Advisory Antics: Fifth Graders Get Silly!

Moving from a Lower School fourth grader to an Upper School fifth grader can be daunting: new teachers, new protocols, a new pattern to the day. Fifth-grade advisors pay special attention year-round to easing this transition for our students—not only with support and instruction, but also through connection, belonging, and just having fun.

The fifth-grade advisories’ “minute-to-win-it” is one such technique that brings out laughter and silliness in judgment-free zones. The advisors add their own twist: announcing only the name of the game without explaining the rules!

Each small-group advisory decides who from their group will participate, not knowing what the game entails. Once selections have been made, students go head-to-head against peers from other fifth-grade advisories—and they discover they’re in for silly antics like knocking over cups with pantyhose and tennis balls on their heads, playing Bop-It, or shooting “Cupid’s Arrows” (blowing Q-Tips through straws) at targets. Mr. Mortensen even challenged fifth graders to a game of Concentration using laser-cut hearts from his woodshop to put their memories to the test!

“These quirky activities are community and team-building games. You don’t need to be the fastest runner or the smartest in the room to win these challenges. It's a nice way to bring advisories together,” says Fifth Grade Lead Teacher Jess Angelo.