January 25, 2018 ELA K-5, ELA 6-8, ELA Resources - Activities, ELA Focus - Writing, ELA 9-12, ELA PD - Grammar Writing, ELA Focus - Grammar, Core Grammar
By: Tiffany Rehbein
It can be a struggle to keep students interested in learning about the more technical side of language. One way that teachers can enhance grammar instruction is by creating new and inventive activities for students do in order to review key concepts. Here are seven creative exercises that teachers can use in the classroom to make grammar and writing instruction more fun for students.
RESOURCES THAT WILL ASSIST YOU IN TEACHING GRAMMAR CREATIVELY
RESOURCE #1: GRAMMAR LAND
Who wouldn’t like to play Grammar Land in the classroom? Grammar Land, similar to Hasbro® Candy Land™, is a captivating game that's guaranteed to make grammar instruction fun for students.
If you have a laminator, I suggest you print and laminate 8–10 boards for your classroom and purchase some Dry Erase® markers and erasers. This will keep your Grammar Land game boards nice throughout the school year!
Download the Grammar Land directions and game board to start playing.
RESOURCE #2: GRAMMAR BASEBALL GAME
The use of sports in the classroom is a great way to engage students. I've found that altering a sport such as baseball is an easy way to review or teach grammar creatively.
Get students out of their seats and interacting with grammar by playing the Baseball Grammar Game. Prior to playing, students will write short essays based on a writing prompt provided by you. Then the class will be divided into two teams in order to play ball. All of the game details can be found in the printable download.
Batter up!!!
RESOURCE #3: GRAMMAR TERMS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
In grammar instruction, identification of key grammar elements is a part of the learning process. However, it doesn't have to be boring! Instead of assigning students to create flashcards to review grammar terms, use crossword generators to create puzzles.
The printable Grammar Terms Crossword Puzzle makes identifying key grammar terms fun for students. Download the worksheet now!
RESOURCE #4: HOPSCOTCH PARTS OF SPEECH CHARTS
Did you know that the game Hopscotch has been around since the early Roman Empire? The original hopscotch courts were more than 100 feet long and were used for military training exercises. Inspired by the Roman military exercise, children in ancient Britain and Rome tweaked the concept to create the game we now know as Hopscotch.
Give the traditional game of hopscotch a grammar twist and have students practice identifying the parts of speech! While the rules of hopscotch may vary, all it takes is a hopscotch court (you can use painter’s tape on the classroom floor to create the court) and an object that students can toss into any of the court’s spaces. For detailed instructions on how the Hopscotch Parts of Speech game can be played, read the original post here.
Finally, you will want to print the Hopscortch Parts of Speech charts for grades 5–8 and grades 6–12. Download them now!
RESOURCE #5: LITERARY DEVICES IN POETRY MATCHING GAME
Matching activities are another great way to spice up grammar instruction. Using a Word document, teachers can create a matching activity that will engage students in learning and reviewing a variety of grammar elements. Never underestimate the power of matching as a teaching tool! A couple years ago, I created a simple matching activity for students to use for reviewing poetic devices.
Download the Literary Devices in Poetry Activity to see what your students know! You can also use this worksheet as a template for creating future matching activities for your classroom.
My top tip for teaching grammar creatively is to use student interests to increase engagement during lesson plans and to create follow-up activities. For example, teachers can use their students’ social networking interests to create dynamic grammar exercises!
Last year, I was inspired to create an editing activity after I overheard my students talking about something they had seen on Twitter. I realized that if I used social media posts for editing practice, it might just influence students to improve their own Tweets, Instagram posts, and so on. Download the Editing Celebrity Tweets Worksheets for your classroom and get inspired.
RESOURCE #7: PERFECT MEAL ESSAY WRITING
The Perfect Meal Writing Activity will whet students' appetites and get them excited to write! With these essay writing practice worksheets, students are charged with writing a short essay about their favorite meal or a special meal they one day look forward to eating.
The essay writing worksheets available for download will encourage students to focus on word choice and provide an opportunity to practice outlining and composing short essays. To make this short essay writing activity especially fun, the worksheets are made-up of place setting elements that will be cut and assembled once complete.
Download The Perfect Meal Writing Activity now!
IN SUMMARY
I hope that these seven worksheets will inspire you teach grammar more creatively and to create your own original classroom activities. And remember, although initially you may find it challenging to design worksheets, eventually you will find inspiration everywhere you look!