometry skills do 5th graders need? Great question! The geometry standards for 5th grade are pretty sparse. Geometry usually isn’t part of power standards in upper elementary because most of the focus is on multiplication, division, and fractions.
Essentially Common Core breaks geometry into 2 parts, graphing in coordinate plane and classifying 2-dimensional shapes. I have a blog post where I break down how to teach graphing in the coordinate plane if you want to check it out here.
So classifying 2-d shapes is all that you are left with after taking out coordinate planes. The volume of prisms is another set of standards that I initially thought would be geometry but it’s actually under the measurement and data strand of Common Core. If you are looking for volume of prism teaching activities, be sure to check out this blog post for all the helpful tips and tricks.
Examples of geometry in real life
One of the best tips for teaching 5th grade geometry worksheets is to ensure that they have examples of geometry in real life. It’s important for students to see real-life examples of everything we teach in school and geometry is no different.
I like to include geometry projects, scavenger hunts around my classroom, and word problems in geometry so that students start to see real-world examples.
Examples of geometry in real life can include:
- Finding the area and perimeter of rectangles
- Creating a roller coaster (either drawing more 3d model) using quadrilateral properties
- Going on a scavenger hunt to find quadrilaters and using properties to classify each one
- Researching the architecture of different buildings and determining the shapes used to construct it
These are just some examples of geometry in real life that can help your students grasp the importance of learning this topic and also help bring your unit to life!
5th Grade Geometry Worksheets
Now that we have discussed what geometry skills 5th graders need and examples of geometry in real life, let’s dive into my favorite 5th grade geometry worksheets!
While this unit doesn’t take me long to teach, I need to have a plan in place before diving in. These 5th grade geometry worksheets and curriculum are so helpful for making sure that I have taught everything I need to. I love how it comes with the notes, videos, and exit tickets that I use to help me make groups in math stations. It also comes with homework (that I use as an independent practice station), quizzes, a study guide, and 2 tests! Everything I need to teach easily and all in one spot! You can grab the unit here.
- Fill in the blank notes with short videos (5-10 minutes) to match the notes sheet. These are perfect for a flipped classroom, technology station or for absent students.
- 5th grade geometry worksheets for homework or guided practice. These also make easy, independent work for math station ideas.
- Math Exit Tickets for each day of notes are included. They are available in 3 different forms: paper slips, Google Slides to present to the class, and Google Forms for self-grading.
- A mid-unit quiz
- Study Guide to review your entire geometry unit
- 2 Versions of the Test for retake options or they can be used for a pretest and post-test data point
- Data Tracking Spreadsheets for simple data tracking on exit tickets, assessments, or Common Core Standards
What geometry 5th grade games do I use?
I love using geometry games to spice up my unit. I use these geometry 5th grade games during math stations each week. Games are typically used in my partner station or ‘ hands-on’ as I have it titled in my class.
Games for Geometry: Double Dice
Dice games for kids are an easy, low-prep math game option to include during math station rotations. The game boards are open-ended so that students are able to create their own math problems. This makes the games reusable, which means less prep on the teacher’s side of things. The games for the geometry set include the volume of prisms and finding the area and perimeter. This applies to your geometry unit, then grab the set here.
Word Problems in Geometry Game
I love to solve math word problems and I want to instill that love in my students. If I can’t make them love it, at least tolerate them! I created these word problems in geometry game board set to use during small groups or math learning centers. Students draw a card, solve it, and then move their piece to that answer on the game board. This makes the game self-checking while also helping students solve math word problems regularly. They also serve as examples of geometry in real life.
5th Grade Geometry Worksheets & Digital Task Cards
While we aren’t digitally learning as much anymore, I still like using what I created a few years ago. Digital task cards are an easy assignment to leave for a sub or to use during a technology station. You can grab the set of task cards in this bundle with 5 other activities!
If you want to use them as a game, I like to print them off and play a good old-fashioned game of Scoot or set up Jeopardy for a whole class review game. I share more about how to use task cards in this blog post.
Finding the Area and Perimeter Tic Tac Toe Game
This is another fan favorite in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop. Students pair up, solve a math problem, check the answer with their partner, and then play Tic Tac Toe. Students stay engaged in learning while thinking they are just playing. Win-win in my book! This tic tac toe game board set focuses on finding the area and perimeter which depending on what content is included in your geometry unit might be just perfect! You can grab the set here.
Activities on geometry
Geometry 5th grade games are fun to incorporate into a unit, don’t get me wrong! But I think the activities on geometry really sell my students’ engagement during the unit.
Learning Labs
Hands-on and exploratory learning is something I’m always trying to incorporate more of into my upper elementary classroom. Learning labs are activities where students are creating and exploring the deeper meaning behind math topics. In these 5th grade geometry worksheets, students are creating and building their own quadrilateral hierarchy. This is perfect to use before moving into teaching explicit vocabulary.
Performance Tasks
How awesome would it be to create your own roller coaster? I give students the chance to do just that in these 5th grade geometry worksheets. Students use each of the quadrilaterals we learn about and then create a roller coaster using those shapes. Students have to be able to justify each of the shapes and classify them correctly in the performance task. This can be used as an end-of-unit assessment too!
Digital Choice Boards
Wanting to use choice board templates in your math classroom? These activities on geometry choice board are a low-prep way to incorporate more student choice into your classroom. I use choice boards most often during math station time or as an end-of-unit review. There’s a digital and printable option so that you can pick what works best in your classroom. Be sure to check them out here.
Other 5th Grade Geometry Worksheets
Looking for even more 5th Grade geometry worksheets and activities? These blog posts have tons of other ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.
- Geometry Activities Students Love
- Free Geometry Activities
- 23 Geometry Games and Activities Your Students Will Love
- Hands on Geometry
- Free Geometry Project Based Learning
I’d love to hear from you! What are your favorite 5th grade geometry worksheets and activities? Drop your response below!
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