Research Question: In what ways can "play" be incorporated into the Grade 5 Curriculum to best support student engagement, learning, and growth? 

This year, I have been intentional about incorporating more play and choice into my classroom, guided by the principles of Project Zero’s Pedagogy of Play. My goal has been to use play not simply as a break from learning, but as a tool to deepen engagement, foster ownership, and enhance understanding across content areas. 

In math, I created a series of Decimal Studios after our unit on operations with decimals. These included a Decimal Shopping Spree, Decimal Relay Race, Decimals in the Real World, Decimal Scavenger Hunt, Decimal Mystery, and Decimal Bingo. Each studio engaged students in adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing decimals through hands-on, game-based activities that brought math into real-life contexts. These experiences offered playful yet rigorous ways to reinforce skills and allowed students to move, collaborate, and think flexibly