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5th grade sub plans: math

A 5th grade math block for a substitute, 65 minutes: a warm-up on the board, then simplifying fractions practice (a sheet with its answer key on its own page), partners checking each other, and early finishers writing problems of their own. 4 steps, written to be read once and followed.

Checked October 30, 2026. Made from Peabody Teach's own passages, worksheets and brain break cards.

Make the whole day at 5th grade ▸

The math block

Math: simplifying fractions

  1. Warm-up: write these on the board and solve them together, asking a student to explain each step: 5/10; 2/8; 6/8.
  2. Hand out the simplifying fractions sheet (16 problems). Print 24; the key is on its own page.
  3. Students work on their own for twenty minutes, then check with a partner.
  4. Early finishers write three problems of their own and swap with a neighbor.

📄 Simplifying fractions (sheet and key)

The sheets, on their own pages

Subbing 5th grade

Fifth graders are usually the oldest in the building and respond to being treated that way: tell them the plan, give a choice where you can, and hold them to the schedule. They can read a passage alone and write two paragraphs.

  • Explain the whole day in the first five minutes, including what happens if work is finished early.
  • Offer a small choice (which question to share, where to read) rather than a reward.
  • Hand out the extra-time sheet with the main sheet, so nobody waits for you.

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